It's Just Me and You Now
by Emiiily
Summary: What if Luke and Lorelai had met ten years earlier, in 1985?
1. Meltdown

**So this is my second fic. I had this idea randomly one day and I wanted to see what happened with it. I hope you enjoy it :)**

Lorelai Gilmore sat on the swings at the park she used to visit when she was younger. She slowly swung back and forth, using her feet to control the movements, as she watched the kid's running round the park, enjoying their childhood whilst their nannies sat on nearby benches, keeping an eye on them. Lorelai wondered where it all went wrong. She herself was one of these excited children visiting the park with her own nanny. And then it occured to her, the nanny was the problem. Six year old Lorelai didn't want to go to the park with the nanny, she wanted to go with her parents. But no matter who much she begged her father to take a day off work or pleaded with her mother to take an interest in her, she was still pawned off to a stranger. She made no attempt to get to know the nanny she had because she knew that the following week she would have a different one. Lorelai thought back to all the times she had tried so hard to get her mother's attention, for her to notice her, but she was shooed away because she was too busy or simply couldn't be bothered to take an interest in her only daughter. Tears threatened to appear in her eyes and she blinked them away before looking down at the little girl sat contentedly in her lap. She smiled as she watched her beautiful ten month old daughter's eyes follow the kids playing all around her. The baby pointed at something in front of her and turned her head to find her mother's eyes. Lorelai followed the direction of her tiny finger and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Does Rory want ice cream?" she asked in her best baby voice. The little girl gurgled in response and smiled when she recognised her mother's voice. Lorelai sat on the swing a little while longer. She now thought about how miserable she was during her childhood and how she wanted so much more for Rory. She didn't want Rory to hate her when she was sixteen, she wanted to be her best friend and for them to have the best mother/daughter relationship in the world and she was gonna try her hardest to raise her baby that way. She needed no help from nannies or her parents for that matter. She didn't even need help from Rory's father who had been a no show since the night their daughter was born. She was on her own, and she had been for the last two weeks.

"Come on kid, let's get you home." She stood up from the swing and put her daughter on her hip. She made a quick stop at the ice cream truck and saw the look of delight on the little girl's face as she watched the vendor make it for her. He handed her the ice cream in exchange for a dollar and she headed off to the bus stop to make her way back to Stars Hollow.

By the time Lorelai reached the Independence Inn, Rory had fallen asleep and had her head rested on Lorelai's shoulder. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of her baby girl as she had ice cream all round her mouth that had dried up slightly. Lorelai had run out of wipes in the diaper bag and had forgotten to put a new pack in for their trip to the park. She made her way up the porch steps and entered the lobby through the front door. She noticed Mia stood at the front desk and made her way over there. She had only known the woman for two weeks but she already felt as though Mia understood her more than her parents ever had.

"Hey Mia," she greeted as she approached the desk.

"Oh hello Lorelai," she replied, dragging her attention away from the newspaper she was reading. "I see you wore Rory out." She leant over the desk and stroked the little girl's ice cream covered cheek.

"Yeah we had fun today. Thanks for giving me the day off."

"You deserved it sweetie. You've been working so hard the last couple of weeks and you needed some quality time with you gorgeous daughter."

"Well it's much appreciated, I had a great day. Rory's the best baby in the world," she stated proudly with a smile. "She's so smart, I mean she's ten months old and can nearly walk unaided. Today I was holding her up as she walked and I thought she was gonna do it all by herself. But then I let her go and she fell flat on her butt, it was so adorable." She let out a breath.

"She's a special girl," replied Mia with a smile. She was so intrigued by the seventeen year old girl who worked full time and took care of a baby, but didn't once complain about it. Mia's gaze fell on Rory who was still sleeping in her mother's arms.

"I'm gonna go put her to bed," said Lorelai as she began to walk away to go to the potting shed.

"Lorelai?" called Mia.

"Yeah."

"Why don't I put Rory to bed and you take some time for yourself?"

"Oh I couldn't, you're working," she protested.

"I'm the boss and I just made it break time."

"But I feel like I'm dumping her on you."

"Nonsense, I'm offering to take her. I'd love to spend some time with this little cutie."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Lorelai carefully transferred Rory from her arms to Mia's. "Take a couple of hours by yourself, have some fun."

"Erm....what should I do?" She was a little lost without Rory.

"Take a tour around town, meet new townspeople, visit the local businesses. There's a market, a bookstore, a video store and a diner."

"Ok I'll do that. Are you sure you're ok with her? When she wakes up she'll be hungry. I have some food jars in the shed, just heat it..." Mia cut her off.

"Lorelai I know. Now go have some alone time and stop worrying ok?" Lorelai looked from Mia to Rory. She knew her baby would be in good hands but she'd never left her before and she was in full on protective parent mode.

"Ok I'm going." She planted a kiss on Rory's forehead before reluctantly walking away and closing the front door behind her.

Twenty minutes later, Lorelai was walking aimlessly around Stars Hollow. She stopped by the market and decided to pick up a few essentials. As she wandered the aisles, she thought of how strange it felt not having to struggle manoeuvring a stroller around the tight corners and at that moment she was actually enjoying doing the grocery shopping. She stopped in the baby aisle and looked up at the different brands of diapers. She chose the cheapest pack and frowned at the fact that she couldn't give her daughter more. She saw a pack of pacifiers out of the corner of her eye and went over to examine them. Rory's current pacifiers were over eight months old and looked as if they were gonna fall apart at any moment. She checked the price and did the math in her head of how much it would leave her for the rest of the week until her next pay check. She figured she could afford them and added them to her cart. She moved onto the next aisle and chose a few essentials such as milk, bread and a bar of chocolate, as that was a definite essential in her life, then she made her way to the checkout. The cashier gave her a curious look as she scanned the diapers. Lorelai was used to people passing judgement on her age when she was buying things for Rory and when she went out and about with her however she ignored the looks and got on with her life. She paid for her shopping and left the market and began wandering the street again.

She came across a bookstore and went in, heading for the children's section. She admired a few picture books but knew Rory wouldn't be interested in them. She wasn't even one yet and she was already beyond picture books. She preferred story books. Lorelai had read to her every night since they came home from the hospital. That was another reason she left her parent's house, every time she had tried to put her daughter to bed and read to her, a nanny ushered her away. It made Lorelai so angry. All she wanted to do was say goodnight to her baby but some woman, whose name she didn't even know, was telling her she couldn't. However when the nanny had gone to bed, she crept into the nursery and read to her sleeping daughter. She was snapped out of her day dream by a loud thud. She turned around to see a girl around four bent down picking up some books from the floor. She smiled slightly and imagined a four year old Rory reading her books all by herself. She couldn't wait for her daughter to speak her first word, she knew it was gonna happen soon because Rory's constant gurgling was sounding more and more like actual words every day. She had been pushing her to say 'mama' as that was the most obvious first word but Rory was unique and her first word would be too. She chose a story about princesses and went to the counter to pay for it.

As she walked down the sidewalk again, she stopped at a magazine stand. She browsed through the selection but was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her name being mentioned. She turned her head slowly to see three women stood near by and clearly, they were gossiping about her.

"I heard she has a daughter."

"I heard she ran away from her wedding."

"I heard she came from Hartford. Apparently, she ran away from her wealthy family and she used to live in a mansion."

Lorelai wondered how these strange women knew so much about her life and they hadn't even met. She turned back to the magazine she was reading and seconds later, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She swung around to see two of the three women stood looking at her. She put on a small smile.

"Hi sugar, I don't think we've met. I'm Babette."

"And I'm Miss Patty, but you can just call me Patty."

"Well hi, I'm Lorelai."

"Pretty name, how old are you?"

"Seventeen," she reluctantly answered.

"So did you move here with your parents?" Lorelai knew they were trying to pry information from her to confirm their rumours but she didn't care.

"No I moved here with my daughter."

"Oh, how old is she?"

"Ten months," she replied. She smiled every time she thought of Rory, she just couldn't help it.

"We'll have to look out for the two of you around town. We'd love to meet her."

"Yeah, we'll be around." She smiled at the women and gestured down the street. "I'm heading to the diner so I'll catch you later?"

"Ok sweetheart. You know Luke owns the diner?"

"Is that why it's called Lukes?" she replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, he's about your age actually. A year or so older."

"And he has his own business?"

"Yeah, his dad left it to him when he died a year ago. It used to be a hardware store but when Luke completed High School, he converted it to a diner. Everyone had such high hopes for him. He was supposed to go to college and study construction but after the death of his father, he vowed to keep the business going, even if it was a diner instead of it's original use."

"Wow, that's so moving. I know how it feels for all your hopes and dreams to vanish. When I found out I was pregnant I dropped out of High School and I disappointed my parents. I was all set up to go to an Ivy League school but I messed it all up. I wouldn't change my life for anything but I do wonder what it would have been like if I'd never had Rory." She sighed. "Anyway I'm gonna go meet this Luke guy, I'll see ya later." Patty and Babette nodded and she waved before walking down the sidewalk towards the diner with the two women watching after her.

"I think her and Luke would make the perfect couple." The two women nodded at each other before changing the subject to someone else.

As Lorelai entered the diner, she was greeted by the all too familiar smell of coffee. She smiled as the smell surrounded her. The diner was quiet, there were a few occupied tables but apart from that it was empty. She saw a man stood behind the counter and quickly strode across the room and dropped onto a stool. The man didn't look up.

"Excuse me, I need coffee."

"Wait your turn," he replied without looking up from his notepad. She sighed.

"But I'm the only one waiting."

"I'm sorting out someone's bill." Irritation was rising in his voice. "Now sit patiently and wait for me to get to you." He still didn't look up at her.

"But I think I'm about to die of withdrawal."

"You're annoying."

"And you're moody."

"I am not moody." He walked off towards a table and left her at the counter. She grabbed a newspaper that was sitting at the end of the counter and a brilliant idea popped into her head. She got up and walked over to the diner man.

"When's your birthday?"

"What?"

"It was a simple question, when's your birthday?" He desperately wanted to shut this woman up.

"November."

"November what?" He took a deep breath.

"November 6th."

"Thank you." She went back to sit at the counter and he went to stand in his usual spot. She tore a small section from the paper and scribbled something on it. She handed it to him and he looked her in the eye for the first time. He stopped as he saw how beautiful she was. The intense gaze of her bright blue eyes gave him butterflies and he was amazed at how every feature sat perfectly on her face. He realised he was staring at her and and recovered quickly by taking the scrap of paper from her. His fingers brushed against hers as he retrieved it and he looked into her beautiful eyes once again. He unfolded the paper to reveal what she had written. He saw Scorpio written at the top and below it she had crossed out the text and written her own message in her neat handwriting.

"You will meet an annoying woman today, give her coffee and she'll go away." He smiled slightly, not letting it show too much and looked up at her again. She had a wide smile plastered across her face, showing off her pearly whites. "You want it to go?"

"Erm, is it ok if I stick around for a while? I have a few hours to kill."

"Sure, just don't be too annoying." She let out a short giggle at his comment. "So I haven't seen you around here before. Are you just passing through?"

"No I just moved here."

"Oh where are you living?"

"The Independence Inn."

"That's Mia's inn."

"Yeah it is, I know Mia quite well."

"I thought you said you just moved here."

"Well I moved in two weeks ago and Mia's made us feel so welcome."

"Who, you and your parents?"

"No, me and my daughter." He looked shocked and Lorelai saw it in his face.

"Oh you err....you have a err.."

"Look it's ok, I'm used to people judging me."

"No I wasn't judging you, not at all. You just shocked me that's all. So how old is she?"

"Ten months." He nodded. He found it hard to believe that this young, beautiful woman had a daughter. Lorelai looked at him and gave him the once over. She realised how good looking he was, tall and handsome with the right amount of stubble on his face. She hadn't looked at any guy since she had found out she was pregnant and this was the first time since then that she had even given a guy a second glance. He noticed her looking at him and blushed at the attention she was giving him. She averted her gaze to her coffee and picked up the mug, finishing it off. He noticed her empty mug and picked up the coffee pot.

"Refill?" he asked but she shook her head. "Are you ok? You were really annoying before but now your quiet and turning down coffee."

"I just don't have much money at the moment and the little money I do have should be used for stuff Rory needs, not to feed my caffiene addiction." He looked at her sympathetically.

"So Rory's your daughter's name?"

"Yeah. I feel guilty when I can't afford the things she wants."

"Like what?" She was a little taken aback by his interest in her daughter. Not once had a guy asked about her.

"We were walking by this toy store earlier today and they had these cute little bears in the window. Rory pointed at them and looked at me whilst gurgling to herself but I couldn't afford one. She looked so disappointed when I walked away from the store, it made me feel so guilty."

"Why did you feel guilty about it." She couldn't believe how many questions he was asking.

"Why do you care? You've only known me for ten minutes."

"I'm intrigued, now answer my question." She sighed.

"I felt guilty because it's my fault we can't afford things. It was my decision to run away from my parent's house, it was me who wanted freedom, it was me who wanted to put my daughter to bed every night without some nanny telling me I wasn't allowed." She felt her eyes fill with tears and one escaped down her cheek. "I've been so selfish. I didn't realise how my decision would affect Rory, I was thinking about myself the whole time." He didn't know what to do. He put his hand over hers and she looked up at him.

"What's your name?" he asked. He still didn't know after everything she had told him.

"Lorelai. I'm guessing you're Luke?"

"You guess right Lorelai." She loved the way he said it. "Look, you're not selfish. It sounds to me like you were just looking out for your daughter."

"How'd you figure that out?" she asked with a sniffle.

"Well if you'd have stayed at your parents house, you wouldn't have been happy and you're unhappiness would reflect on her."

"But I took away her stability. We had a proper roof over our heads and good meals. But I took it all away."

"But you said that the nanny wouldn't let you put her to bed. If that would have carried on she wouldn't have developed a proper relationship with you and I'm no expert but a relationship between a mother and her child is pretty important." She looked up at him and smiled. "It sounds to me that the only person you were thinking about when you made the decision to leave, was Rory." She looked into his eyes, that were a similar shade of blue as her own and confusion hit her.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I thought I was annoying."

"Well that was before I found out what a wonderful person you are." She blushed at his compliment. "So where is the infamous Rory?"

"Mia told me to take some time to myself whilst she took care of her for a few hours. She was sleeping when I left. It's weird, I feel so lost without her." Luke was amazed by this wonderful young woman who had devoted her entire life to her baby. He grabbed the coffee pot again and filled her mug to the top. She looked at him as if he was stupid. "What are you doing? Did you not just hear my meltdown about how I can't afford to be splashing out on luxuries?"

"Oh I heard. But this one's on me."

"No, I couldn't take free coffee."

"You can, it's a piece offering."

"No really, you don't have to."

"I want to. Now drink up before it goes cold." She smiled her appreciation and took a sip of the steaming hot liquid.

"Mmm you serve the best coffee I've ever tasted. What's your secret?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a secret anymore now would it?" he grinned.

"Fine don't tell me. It doesn't bother me." They looked at each other and wide smiles grew on their faces. "You know, I should get going." She stood up and picked up her shopping bags. "It was nice meeting you Luke. Thanks for the pep talk."

"It was my pleasure. Will I see you in here again?" he asked with his fingers secretly crossed. "Maybe you could bring Rory next time?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice. Plus I don't know how long I can stay away from your coffee." She grinned at him before handing him a dollar.

"No you keep that, save it for Rory."

"Luke I want to pay for my coffee."

"I insist you keep it." He smiled at her one last time and she stuffed the dollar back in her wallet before turning on her heel and leaving the diner. Luke stood there and watched her walk further and further away until she was out of sight.

Later that evening, Lorelai was sat on her bed giving Rory a bottle before she went to sleep. The little girl was laid against her mother and had her fingers grasped around the bottle over Lorelai's. She loved this time of the evening when they had a proper chance to bond. A couple of weeks ago she could only watch as a nanny prepared Rory for bed. Now here she was, out on her own and sharing these precious moments with her daughter. Usually, Rory would have fallen asleep near the end of her bottle but tonight she was wide awake. Lorelai stroked Rory's dark hair and smiled as the baby turned her head to look at her. She reached for the book she had bought earlier in the day and opened it to the first page. She began to read the story to the little girl, using funny voices for each character which made Rory giggle. She read a few pages before Rory closed her eyes and her breathing slowed. Lorelai yawned and decided to let Rory sleep with her tonight. She fell into a peaceful sleep with the baby leaning against her and she dreamt about she had met earlier that day.

**So what did you think? Please leave me a review so I know whether to continue it or not. There's no point in continuing if the reader's don't enjoy it =D**


	2. The Parents

**Thanks for the reviews in the last chapter ******** they were much appreciated. I couldn't but notice how many hits I've had compared to the number of reviews and I know some of you are hiding away so please!! Read this chapter and tell me what you think!!**

Lorelai was woken up the next morning by a tiny hand hitting her face. She groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. Rory giggled thinking they were playing peek-a-boo and Lorelai removed the pillow, unable to resist her daughter's laughter. Rory started hitting her face again, laughing at her mother who was scrunching her nose up. Lorelai scooped her up and blew raspberries on her tummy making the baby laugh harder. She loved the sound of Rory's laughter; it reassured her that she was happy with how things were. She was beginning to realise that Rory had laughed and smiled more in the last two weeks than she had ever done when they lived in the Gilmore mansion. This made her think that maybe Luke was right, her mood was reflecting on Rory. Her mind lingered on Luke, how his muscles flexed when he poured coffee, how his voice was low and sexy, how his hand felt on hers as he comforted her. Her mind then drifted to Rory. She looked down at the little girl and realised that Rory was her world. The baby depended on her and she couldn't go round flirting with diner owners with hot bodies and sexy voices. Maybe she could have done a year ago, but she had other priorities now, she needed to focus all her attention on her daughter and make sure she was setting her a good example. She forced all thoughts of Luke out of her head and got up to change Rory. She bent down to grab a diaper and realised she only had one left.

"That's weird; I could have sworn I bought a new pack just yesterday." She unbuttoned Rory's sleeping suit and changed her diaper then dressed her in a cute pink summer dress as it was August and the weather was hot. She put Rory on the floor with some toys and began searching for the diapers she was positive she had purchased. She sighed as her search ended with failed results and she plopped down on the bed trying to think of where she could have left them. She went through the places she had been yesterday. There was the bookstore, but she didn't put her bags down in there. Then the newsstand but she didn't put them down there either. Then it hit her, she must have left them in the diner. She didn't want to go back there just yet. It was too soon and she would look like she was looking for a date which she wasn't, well that's what she kept telling herself anyway. But she desperately needed those diapers and she was just gonna have to suck it up and go back to the diner. She grabbed Rory and sat her in the stroller. She fastened the girl's sandals onto her feet and quickly changed herself into denim shorts and a t-shirt before brushing her hair, applying a bit of makeup and heading out the door.

Luke was stood at the counter in the diner. It was nine and the breakfast rush was now over. He sighed as the boredom kicked in and he eyed he bag that was sitting under the counter. He knew who it belonged to and he had been waiting all morning for it to be claimed. He knew it was only a matter of time before their owner realised they were missing. Diapers are an essential aren't they? He was pretty sure they would be needed at some point of the day so he stood behind the counter and waited. Then he saw her. She walked past the window, stroller in tow, with a jolly look on her face. His whole face lit up when he saw her and he suddenly felt nervous. He saw her struggling to open the door and keep the stroller steady at the same time so he immediately went to hold it open for her. She backed into the diner and turned to face the kind person that had helped her.

"Thank you." She blushed when she saw who it was and she smiled sweetly at him.

"Hey you came back," he said, clearly happy with it.

"Yeah I did." She smiled again.

"And you brought Rory with you. This is Rory right?"

"Yeah that's her." That proud parent smile appeared on her face.

"Well hi Rory," he said, leaning down to the baby's level. He didn't know what else to say, he wasn't the best person to be dealing with babies. Rory however seemed to like Luke as she smiled widely at him, and that kinda made Luke smile too. There was a short but awkward silence between them.

"Oh I think I have something that belongs to you." He went behind the counter and handed her the bag.

"Thanks I've been looking for this all morning." She took the bag from him and their fingers came into contact once again. They shared a smile and looked into each other's eyes, falling deeper and deeper. The sound of Rory crying brought them out of their dream worlds and Lorelai quickly crouched down in front of the stroller and stroked her cheek.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Luke. He wasn't good with babies.

"She's probably hungry, what time is it?" Luke checked his watch.

"Nine."

"What, nine o clock and we haven't had breakfast yet?" She turned to look at Rory. "I'm sorry baby, you must be starving." Rory calmed down a bit at the sound of her mother's voice. "Luke I should get back so I can feed her." Luke looked disappointed and was desperate to think of a way for her to stay.

"I can make something for you both."

"Do you have food that babies can eat?"

"You tell me what Rory likes to have for breakfast and I'll tell you if I can make it or not."

"Well she's really into oatmeal at the moment."

"I can make that."

"Are you sure? You don't have to just for us."

"I want to."

"Ok thanks. Can you make the oatmeal with water instead of milk please? Rory can't have cow's milk."

"Why is she lactose intolerant?"

"No babies can't have real milk for a couple of years."

"Oh I didn't know that, water it is."

"And can you put a tiny pinch of sugar in? Rory has a sweet tooth but don't put too much in cause it'll rot her teeth."

"Ok, babies are complicated."

"Tell me about it."

"Can I get you anything?"

"Do you have pancakes?"

"Yeah what kind do you want?"

"Chocolate please."

"Go sit down and I'll bring it over." She found a table and parked the stroller next to her. Luke followed her over with the pot of coffee and a clean mug. "Coffee?"

"Are you gonna make me beg for it again?"

"No you can have it today." She nodded a yes and watched as the coffee filled the mug.

"Luke do you have a high chair or something for Rory to sit in?"

"Not here in the diner. Actually, there's one upstairs cause my sister brought my nephew over last night. I'll get it for you."

"Thank you." She watched as he walked through the diner and disappeared behind the curtain. She couldn't help but admire the view from behind. A couple of minutes later he reappeared carrying the high chair. He unfolded it and set it down on the floor next to Lorelai. He watched as she lifted Rory and sat her in the chair. "So how old is your nephew?"

"A little over a year."

"Aww can he walk?"

"Yeah a little, he can't go far though."

"Bless him, he'll learn."

"Yeah. What about Rory, has she found her feet?"

"Not quite yet. She's getting there." Lorelai smiled with pride and she picked up her coffee mug. "You know this coffee is amazing."

"Caffee!" shouted Rory. Lorelai turned her head in amazement at her daughter. "Did you hear that?" she asked Luke.

"Yeah, was that her first word?" Lorelai nodded and she lifted Rory out of the high chair.

"I knew your first word was gonna be unique. You're such a smart girl Rory. Yes you are," she cooed. "Say it again for mommy."

"Mama." Rory pointed at Lorelai and she felt tears in her eyes. This was that amazing feeling when your kid first properly acknowledges your presence. When they show you they know who you are and why you are there.

"Are you ok?" Luke asked whilst gently putting his hand on her shoulder. Her body tingled at the contact between them.

"Yeah it's just overwhelming that's all." She wiped some stray tears from her cheeks. "You must think I'm an emotional wreck."

"No I don't think that of you at all. I think you're just a great mom."

"You don't mean that. You're just saying it to make me feel better."

"No I truly believe it. I've only known you since yesterday but you've already proved yourself to be a fantastic mother." He looked at Rory. "She's lucky to have you."

"Thanks," she sniffled. "Are those pancakes almost done? I'm starved."

"I'll check on them for you." He walked away from the table and she put Rory back in the high chair.

"Mama," repeated Rory.

"Yeah baby, mama's here." She smiled at her baby girl, her pride and joy and Luke came over with their food. He set their plates down and Lorelai picked up Rory's spoon and scooped some oatmeal up with it.

"Why don't you eat your pancakes and I'll feed Rory?" offered Luke.

"Oh are you sure? Don't you have a diner to run?"

"Yeah but it's almost empty at the moment and I'll just be stood behind the counter being bored otherwise." She smiled and gave him the spoon then dug into her own breakfast. Rory smiled at the man with the food and he couldn't help but smile back at the adorable baby. Everyone knew he wasn't a baby person but there was something different about Rory.

"She likes it if you pretend the spoon's an airplane," said Lorelai. Luke smiled at her and put some more oatmeal on the spoon and waved it around in front of Rory whilst making plane noises. Rory giggled an opened her mouth, inviting the spoon into her mouth. Lorelai smiled as she watched Luke interact with her daughter and was surprised at how well Rory had taken to him. She knew she wasn't a shy baby, but it still shocked her. "She likes you," she stated.

"Are you sure it's not just cause I have the food?"

"Well that's a part of the reason." They laughed at each other and Luke turned his attention back to Rory who was sat waiting patiently for the next spoonful. Luke fed her some more and Lorelai once again watched him and Rory bond. She couldn't believe how good he was with her; after all he didn't really seem like a kid person. "You know you're pancakes are really good," she complimented.

"Oh yeah? Good, I'm glad you like them."

"Everything seems good in here. The pancakes, the coffee." She smiled. 'The owner's not too bad to look at either.' She kept that one to herself. "You're cook is amazing, you're gonna see me in here quite a lot in the near future."

"Oh well that's good," he said, trying to hide his joy. "So will you be in tomorrow for breakfast? Just so I know whether to buy more oatmeal," he lied. He just wanted to see her again.

"I can't tomorrow; I have to take Rory to the doctor."

"Is she ok?" Luke somehow seemed worried for her."

"Yeah she's fine. I'm just taking her for a check up, just to see that everything's ok."

"Oh ok then. Is it in Hartford?"

"Yeah, we have to get the stupid bus that never turns up on time."

"If you want, I could drive you down there."

"You don't have to, really. I'm used to taking the bus places."

"But I want to help." He sounded so eager and Lorelai couldn't say no.

"Well ok then. Thanks for being so generous." She smiled at him again. "Shoot I just remembered I don't have a car seat for Rory, she out grew the old one."

"I have one, it's my nephew's but he won't mind sharing with Rory."

"Are you sure we're not putting you out?"

"Not at all, I wouldn't have offered if it was a problem."

"You know, I take back what I said yesterday. You're not moody, not in the slightest." She looked down at her plate to avoid eye contact.

"Yeah I take back what I said too. You're not annoying, far from it actually."

"Thanks." She looked up and they locked eyes. Neither of them said a word as they stared at each other. If Rory hadn't have been sat between them he would have kissed her there and then. He had an urge to ask her out, but resisted as he didn't know if it was too soon or not. He wanted to get to know her first and for her to get to know him so he didn't come across as needy and desperate. He broke the stare when he felt someone tapping on his arm. He looked round to see Rory looking up at him whilst hitting him with her small hand. She smiled at him when he looked at her and he realised she was waiting for the rest of her breakfast. He picked up the spoon and fed her some more oatmeal.

"She looks like you," said Luke, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"You think?"

"Yeah definitely. She has your eyes and your smile. She's gonna be a very pretty girl when she's older." Lorelai blushed. Was that his way of saying she was pretty? She wasn't sure if he had meant it that way but she wanted so much for him to think that of her. Lorelai smiled and fell silent. Luke watched as she focussed on her plate, her expression blank. "Are you ok?" She nodded but he wasn't entirely convinced. "Is it something you wanna talk to me about?"

"It's ok; I don't wanna bore you with my problems."

"I don't mind. I like listening."

"You really wanna know?" He nodded. "Ok, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have a visit from my parents today."

"Oh yeah, would you mind telling me what happened there?"

"You mean when I left?"

"Yeah, I'm not trying to be nosy or anything. I'm just curious."

"Well my parents are wealthy, very wealthy. They live in this big house in Hartford and my dad works twenty four seven and my mom runs some charity event every other day and I got fed up of it. They never took an interest in me, never noticed me. Not until I got pregnant. Then they yelled at me and my dad gave me disappointed looks all the time cause I dropped out of high school and gave up on college so I could take care of Rory. But when she was born, my mom hired a nanny and told her not to let me help out. Whenever I tried to pick her up or change her diaper, the nanny stopped me and said she'd do it. It made me so angry how they wouldn't let me go near my own daughter. I told my mom I didn't want help, that I didn't need it but she wouldn't have it. Anyway a couple of weeks ago, my parents went on vacation and I found an opportunity to get out. I packed our bags and hid them in the bushes outside the gate to the driveway so the nanny wouldn't suspect anything. I literally begged her to let me take Rory out for a while. She finally agreed and I watched as she got her ready, then I left. As soon as I stepped outside into the fresh summer air, I felt free. I knew that Rory and I were gonna be happier. I knew we'd struggle with money and stuff but at that moment, I felt that anything was possible and I knew we'd make it through together."

Luke was mesmerised by the whole story. He couldn't believe how much faith and courage she had, she was a genuinely amazing person.

"Wow that's so moving. You must have been terrified, not knowing where to go."

"Well I was but as soon as I met Mia my fears melted away." Luke smiled.

"So why are you expecting a visit?"

"Cause today is the day their vacation ends and as soon as they check their answering machine, they'll find out where I am."

"Are you scared?"

"A little, but there's nothing they can say or do to make me go back there." Luke admired her so much, she had such strong views that nobody could change. Lorelai noticed the bowl of oatmeal was empty and looked at her baby to see oatmeal surrounding her mouth. She smiled and reached under the stroller to get a wipe. Luke watched as she wiped her daughter's face clean and she turned to look at him. "What?"

"Nothing, I just think you've done a really good job with Rory, she's a great baby." Lorelai smiled but it quickly turned into a frown.

"I didn't do anything though did I? The nanny did."

"But I don't think that's true. A nanny may have done the essential stuff like feeding and changing, but you're her mother. You gave birth to her and you're the most important person in her life." She smiled at his comforting words. "From what I've seen of Rory's personality, I'd say she's a clone of you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean you like coffee right?" She nodded. "What was Rory's first word?" She realised where he was going with this. "And may I say you both really seem to love your food? I've never seen two people eat so fast in my life. Rory's a lot more like you than you think. I can see that she really looks up to you."

"Thanks Luke."

"For what?"

"For being so supportive, you're words have really helped." He smiled at her and she got her wallet out before handing him some money. And before he could refuse, she stopped him.

"I'm paying this time."

"Did I tell you it's fifty percent off today?"

"No I think you left that out." She laughed a little.

"Well it is, for my favourite customer anyway." He smiled causing her to blush. She paid him and lifted Rory into the stroller. "What time shall I pick you up in the morning?"

"Is eight thirty ok?"

"Yeah that's perfect. I'll wait for you in the lobby."

"Ok, thanks again for giving us a ride. And thanks for giving Rory her breakfast; we enjoyed hanging out with you."

"The pleasure was all mine." They shared a smile again and Luke held the door open for her. "Bye Rory."

"Rory, say bye to Luke," said Lorelai. Rory waved her arm around as a signal of goodbye and Luke laughed at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"Yeah, bye." She left the diner and he watched her walk away once more, admiring her brown legs in her denim shorts.

As Lorelai walked up the pathway to the inn, she felt a pang of excitement as she couldn't wait to tell Mia about Rory's first word. She reached the porch and spotted Mia tending to the plants.

"Hi Mia."

"Hey, there's someone waiting inside for you."

"Who is it?" she asked, just to confirm her fears.

"I think you know who it is." Lorelai nodded and slowly made her way through the front door, pushing the stroller in front of her, gripping the handle tightly in an attempt to keep Rory close to her. She had temporarily forgotten about the news she had for Mia but would be sure to tell her later. The moment she shut the door behind her was the moment her mother came striding up to her, with her father following close behind."

"Lorelai Gilmore get home this instant!" she shouted causing Rory to get scared and start crying.

"No," was all she could say. Emily leant down and picked up Rory, making the girl cry harder at the unfamiliar person that had picked her up. Lorelai felt a pain at the sound of her daughter in so much distress.

"You are seventeen years old. You are too young to live by yourself and you are definitely not capable of looking after a baby." Lorelai felt tears fill her eyes at her mother's insensitivity. She was tired of feeling like this, tired of hearing her mother criticise her and tired of crying over it.

"How do you know I'm not capable? You never let me near Rory. She's MY daughter and you kept her away from me."

"It was for her own good. She needs stability and a good role model; you couldn't give her either of those things."

"But she also needs love, I can give her that. Do you really think the nanny was giving her love? Cause I don't. I grew up with no love surrounding me at all and I want something better for Rory." The baby was still crying. "Give her to me."

"No you don't know the first thing about babies."

"Well I've been doing ok in the last few weeks. Rory and I left two weeks ago and we're happy here. There is no way in hell I'm going back."

"Watch your language young lady. Rory doesn't look very happy to me."

"That's because you've taken her away from her mother." Lorelai stepped over and took Rory from Emily, gently rocking her from side to side. "Shh it's ok baby, mommy's here." Rory immediately stopped crying and nestled her face into Lorelai's neck. "You see, she just wanted me."

"She doesn't know what's best for herself, she's just a baby."

"Neither do you. You've never taken an interest in your granddaughter; I'm surprised you even know her name."

"That's nonsense, of course we know and we have taken an interest in her."

"Yeah dad has, but the only interest you've ever shown is who her nanny is."

"Well it's very important."

"But I didn't want you to hire a nanny. I wanted to do all the diaper changing and feeding but you still went ahead and hired somebody else to do it. When Rory was born, I told you I wanted to breastfeed but you hired the nanny and she wouldn't let me do it. Do you know how it feels to be told you can't go near your own baby?" Richard had a look of hurt in his eyes and he couldn't believe how Lorelai had been treated. He had no idea his wife could be so cruel.

"You are too young to be taking care of a baby and there is no way you can do this by yourself," shouted Emily.

"Mom look at us. We're alive aren't we? We're well fed, we have a roof over our heads and we're happy. I don't need you and I don't need a nanny. Rory and I are together and that's all that matters."

"You're making a big mistake here Lorelai; you can't give Rory everything she needs."

"For the last time, I can!"

"Mama," said Rory happily. Lorelai looked down at the little girl who was looking back with her wide blue eyes and she couldn't help but smile. Emily and Richard witnessed the scene and a smile tugged at Richard's lips as he saw the love flooding his daughter's eyes as she looked into Rory's. He could see they were happy, even if his wife couldn't. He caught sight of Emily's face as she too watched the scene before them. However her expression was much different to his. She looked as if she had been slapped in the face.

"I don't know how long you're going to keep up this little charade but I'm fed up with it. I'm going home and Rory's coming with me." She went to take Rory from Lorelai's arms but Lorelai stepped backwards.

"You're not taking her anywhere; she's staying here with me."

"Lorelai stop being so stubborn, I'm taking Rory whether you like it or not. It's your choice if you join us." Lorelai tightened her arms around the baby, desperate to stop her from being taken away.

"Emily you're being unreasonable. Rory needs her mother and from the looks of things, Lorelai needs Rory so I think it's best we leave them here."

"Are you serious Richard? Do you really think Lorelai can handle this?"

"I think she can. I have faith in her and I have seen her become a responsible young woman since having Rory. Look at them Emily, they belong with each other and you have absolutely no right to separate them. It's obvious that Lorelai loves and cares for Rory very much and from seeing how Rory reacts when Lorelai's around, I believe that Rory loves her mother a lot. It pains me that you have this desire to destroy their happiness." Lorelai was deeply moved by his words however Emily was just shocked by what was falling out of his mouth.

"Richard I can't put up with this any longer. I'll meet you in the car." She gave Lorelai and Rory one last look before leaving. Lorelai looked her dad in eye and smiled.

"Thanks daddy that really meant a lot to me."

"Well I find it to be true. You are a fantastic mother. You never knew this but I used to watch you read to Rory when she was sleeping."

"You did? Why didn't you tell me? You could have joined us."

"I didn't want to intrude on your mother/daughter bonding." Lorelai looked at the floor.

"You understand why I left right?" she asked, almost silently.

"Not entirely, but I would like to hear the full story."

"Well, ever since Rory was born, I've been pushed further and further away. I've been made out to be useless and irresponsible and incapable of taking care of my own daughter. I just wanted it to stop. I wanted to be someplace where I was able to look after her by myself and not be judged for the decisions I make. I know I'm not the best mom in the world, but I'm trying my best. I want great things for her, things I never did or ever will get to do. Like finish high school, go to college, Harvard maybe, get a great job, get married first and then have the kids. I want her to have the best life she possibly can."

"You've thought about all those things? College and marriage?"

"Yeah. Not in great detail but they've come to mind. I just want her to be happy." Richard was amazed at how much his daughter had matured. He never thought he would say this about Lorelai, but he was proud of her.

"She already is happy; I can tell she loves you very much."

"Why can't mom be this understanding?"

"Because she's stubborn like you."

"You can say that again." Richard reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He took out some notes and handed them to Lorelai. "Dad I can't take this," she said, looking down at the wad of cash he had just given her.

"You can, I want to know you girls are taken care of. I know babies aren't cheap to keep up with so I need to know you're both gonna be ok."

"Thanks dad, I love you."

"I love you too Lorelai. Take care of yourself and Rory."

"I will. You can come by anytime to visit. It's Rory's birthday in a couple of months so you can come and see her then."

"I'll keep that in mind, goodbye Lorelai." He left through the same door Emily had just stormed through and Lorelai smiled at Rory.

"We're gonna be ok kid, it's just you and me now, against the world."

**So what did you think? You know you wanna tell me!**


	3. Cheeseburgers

**A new chapter ******** just to let you know this will be the last one before my trip to Disney world so I won't be updating for 3 weeks or so.....thanks for the nice reviews you've been leaving me. One of them actually made me realise** **I've made Lorelai completely depressed and miserable! She's totally out of character, sorry. Please forgive me, I will try to make her happier from now on. I just want to say that this is Luke and Lorelai getting to know each other. I'm sorry if I'm being repetitive with the content, I wasn't sure if it was boring or not. Please let me know if it is getting boring and I'll give it a shove in the right direction! ENJOY ******

At eight twenty five the next morning, Luke was stood in the lobby at the inn. He knew he was a bit early so he wasn't expecting Lorelai to come out just yet. He stood waiting patiently, pacing around every so often. He spotted Mia coming out of her office and went over to say hi.

"Hello Lucas, what brings you here?"

"I err....I was looking for Lorelai."

"She's busy this morning; she's taking Rory to the doctors."

"Oh yeah I know, I'm giving her a ride there."

"You are? She didn't mention anything."

"Well we just organised it yesterday." Mia knew there was something going on between them.

"Hmm. So what do you think of Lorelai?"

"She's..." He wanted to tell Mia how he really felt about her but stopped himself, knowing it was too soon to have feelings about her. It had only been two days. "She's a really nice person. We've only met twice."

"And you're giving her a ride to the doctors?"

"Yeah she said the buses are never on time so I offered to take her to make sure she didn't miss her appointment," he answered, getting a bit defensive. "I just thought maybe her and I could be friends."

"Oh you just want to be friends?" asked Mia with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He knew Mia had sussed him out but he wasn't gonna back down just yet.

"Come on Lucas I'm not stupid."

"I'm not following," he said trying to seem confused.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Luke just looked at her. "I know you have feelings for her. Maybe not strong ones but there's something there."

"I don't...." He found himself unable to deny it and a small smile grew on Mia's face.

"It's ok to feel something for her you know."

"But I've only known her for two days; I don't wanna freak her out."

"Look, ever since I sent Lorelai into town for some baby free time, she's been happier. I've noticed that since she met you, she's laughed and smiled so much more. I think she feels something for you too but I'm not sure she'll jump into it straight away, not if you consider her past experiences."

"Past experiences?"

"Well she didn't make Rory by herself did she? I just think she'll need some time to decide whether she's ready for another male in her life."

"I understand that."

"You know what she needs? A good night out, without Rory. Maybe you could ask her to see a movie or go to dinner."

"Like on a date?"

"It doesn't have to be a date, you could go as friends."

"But what if...." He stopped talking when Lorelai appeared in the lobby carrying Rory. His face lit up without him realising when he saw her.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologised. "Rory thought it'd be funny to hide her shoes somewhere and I spent like a half hour looking for them." She smiled at Luke. "You ready?"

"Yeah, after you."

"Bye Mia."

"Bye Girls." She began to walk away and Luke followed. He looked back at Mia, who nodded at him and he smiled back at her, silently thanking her. The trio made it outside and Luke went to hold the door open for her.

"Thanks," she said as she climbed in and sat Rory in the car seat, fastening her in. Luke got in his seat and started the engine before pulling away from the inn.

"So how're you today?" he asked.

"I'm great, you?"

"Yeah I'm....great too." She smiled at him then turned to look out of the window. "Did you get a visit from your parents yesterday?"

"Yeah." She looked over at him.

"How did it go?" She liked how much he cared about what went on in her life.

"It was....well my mom was horrible. She told me I wasn't capable of taking care of Rory and she tried to take her away from me."

"What did you say?"

"I told her Rory was staying with me. She's my daughter and it's my decision where she goes."

"Well said. She had no right trying to take her away like that."

"I know but it's what my mother does."

"What, steals babies?"

"No," she replied with a laugh. "She likes to be in control."

"Sounds like a bitch to me."

"Oh she is believe me." She giggled and Luke smiled at her laughter.

"What about your dad, what did he say?"

"That's the good part. He argued with her. He had the guts to stand up to her. I thought I was the only one that would ever dare."

"She sounds like one scary lady."

"She's terrifying. Just hope you never have to meet her."

"So your dad approves?"

"Yeah I think he does. He said I was doing a great job with Rory and he gave us some money to get by on."

"Your dad sounds like my kinda guy."

"Yeah, he's not."

"How do you know?"

"Do you play golf and read ten different newspapers each day?"

"No."

"Didn't think so. He cares for me and Rory and I love him but I've gotta admit, he's very boring."

"Yeah I never saw the point in golf."

"It's an old man's game."

"What sports are you into?"

"At the moment I really like watching TV."

"That's not a sport."

"It is in my world."

"Right well remind me to stay away from your world."

"It's fun over in Lorelailand." He laughed a bit.

"I have no doubt about that. I just actually like sport."

"You do, what do you play?"

"In high school I was on the baseball team."

"Were you any good?"

"I don't like to sound big headed but my coach said I was the best on the team. In my junior year, these scouts came to watch me play and one offered me a scholarship at Princeton."

"Wow that's amazing. Why aren't you doing it?"

"I accepted the offer but then my dad died and left his store to me. I wanted to keep the family business going, even if it is a diner instead of it's original use."

"I'm sorry about your dad. I heard about it before I came in the diner."

"Let me guess, Patty and Babette told you?"

"How do you know that? Are you a sports hero, a diner owner and a psychic?"

"You can tell you've only just moved to Stars Hollow. Patty and Babette are the gossip queens. They live off other people's business."

"So that's why they were asking me so many questions."

"Mia should have warned you about them, they're very dangerous women."

"Dangerous in what way?"

"Patty's a sexual predator. I've lost count of how many times I've caught her looking at my ass." She laughed slightly.

"I don't mean to sound like an overprotective mom here but could you not use swear words around Rory? She's started talking now, as you know, and I don't want her to pick up on anything she shouldn't."

"Oh sorry. I actually forgot she was here."

"That's because she's being a little angel aren't you Rory?" She looked up at the mention of her name and smiled at Lorelai. She then turned her attention back to the seat she was sat in. She ran her tiny fingers over the harness, exploring the unfamiliar chair. Then she turned her attention to Luke, watching as he moved his hand off the steering wheel to shift gear then gripped the wheel again. She was fascinated by these new surroundings and kept her eyes glued to Luke.

"Luke you said you like sports right?" asked Lorelai

"Yeah."

"Well you've only mentioned one sport. Are there any more?"

"Erm...I go to the gym regularly."

"Huh, I've never been in a gym before."

"You can tag along next time I go if you like."

"Nah I think I'll pass. I've never had much interest in exercise."

"Ok then."

"Any other sports?"

"I go swimming now and again. I used to be on the swim team in junior high."

"Wow you do a lot of exercise." Her eyes scanned his body. Come to think of it, she could tell just by looking at him that he worked out. She eyed his arms that were stretched out in front of him. His shirt had tightened around his solid muscles and she couldn't help but stare. Luke could feel her intense gaze on him and he didn't know what to do. Should he keep still, should he look at her, not look at her? He kept his eyes on the road and opened his mouth to speak.

"Are you checking me out?" She immediately tore her eyes away from him.

"What? No I was looking at erm...Rory," she lied.

"Ok." She couldn't believe how quickly he had let it go.

"So you say you go swimming?"

"Yeah, now and again. Why?"

"I was thinking of taking Rory to the pool. She's never been before and I'm not the best swimmer so maybe you could come with us?"

"Oh yeah sure. I could teach her to swim when she gets a bit older if you like?"

"That'd be great thanks." Luke pulled up outside the doctor's office and Lorelai started unfastening Rory.

"I'll wait here," said Luke.

"Are you not coming in?" She seemed disappointed.

"I will if you want me to."

"Yeah I do, come on." They all got out of the car and walked side by side into the waiting room. Rory was called and Lorelai stood up, gesturing for Luke to follow her. Once the check up was over, they walked back out to the truck and Luke held the door for her again. It was silent for the first part of the journey. It wasn't awkward though, they were comfortable. Luke kept his concentration on the road whilst his thoughts drifted away. He thought back to what Mia said about Lorelai's past experiences and he couldn't help but think about Rory's father. Lorelai had never mentioned him in their little conversations and he wondered if he was still around. He took his eyes off the road and quickly glanced at Lorelai, then at Rory before looking ahead of him again. If Rory's father wasn't around then he must have something wrong with him. He thought about how great the two of them were and if he had been the guy he wouldn't have left them for anything.

"Lorelai?" She turned to face him.

"Yeah."

"Do you mind if I ask about Rory's dad?" He heard he take a deep breath. "Is he still around?"

"No he's not."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Last time I saw him was the night Rory was born. He's been a no show ever since."

"I don't understand how he could leave his kid like that."

"Chris was never Mr Responsible. He never showed an interest in her. He never went to any appointments with me, never asked how I was feeling; he didn't even show up for the birth."

"Did he even hold her?"

"For like five minutes. You know when you hold your child for the first time; you have that special moment where you bond? When Chris held Rory, I didn't see that. He just looked uncomfortable and it was like he wanted to be somewhere else."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Me and Rory are doing just fine without him."

"I can see that. I think you're doing a great job with her."

"Thank you. I want to be a cool mom, not an overbearing control freak. I want her to make her own decisions and not be forced to do things she doesn't wanna do."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No he didn't say anything. He just disappeared."

"I can't believe it. I mean you and Rory are wonderful. How could he just leave you both?" She looked at him as he watched the road. Did he just say she was wonderful?

"Luke for the three times we've talked I can't help but feel we've talked about me the whole time. Let's talk about you."

"There's not much to tell."

"Come on there must be something. Tell me about how you learnt to cook."

"Ok. When I was a kid I used to cook with my mom. Then when she died I had to step up and put the meals on the table for my dad and sister."

"I'm so sorry Luke; you must have had a tough time."

"There were good days and bad."

"How did it happen?"

"Car accident." She looked at him sympathetically and put her hand on his knee. His leg immediately froze. "Liz took it pretty hard."

"Your sister?"

"Yeah. She began to spiral out of control as a teenager, drinking, smoking, even drugs. And then she got pregnant. She made my dad so stressed out by her behaviour and eventually he got sick."

"Do you blame her for your dad's death?"

"No, not exactly. I just can't stop wondering whether he might have beaten the illness if he hadn't have had that added stress."

"Is she still wreck less?"

"She's gotten better since my nephew, Jess, was born but she still drinks now and again."

"It's good she's realised how important her son is."

"I wouldn't go that far. There have been many occasions when I've gone to visit and Jess was crying and she was just sat there watching TV, ignoring him. She's still got a lot of learning to do."

"But she's got you to help her."

"I guess. I wish she was more like you though. You know putting your kid before anything else." She smiled at him, unable to think of a reply. "You seem happier today."

"I took my happy pill this morning."

"Oh yeah? I might have to get me some of those."

"I feel free now. Since I got my dad's approval, I can't stop smiling."

"I've noticed." He wanted to tell her she had a pretty smile but he stopped himself.

"I'm starving," she complained.

"You wanna grab something to eat?"

"Ok can we get fast food?"

"You eat that crap?"

"It's yummy."

"It's life threatening, there's no way I'm eating a greasy burger."

"Come on, live a little. Have you ever tried a burger?"

"Not a greasy one."

"Don't tell me you're a turkey burger kinda guy."

"I don't eat red meat."

"How do you survive?"

"I should be asking you that question. Do you know what that stuff does to your arteries?"

"Nope and I'd prefer not to thank you."

"You don't feed Rory that stuff do you?"

"Don't be silly she has like two teeth."

"Wouldn't surprise me if you liquidised it."

"I'm not that bad." She looked out of the window. "Look, a McDonald's, turn here." She grabbed the wheel and turned it.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he swatted her hand away. "Are you crazy?"

"Ah the things I'd do for a cheeseburger. Go through the drive in." He pulled into the lane and stopped at the order booth. Lorelai leant over him to see the order taker and Luke froze again. Her neck was so close to his face, he could smell her perfume and her long brown locks were tickling his chin.

"What can I get you?"

"Hey can we have two double cheeseburgers both with extra large fries and two extra large cokes please?" The order taker moved away from the window and Lorelai moved back into her seat.

"Why did you order two of everything?"

"One for me, one for you."

"I'm not eating a cheeseburger."

"Come on, one won't hurt."

"No I'm not intoxicating my body."

"Fine I guess I'll just eat it all."

"Ok you are crazy."

"Can't waste good food, not when I have plenty of room to accommodate it," she said whilst patting her stomach.

"There is no way I'm letting you consume that much fat in one sitting."

"I'm sorry my decision is made." Luke sighed. She was one stubborn girl.

"Fine I will eat the damn burger."

"Good." Look took the food and handed it to Lorelai before paying. He parked up the truck and she dug into the bag, pulling out a wrapped cheeseburger and offering it to Luke, He reluctantly accepted it and slowly peeled back the packaging. "Luke I don't know if I heard you right before, did you say you've never eaten a cheeseburger?"

"You heard correctly," he nodded.

"Never ever?"

"Nope."

"No way."

"What's the big deal?"

"You my friend have not lived until you've tried a cheeseburger."

"But they look really gross," he said whilst prodding at it.

"Go on try it." He slowly lifted the burger and winced at it before taking a bite. She watched as he chewed, his expression remained blank. "So what do you think?"

"It tastes worse than I thought it would."

"You're kidding me right?" He shook his head. "Cheeseburgers are heavenly. They're an American speciality."

"Yeah I know, I do own a diner."

"How come you own a diner but you don't like the food you sell?"

"I don't know, I guess I like making people happy and it just so happens that a plate of fat and grease satisfies people." Lorelai took the last bite of her burger and looked at Luke.

"Are you gonna eat that?"

"No why?" She leant over and took it out of his hands before taking a big bite. "You're unbelievable."

"I know."

"How come you don't weigh 200 pounds?"

"Thank my metabolism, it's amazingly fast."

"One day you'll wake up and it'll have slowed right down and you'll be sorry you never ate a salad."

"Oh well, it's totally worth it. Will you at least eat some fries?"

"I guess so." He took a bag of fries from her and put one in his mouth.

"Mama," cried Rory suddenly, reminding the two that she was there.

"What's up baby?" Rory pointed at Luke's fries.

"I think she wants my fries," he said in amusement.

"She can have some of mine," she said, reaching into the paper bag.

"No it's ok, I don't mind sharing," protested Luke.

"Ok if you're sure. Just give her small pieces so she doesn't choke." Luke ripped a fry apart and handed it to Rory. The little girl smiled at him before taking it and putting it in her mouth. Luke smiled at how adorable she was. She was one of the few babies that didn't make him wanna slam his head against a wall. When they were done eating, Luke started the truck again and they soon arrived in Stars Hollow. Lorelai was sort of disappointed when they pulled up outside the Inn. She had had such a good day and had thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with Luke. It was definitely something she would do again. He helped her out of the car and walked up to the front door with her.

"Thank you so much for giving us a ride today, we really appreciate it," she said, her arms supporting Rory who was on her hip.

"Don't mention it, I'm happy to help."

"And thanks for lunch. Your face when you ate that burger was priceless; it was the perfect Kodak moment."

"Well you'll never see that again."

"Fine, wouldn't wanna ruin your figure now would we?"

"What can I say? I like being thin," he replied with a chuckle. She beamed at him and stepped closer to him. She put her free arm around his shoulders and he put his round her waist. As they shared the hug, he couldn't help but tilt his head so he could smell her fruity shampoo. They pulled away from each other, both feeling the electricity between them and she thanked him once again before turning to go through the door. "Lorelai?" he said, stopping her in her tracks.

"Yeah."

"I was wondering if err....if you wanted to go to dinner or maybe a movie sometime?" he breathed heavily, his nervousness showing.

"Oh," she hesitated.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Would it be like a date?" she asked carefully.

"If you like. Or we could go as friends."

"I'll have to check with Mia to see if she could watch Rory. If she's free then I'll gladly go."

"So it's a date?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, it's a date." He let out the breath he didn't realise he was holding.

"Good so if you check with Mia then give me a call. She has the number for the diner."

"Ok I'll see ya later Luke."

"Bye Lorelai, bye Rory." Rory waved her arm at him and he watched them disappear through the door. As he walked back to his truck, he couldn't stop the goofy grin spreading across his face. He had a date with Lorelai Gilmore, the girl he hadn't stopped thinking about since he met he just days before. He must have been living in a dream world. That beautiful girl just agreed to go out with him and he was officially on cloud nine.

**So? Boring, not boring? Please let me know by pressing the green button! All reviews are welcome (I accept anonymous reviews also) and I take into consideration what you all think. One last thing, if anyone has any ideas for this story or anything you would like to see happen, please tell me. Whether it's a review or private message, I would like to hear your thoughts :P**


	4. Tomorrow Night

**Hey I'm back! Sorry about the extra looooong wait for this update but I've been really busy since I got home. I'm back on track now though and hopefully this chapter will make up for lost time, hope you like **

Mia was shocked, to say the least, when a seventeen year old girl showed up on her doorstep with a baby in her arms. The girl looked scared and alone and Mia automatically felt the need to take her in and give her a place to stay. She noticed the girl was quiet at first, shy even, but a couple of days passed by and her bright, colourful personality started to shine through. The two of them grew closer in the following week but Mia noticed the girl was sad. She never spoke about her family and her reasons for leaving her previous life and Mia was starting to worry about her. Yes she was mature but she was really still just a kid herself and needed someone to look out for her. In the last couple of days, Mia had noticed a difference in her behaviour. She never stopped smiling. She had an idea of cause for her happiness and she was pretty sure his name began with the letter 'L'. Ever since she had stepped in his diner she walked with a spring in her step and she wasn't sure what had happened on their trip to the doctor the day before but it had put her in a good mood. She wondered if Luke had taken her advice and asked Lorelai out. She was aware that Luke was quite shy around girls so he might not have gotten round to it. She hoped he would soon though as she thought they would make a great couple.

Lorelai had just finished her shift at the inn and was heading to Mia's office to pick up Rory. Lorelai usually took her round the inn with her as she cleaned but Mia had requested to take care of her today. She knocked on the door gently and heard a 'come in' from the other side.

"Hey it's only me," she said as she entered. Mia was sat on her desk with Rory in her lap. "She wasn't distracting you was she?"

"No dear I got fed up with the paperwork so I let myself take a little break to play with this little one."

"Was she well behaved?" she asked as she approached them.

"She was an angel. She sat down there and played with her toys all afternoon."

"Good." She bent down in front of Rory. "Hey baby did you miss me?" Rory laughed in response. "I missed you so much."

"Do you wanna take her?" asked Mia.

"It's ok; I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah everything's fine; it's just that erm..." She took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how Mia would react to her news. "Well you know Luke?"

"Yes I know Luke very well." Mia had a feeling she knew what Lorelai was going to say but she let her carry on just in case she was wrong.

"Right, well he kinda erm....asked me out...yesterday."

"Hmm I thought he might."

"You did?" she asked, a little taken aback.

"Yes you see Luke is shy around women, well girls, and I could tell he liked you so I simply gave him a push in the right direction."

"So you told him to ask me on a date?"

"No hon it's not what you think. I knew he was gonna ask you at some point but as I said he's shy and it would have taken him a while. I was just speeding up the process. Are you happy about the date?"

"Yeah I can't wait. I know we just met and all but he's a really nice guy and we get along great."

"I'm glad to hear that. So when are you going out?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I was wondering if it'd be at all possible for you to babysit while I'm out."

"Of course I will, I'd love to take care of her. You just get yourself out and have some fun whilst you're still young."

"Thanks I really owe you Mia, for everything. You've been so good to us. When are you free to babysit?"

"How's tomorrow night?"

"Sounds good to me, I'll go call Luke and let him know." She bent down to pick Rory up but Mia stopped her.

"Why don't you take an hour to relax after work?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah we're having fun here, go relax for a while we'll be fine."

"Ok thanks." She gave Mia a hug and kissed Rory's forehead then made her way to the potting shed.

Once she was settled on her bed with the phone sat next to her, she looked in one of Luke's take out menus she had claimed and found the number for the diner. She quickly dialled and listened to it ring. She took a nervous breath as she heard him pick up on the other end.

"Luke's," she heard. The sound of his voice made her stomach fluttery and she swallowed hard before answering.

"Hi it's Lorelai." Luke's tone changed when he found out who it was.

"Oh hi, how are you?"

"I'm good, you?"

"Yeah, I'm good...also."

"I was calling to let you know that I talked to Mia about taking care of Rory."

"Oh yeah?"

"She said she'd love to and she's free tomorrow night, if you are."

"Tomorrow night sounds great."

"It does?"

"Yeah I had that in mind actually."

"Well good."

"So shall I pick you up at seven?"

"Sounds good so I'll see you then."

"Yes you will bye." Lorelai hung up with a big smile and she laid back on her bed, thinking about tomorrow night's events. She wondered whether they would go to movie or dinner as she didn't know what Luke did on dates. She was definitely excited though, that she couldn't hide.

As Luke hung up the phone he was smiling too. He turned around to face the counter and saw Babette staring at him with a smile on her face.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly. All he needed was for Babette to have heard their conversation.

"I couldn't help but overhear," she began whilst Luke rolled his eyes. "Have you got yourself a girl sugar?"

"None of your damn business."

"Is it Lorelai?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Well I saw you two in here the other day and you we're feeding her baby."

"So?"

"Didn't have you down as a baby person."

"Do you really have that much time on your hands that you spy on every aspect of people's lives?"

"No I just notice these things."

"Well like I said it's none of your business."

"Anyway I should get going. Maybe this mystery girl can put you in a good mood cause at the moment you're a grump. She stood up and made her way out of the door before Luke could reply.

The next day, Lorelai woke up extra early. She got out of bed and peeked into the crib to find Rory still fast asleep. She smiled as her body moved up and down with every breath and thought about that night when she would be leaving her to go on a date. She hadn't left her in the evenings since they had moved to Stars Hollow and she was a bit reluctant about it. Of course she knew Rory would be fine with Mia but she kept thinking she was selfish for leaving her daughter to go out with a guy. She really wanted to go out with Luke but couldn't decide if it was what was best for Rory. She took out a pen and paper and started to make a pro-con list, something she would do if she was in doubt about something. She scribbled onto the page and weighed up her thoughts afterwards.

_Pros – father figure for Rory, I wouldn't be single, financially secured, he's good looking._

_Cons – Rory would be attached to him and if we broke up she'd be heartbroken, that's all I can think of._

She frowned at her list. Everything was telling her to go for it with Luke, even her heart. She thought back to the breakfast they had together and how well Rory had taken to him. She heard Rory wake up and went over to let her out.

"Hey sweetie," she said as she lifted her up. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mama," said Rory happily.

"Can mommy have a kiss?" Rory looked at her then leant in to kiss her on the lips. "Thank you, does Rory want a kiss?"

"Iss," replied Rory. Lorelai smothered her face with kisses making Rory giggle.

"You're a clever girl you know, you're gonna go to somewhere like Harvard when you're old enough." Rory smiled and Lorelai went to sit down with Rory in her lap. "You know honey, mommy's going out tonight." Rory looked at her. "I'm going out with Luke, do you remember him? He took us to the doctor the other day and he gave you breakfast the day before that?"

"Ekfas," repeated Rory.

"You want breakfast?" Lorelai wished she could have a proper talk with Rory so she could really know how she felt about the idea of her and Luke but she was too young. She put Rory in the high chair and put a cartoon on the TV whilst she went to get some breakfast. She came back with some toast for herself and a yogurt for Rory. She fed Rory as she nibbled her own breakfast at the same time. When they had done, she changed Rory and then herself before heading to the inn to hang out before her shift started. She reached the kitchen door and went in to get a cup of coffee. As she was pouring the steaming hot liquid into a cup, a girl about her age approached her.

"Hi do you work here?" she asked.

"Yeah I'm one of the maids. I'm Lorelai."

"Hi I'm Sookie, how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Ooh me too!" She replied excitedly. "How come you don't go to school?"

"I dropped out so I could take care of my daughter," she answered whilst gesturing to Rory.

"Aww she's cute. What's her name?"

"Rory, well Lorelai cause I named her after myself but it's Rory for short."

"Hello Rory."

"Are you gonna say hi, Rory?"

"Hi," said Rory shyly before burying her face in Lorelai's shoulder.

"So do you go to school?" Lorelai asked Sookie.

"Yeah I just come here a few days a week cause I'm getting some work experience before I go to culinary school."

"Culinary School, wow."

"I know I'm so excited. Do you wanna try this?" Sookie hurried towards a pan and scooped some soup onto a spoon before feeding some to Lorelai.

"Oh my god, that's amazing. Did you make this?"

"Yup from scratch, all by myself," proclaimed Sookie proudly.

"Well you're a wonderful cook; I think you and I could be friends." The girls shared a smile before they were interrupted.

"Lorelai how many times do I have to tell you to get that baby out of my kitchen? It's dangerous in here and she could get seriously hurt. It's bad enough that you come in here for a cup of coffee every ten minutes," scolded Mark who was the current head chef.

"Sorry Mark, we're leaving now."

"Good, I don't wanna see her in here again, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

"And I'm limiting you to one cup of coffee an hour. You're in here too much and the only people insured if they get injured in here are the kitchen staff."

"But Mark I need my coffee, you know that. You wouldn't take it away from me would you?"

"Well get someone to bring you some, anything to limit the time you spend in here."

"Ok ok I get it." She turned to Sookie. "So we've gotta go but I'll see you around."

"Ok it was nice to meet you."

"Same here." She quickly hurried out of the kitchen with Rory before Mark told her off again.

Later that evening, Lorelai was stood in front of her closet in nothing but her underwear trying to find an outfit to wear for her date with Luke. He was picking her up in a little over an hour and she honestly couldn't wait. She turned to face Rory who was sat on the bed watching her mom.

"Rory I can't decide what to wear," she moaned. "You wanna come help me choose?" She picked her up and took her over to the closet. Rory touched a few items before tugging on a simple blue dress that brought out her eyes. "That's perfect hon thank you. Say you're welcome." Rory looked at her blankly. "Hmm I guess you're not ready for that one yet." She put Rory back on the bed and slipped into her dress. She half pinned her hair up and left some loose curls flowing down her back then reapplied her makeup, adding brown mascara to make her eyes bolder. Just as she finished applying her lip gloss, the phone rang. Rory leant over to pick it up and put it next to her ear, just like she'd seen her mom do it and started gurgling into it. "Rory can mommy have the phone please?" She reached over and took the phone from Rory's fingers. "Hello."

"Hi Lorelai, it's Luke."

"Oh hey. Sorry about that, Rory managed to answer the phone."

"It's ok don't worry about it."

"So what's up?"

"Well I'm really sorry but I'm gonna have to take a rain check on tonight."

"Oh." She couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. "Is everything ok?"

"Not really. My sister got drunk whilst Jess was in her care so I've had to take him home with me for the night. I'm so sorry."

"No it's ok really. You have to do what you have to do."

"I feel awful I mean, I've been looking forward to this since you called yesterday and now I'm cancelling fifteen minutes before I was supposed to pick you up. I bet you're changed and everything aren't you?"

"Well yeah but it doesn't matter, really I don't mind. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Well you have Jess and I have Rory so why don't I bring her to your place and they can play together?"

"Are you sure? I mean that sounds great."

"Ok so I'll be round in ten?"

"I'll see you then." Lorelai hung up the phone and quickly picked up Rory who was in her PJs as Lorelai didn't expect to be taking her out tonight. She went to the lobby at the inn and entered Mia's office.

"Hey."

"Hi, you look beautiful sweetheart, are you all set to go?"

"Actually there's been a change of plan. Luke's gotta take care of his nephew tonight."

"Oh no so the date's cancelled?"

"Our original plans are but now I'm taking Rory over to his place instead, if that's ok?"

"Honey she's you're daughter, you do what you like with her."

"I know but you were really looking forward to babysitting tonight and now I'm cancelling on you."

"It's fine I can always babysit the next the two of you go out. Now you get going and have a good night."

"We will, thanks Mia." She made her way out of the inn and walked into the centre of town. The cool summer night air felt refreshing against her skin as she pushed Rory down the sidewalk towards the diner. She tried the door but it was locked so she gently tapped on the glass. A few minutes later, Luke appeared through the window with a toddler on his hip. He let her in and guided her upstairs to his apartment.

"You look nice," he complimented as he closed the door.

"Thanks," she blushed. "So this is your place?"

"Yup it's not much."

"No I like it. It could do with a good paint though, it's a little dull."

"Yeah it was my dad's office before he died and I only moved in a few weeks ago so I haven't had a chance to decorate."

"Oh well maybe we could paint it sometime, together."

"Yeah that'd be good."

"So this is Jess?"

"That's him. Are you gonna say hey to Lorelai?"

"Hi," said Jess enthusiastically.

"Aww he's very happy isn't he?"

"Surprisingly yeah. He's nothing like Liz, thank god." Luke set Jess down on his feet and he began stumbling around clumsily before falling flat on his butt. Rory watched him, eagerly wanting to be able to do that herself. Lorelai put her on the floor and her and Luke watched as she pulled herself up and let go but failed miserably and fell down. She wasn't put off and gave it another try but once again failed. The time she began to cry with frustration and Jess toddled over and put his arm around her.

"Aww look at that he's comforting her."

"Yeah you're a good boy aren't you Jess?" said Luke as he crouched down in front of the babies and tickled Jess' tummy. The boy cried in delight and Rory decided to join in by hitting Luke, not quite understanding the concept of tickling. Lorelai watched the scene before her and smiled at how good Luke was with the kids.

"Come on guys tickle him." She too bent down and started tickling Luke's side. In any other situation, touching Luke at all would be awkward but to her, at that moment, it felt natural. The kids laughed as Luke couldn't control his own laughter from the three people that were attacking him.

"Ok, ok, stop please," he begged breathlessly. Lorelai stopped what she was doing and Jess and Rory copied her.

"That was fun."

"For you maybe, I tell you it's no fun having three people attacking you so you can barely breathe."

"Admit it, you were having fun."

"It was good seeing the kids so happy. And you as well, I haven't seen you that happy since I met you."

"Well I have a lot to smile about."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"Well I've got my life back on track. I have a job, a home, a bit of money, a beautiful daughter and I'm on a date with a great guy. What more do I need?"

"So this is still a date?"

"If you want it to be."

"I do, so much."

"Good, how about we put these two to bed and watch a movie?"

"Ok do you want Rory to sleep in the crib with Jess?"

"It's ok she can sleep in the stroller."

"Jess doesn't mind sharing. Look at how well they're getting along." They turned to look at Jess and Rory who were sat next to each other sharing the toys Jess had.

"They're so cute together."

"I know." Luke turned to look at Lorelai and their eyes locked. She thought he was gonna kiss her, especially judging by the intensity of his gaze. "I'd better make Jess some formula," he said as he stood up and went over to the kitchen. She was a bit disappointed by his excuse but she got up and took out a readymade bottle for Rory. She went to join Luke in the kitchen to find him carefully reading the directions on the tub of formula.

"Do you need help with that?" she asked.

"Why are these things so complicated?"

"You learn as you go along. Here I'll do it for you." She moved closer to him and he froze again. He really needed to get over his shyness towards her. He watched as she expertly prepared the bottle and handed it to him before heating the one for Rory.

"Ok buddy it's time to eat."

"It might be too hot for him at the moment."

"How do you know when it's ok?"

"You've gotta test it on your arm, like this." She took the bottle she had just heated for Rory and deposited a bit of milk onto her arm. "That's ok actually. Now test yours." He did exactly what she had just done.

"What am I looking for here?"

"Is it burning your skin?"

"No it's just warm."

"Then you can feed him it."

"Sorry I'm not very good at this."

"It's ok; everyone has to learn at some point." Luke smiled at her appreciatively as she went to scoop up Rory. He sat on the couch and Lorelai joined him, leaning Rory against her arm as she offered her the milk. Luke watched the mother and daughter sat together then looked over at Jess who was contentedly playing with his toys. He wanted so much for Liz to get her act together and take care of Jess the way Lorelai took care of Rory. He felt sorry for the innocent little boy whose parents didn't care about him. Luke was going to stick by him no matter what.

"Jess," called Luke. The little boy looked up with a goofy smile on his face. "Come here." He stood up and toddled over to Luke, standing in front of him looking up with his dark eyes.

"Ucal Luk," said Jess excitedly. He hadn't mastered that one yet but he was getting there. Luke lifted him to sit between him and Lorelai and gave him the bottle.

"What do you say?" asked Luke.

"Tank you."

"Good boy," praised Luke whilst ruffling Jess' hair.

"He's smart," complimented Lorelai. "And polite."

"Someone's gotta teach him good manners cause I know for sure that Liz isn't."

"You're a good uncle."

"And you're a good mom."

"So I've been told." She smiled at him, causing him to smile back and they sat like that for what felt like forever. When they finally came back to earth, they found both Jess and Rory had fallen asleep. "Here, you take Rory and I'll get Jess," she offered. Luke carefully lifted Rory, trying not to wake her and went to lay her in the crib. Lorelai followed and put Jess next to her then put the blanket over them both. "So what movies do you have?"

"Erm none."

"Seriously, not one movie?"

"Nope."

"Oh well I guess we could just you know watch TV, or talk. Talking's good."

"Talking sounds nice." He led her to the couch and she sat closely next to him. They looked at each other in an awkward silence.

"Talking's not really working is it?" asked Lorelai whilst looking down at her knees.

"Not really. What about this instead?" She looked up at him to find him inching closer towards her. This was it, Luke was going to kiss her, their first kiss. Their faces were centimetres apart now and Luke could smell her perfume mixed with her shampoo. He leant in and filled the gap between them and then his lips were on hers. He could taste her lip gloss, it was strawberry flavour. They shared a sweet, innocent kiss, one that wasn't rushed but instead it was meaningful. Luke was the first to pull away and was met by her transfixing smile.

"That was nice," she told him in a whisper and Luke nodded in response.

"You know when you called me at the diner yesterday?"

"Hmm."

"Turns out Babette heard our entire conversation."

"God she's so nosy. Does she not have other things to do?"

"Obviously not."

"You know when you called me?"

"Yeah."

"I was so disappointed. I was looking forward to tonight so much. I was racking my brain for a way that I could still see you tonight."

"I was considering asking Mia if she could take care of Jess as well as Rory but I couldn't dump him on someone else like Liz does. It's not fair on him." She took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"If she cares for Jess at all then she'll sort herself out."

"Liz is pretty selfish."

"But he always has you right? I mean as long as he has you he'll be ok. He just needs someone to look out for him and I think you're that person."

"Where did you come from?" he asked.

"Hartford," she replied, a little confused.

"No I mean you're this amazing person he looks out for everyone. It's like you fell straight from heaven."

"Did you just use one of those lame pick up lines on me?" she asked with a giggle. Luke started to turn a bright shade of red.

"No I didn't mean it like that, I meant it literally," he defended.

"Whatever burger boy."

"Burger boy?"

"It's a new nickname for you."

"I give up," he said, shaking his head. Lorelai smiled at him and leant in to kiss him again. It soon heated up, unlike the last kiss and Luke's hands soon found their way down to her hips. She acted on that by running her hands up and down his back. He pushed her shoulders to get her to lie down and she took the hint as he adjusted himself so he was hovering on top of her. She tilted her head back, granting him access to her neck and he left warm kisses along her silky skin. Their hands were roaming over each other's bodies, avoiding the obvious areas and the passion was growing more intense with every touch. Lorelai's brain was telling her they should stop but her body was telling her something else, the opposite in fact. She wanted this with Luke, but not this soon. She hadn't even known him a week yet and here they were making out on his couch. This is the same thing that happened with Christopher; she rushed into it and look what happened. She definitely didn't want another kid, two kids by the time she's eighteen, how would that look. Her brain suddenly kicked into gear when she felt Luke's hands creeping under her dress.

"Luke," she breathed. "Stop." He immediately stopped and looked her in the eye.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah I just..."

"Do you not want this?"

"No I do, it's just that I'd prefer it if we went a bit slower, you know maybe go on a couple more dates before we get to that stage."

"Oh you're not ready, I totally understand. I'm sorry if I was rushing you."

"It's ok you weren't to know. I've only ever had sex once and I got Rory so I wanna be a bit more careful next time around."

"How about I make us something to eat?"

"Sounds good." He climbed off her and smiled. Luke went to the kitchen to prepare some food whilst Lorelai sat and watched him from the couch, reviewing what had just happened in her head. She liked how Luke's hand felt on her body and how his lips felt against hers and against her skin. She just kinda freaked out when he moved it further. It brought back memories of the night she lost her virginity, the night Rory was conceived. She remembered it well, on her balcony with a bottle of tequila her and Chris had almost emptied together. She hadn't intended to have sex that night, but the alcohol had gotten to her and she wanted to do something to rebel against her parents, and sleeping with her boyfriend on the balcony when her parents were eating dinner downstairs was the first thing that came to mind. They were both too drunk to even think about using any contraception and the result came nine months later when Rory was born. She was brought out of her thoughts by Luke telling her their food was ready. She joined him at the table and they ate dinner whilst having a pleasant conversation. When they were finished, Lorelai insisted on helping him clean up then she walked over to the couch to get her purse. "I should get going, it's late."

"You don't have to go, there's no point in disturbing Rory. Stay here, I'll sleep on the couch."

"Are you sure you don't mind."

"Not at all, I want you to stay here."

"Well if you want me to then how can I say no?"

"Ok here's something for you to wear tonight." He gave her one of his many flannel shirts and she smiled her thanks. He went to the bathroom to change whilst she put on his shirt and climbed into bed. He reappeared wearing sweats and a t-shirt and made his way over to the couch.

"Luke?"

"Yeah."

"You know just because we're not gonna have sex tonight doesn't mean we can't sleep in the same bed as one another."

"Are you sure?" She nodded and patted the empty space next to her. He willingly climbed in and Lorelai moved closer to rest her head on his chest.

"Tonight was nice," she said sleepily.

"It was," he agreed whilst putting his arm around her. "Next time we'll go out properly, to a nice restaurant and eat a proper dinner instead of plain old pasta."

"The pasta was good."

"Nah it was crap, I have way better cooking skills than that."

"You'll have to show me some time."

"I will," he promised. He ran his hand through her hair and she looked up at him.

"Night," she yawned. He gave her a quick kiss goodnight then turned out the light.

**So, what did you think? Please let me know like you always do and thanks to all my faithful reviewers! Also my other story should be updated soon but I'm still quite busy so if you read it, please be patient. That's all till next time!**


	5. The Dumb Blonde

**Thanks to all my reviewers, you're all great! I've had so many deadlines to meet at college these past few weeks so I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner....I hope this makes up for it, it's a bit longer than usual!**

Luke was the first to wake up the next morning. He had heard one of the babies stirring so he got up to see to them. He found Jess still fast asleep but Rory was sat up next to him and he smiled at how she hadn't started crying for attention but just sat there, entertaining herself until someone else woke up. He lifted her out and took her over to the couch. Rory just looked at him, wondering where her mom was and he had to smile at her confused expression.

"Are you wondering where your mom is?" he asked softly. "She's sleeping at the moment but she'll wake up soon." He put her on the floor and watched as she crawled around for a while before pulling herself to her feet and trying once again to take a few steps. She fell again. Luke saw her frustrated expression so he went to sit next to her on the floor. "You'll learn soon Rory." He put her on her feet then shuffled backwards a bit and put his arms out to her. She looked at him, determination written across her face as she put one foot forward. As soon as it hit the floor, so did she and she stuck her bottom lip out, perfecting the Gilmore pout. He went over and picked her up again, this time holding her hands as she stepped. He watched her walk as he held on to her and saw the big smile on her face. He felt it was time to let go and instead of falling over, she carried on. He smiled as he saw the proud look on Rory's face and he himself felt proud of her. He didn't know if it was right for him to feel that way but he couldn't help it. He looked over at Lorelai; this was something she'd really want to see. He sat on the bed next to her and gently shook her to wake up.

"What?" she asked sleepily, annoyed to be woken up.

"Lorelai get up, you've gotta see this," he said with excitement in his voice.

"Hmm early." She didn't open her eyes.

"Wake up."

"In a minute," she protested.

"No now, come on Rory's walking."

"But I like sleep and it's.....wait Rory's what?" She sat up and looked at him. He nodded his head towards Rory who was toddling around the living room. She watched her little girl stumble around the room happily. She got out of bed and crouched down on the floor, holding her arms out to Rory. "Rory come here," she told her softly. The baby looked at her before quickly making her way over to her mom, but tripped over her own feet due to her increased speed. Lorelai laughed as she picked her up. "You finally did it sweetie, well done! I'm so proud of you." Rory smiled then tried to escape from Lorelai's arms to get back to her new found skill. "Do you wanna do it again?" She set her down on her feet and watched Rory toddle away from her. Rory turned around to look at Lorelai.

"Mama," she said before walking a bit further.

"I'm watching you honey, don't worry." She replied. Luke had been watching them interact from the bed and noticed Lorelai's eyes were filled with tears as a few rolled down her cheeks.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, these are happy tears."

"You sure?" She nodded and put on a smile that Luke could have sworn was fake. She sat on the couch, her eyes still glued to Rory and he went to sit next to her."Come on, tell me what's up," he pleaded.

"It's nothing really. I was just thinking about how it doesn't seem like two minutes since the nurse was handing me this tiny baby and I was trying to think of a name for her but look at her now. She can walk and talk, well kinda talk, but she's growing up so fast and it made me realise that our lives are passing us by so quickly and before we know it we'll be middle aged and have the weight of the world on our shoulders." She took a deep breath.

"You could talk for the country couldn't you?" he joked.

"Hey I'm being serious here," she said while playfully hitting his arm.

"Ok, ok but you're only seventeen. I mean you haven't even reached the legal drinking age yet and you're already thinking about being forty. I think you should focus on what's happening now and forget about what life will be like when you're middle aged.

"You're right, I'm being ridiculous. What time is it?"

"Nine."

"And Jess isn't awake yet?"

"No he likes his sleep."

"Hmm reminds me of me, but I was brought out of my precious sleep this morning."

"Come on, get over it."

"I need coffee."

"I don't have it up here."

"What about downstairs?"

"The diner's open."

"So there'll be coffee?"

"Yeah but half the town will be down there. If they see you, dressed like that, come out of my apartment then rumours are gonna circulate."

"But I need coffee," she pouted.

"You know Rory showed me that exact same pout this morning."

"Cause she's my daughter and that's how we get what we want."

"So I've noticed." Luke looked over to the crib to see Jess waking himself up. "Look who's back." Lorelai looked in the direction Luke was and smiled as Jess pulled himself to his feet and held onto the side of the crib. Lorelai stood up and walked over to him.

"Good morning Jess," she cooed.

"Hi," he replied loudly.

"Do you wanna come out?" He smiled and she took it as a yes. She lowered the bar and lifted him out. "Do you want breakfast?"

"Bweakfas," he answered excitedly.

"Shall we ask Luke to make it for you?"

"Ucal Luke." Luke smiled at how Lorelai was interacting with Jess and got up to prepare breakfast.

"Jess, tell Uncle Luke to make Lorelai something cause she's hungry too." Jess looked at her, not understanding a word of what she had said. Lorelai put him on the floor and he went to join Rory who was now playing with Jess' toys.

"What does Rory want to eat?" asked Luke.

"Whatever Jess is having is fine, she's not fussy. Me on the other hand, if it has low calorie and fat content it belongs in the trash."

"You should really start looking after yourself. Plus you don't want Rory to inherit your eating habits do you?"

"Well then I'd feel bad if she was eating a salad and I had a succulent, heavenly cheeseburger. She'd know what she was missing."

"But you wouldn't feel bad letting her fill her body with fat and clogging her arteries. Obesity is becoming more and more common and if you're not careful both you and Rory will have heart disease before you turn thirty." Lorelai was staring at him, clearly amused.

"Are you quite finished?" He nodded and resumed preparing breakfast. "Wow you sure know how to rant," she chuckled. "We're like a match made in heaven."

"Except our eating habits are totally different."

"You know how it goes, opposites attract."

"Now that is true." He glanced at her with a smile as he put the food on the table. Luke put Jess in the high chair and Lorelai put Rory on her lap as she looked at what Luke had made for breakfast. He had made a fruit salad for himself, and for Jess and Rory then Lorelai looked at her own plate, expecting to see something different.

"Luke?" She asked as she watched Rory pick up a grape and put it in her mouth.

"Yeah."

"Why is there fruit on my plate?"

"Because it's a fruit salad."

"But why do I have to eat it?"

"Cause it's good for you and this isn't like the diner where you order what you want, you eat what I make." She pouted at him.

"What's that for?"

"I don't want fruit, I want a pop tart."

"Stop acting like a child, even Rory and Jess are eating it."

"But I want a pop tart."

"You're impossible, and what the hell is a pop tart?"

"They're sooo nice! It's like pastry with jam in the middle and icing on top. Oh and sprinkles."

"Sounds delightful," he said sarcastically.

"They are. I'm sure they have too much sugar in for your liking."

"I guessed that much." They ate breakfast quietly, only speaking now and again but there were no awkward silences. "Do you not have to go to work today?" asked Luke.

"No I don't work Fridays. What about you?"

"Friday's my free day, I do whatever I want. If I wanna go to the diner I will, if I wanna go fishing, I will."

"Fishing huh?"

"Yeah my dad has a cabin with a lake and we used to go fishing together there."

"Do you still go?"

"I haven't been up there since he died, I can't imagine it without him." Luke smiled at her weakly. "Anyway, you have the day off and I have the day off. I kinda feel like we should...." he was cut off by a knock at the door. "Come in."

"Hey big brother." They looked round to see a girl with mousy brown hair and the same piercing blue eyes as Luke walk in.

"Hi Liz," he said dryly.

"How's my Jessie?" She lifted Jess out of the high chair.

"He's fine, no thanks to you." Liz shot him a look before turning her attention to Lorelai.

"Who's your friend?" she asked him.

"Oh I'm Lorelai, Luke's friend." She introduced herself.

"Luke's friend...." she eyed up Lorelai's outfit, Luke's flannel. She hadn't changed yet. "Right."

"And this is Rory, my daughter. You must be Liz, Luke's told me a lot about you."

"All bad I hope."

"Your son's a great kid."

"Thanks, your baby is adorable." Lorelai was just about to thank her but Luke interrupted.

"I see you've sobered up then."

"Luke, I...."

"You promised you wouldn't drink anymore Liz; you said you'd do it for Jess."

"I'm sorry; I just had a lot on my mind."

"So talk to me about it, let me help you. The answers to your problems aren't at the bottom of a bottle of vodka."

"You don't wanna help me, I'm a failure."

"You don't have to be," interjected Lorelai. "Jess needs you to be a stable parent. He needs love and attention, he's a great kid but he just wants his mom. Don't let the opportunity of being a good mother pass you by, treasure it."

"It's hard sometimes."

"I know it is, if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'll be around. You know, single mother to single mother." Luke was so grateful to Lorelai for being so kind.

"Thanks Lorelai. I'm gonna get going, thanks for taking care of Jess for me Luke."

"No problem." They watched Liz leave then Luke turned to Lorelai.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For trying to get through to Liz."

"Anything to help. So you were saying before Liz came in, that we should...and they you stopped."

"Oh I was gonna ask if you wanted to go to the pool today, me, you and Rory. You said you wanted to take her swimming."

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll have to go home first and get out stuff together." Her smile turned into a frown.

"What's up?"

"I was just wondering what Mia's gonna say when she finds out I stayed here last night."

"But nothing happened."

"She doesn't know that. She's become like a mom to me and she probably won't be thrilled about this."

"Do you want me to come with you? We can explain together."

"I think it's best I talk to her by myself."

"As you wish."

"I'm just gonna go home and get our stuff then. I won't be long." She stood up from the table and bent down to pick up Rory who was now on the floor playing with some toys.

"You can leave her here if you like, she seems quite happy playing with Jess' toys."

"Will you be ok with her?"

"Yeah we'll be fine. Anyway you said you wouldn't be long."

"Ok..." she seemed quite hesitant to leave. "So I'm gonna go now."

"Don't worry we'll be ok."

"I wasn't worrying."

"Yes you were."

"But are you sure you'll be ok?"

"Yes now go."

"Ok, ok I'm going," she walked over to the door but turned back before she opened it.

"Go." Luke rolled his eyes.

"But aren't you gonna kiss me before I go?" she asked with her pout intact. Luke was already finding it really hard to resist that pout. He walked over to her and looked her straight in the eye before leaning closer to her. Their lips locked together in a long, explosive kiss. He pulled back after a good thirty seconds and smiled.

"How was that for you?" he asked.

"Wow," was all she could say. She flashed him a smile before swiftly leaving the apartment. Luke smiled at the closed door then suddenly remembered Rory was there. He turned to find her still playing with the toys. He picked her up and sat down on the couch with her. He started to tickle her and she laughed uncontrollably. Luke also laughed at how cute she was and kept tickling her until his arms ached. Rory looked at him again with a wide smile on her face.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked.

"Dada," shouted Rory, the same way she did when she first called Lorelai 'mama'. Luke looked at her, obviously shocked. He didn't know how to react. He thought about Lorelai. What would she say if she knew? He wasn't sure if he should tell her or not. Luke smiled at Rory who was still sat grinning at him and decided to let it go for now. Anyway, he thought it would be a privilege to be this little girl's dad and a part of him kinda wished he was.

"After successfully leaving the apartment without being spotted by any of Stars Hollow's very on paparazzi, Lorelai only had one obstacle left, Mia. She had two options: Walk round the exterior of the inn or walk straight through to the back door. The first was a risk because the window of Mia's office happened to be on route and the second was a risk because she would walk straight through the inn and was most definitely going to see Mia. She finally decided to just walk through. She pushed open the door and began to walk briskly, increasing her speed as she passed the front desk. She made it out of the back door and leant against it, exhaling deeply.

"Oh good you're home," came a voice from beside her.

"God Mia you scared me to death," she jumped.

"So you didn't come home last night."

"I err....I stayed at Luke's," she replied in a squeaky voice.

"You stayed at Luke's?" she asked with raised eyebrows. Lorelai nodded.

"Nothing happened."

"Didn't it?"

"No well erm.....it nearly did but...we stopped."

"Right."

"We basically played with Jess and Rory then put them to bed. Then Luke and I talked on the couch and we somehow ended up.....making out. We stopped before it went too far, he made dinner then we went to bed."

"To bed?"

"To sleep," she corrected. Lorelai looked at Mia's face for the first time since her revelation. She looked kind of stunned but her expression was mainly blank. "Are you mad?"

"I'm upset that you didn't call me to let me know where you were going to be. I was worried about you girls, anything could have happened to you."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Lorelai do you think you're ready to date? I mean you had a baby less than a year ago and I want to make completely sure that you want something to happen with Lucas."

"Mia, Luke's a nice guy, the nicest I have ever met and I need you to know that he would never pressure me into anything."

"I know that. I have known Lucas a very long time and he isn't that sort of guy. But I don't want the past to repeat itself, I want you to do it when you're ready and I want you both to be safe."

"We decided to get to know each other first, before we.....you know."

"Yes that's a wise decision. I just want the two of you to be happy."

"We are, well I am anyway. I'm not sure about Luke." Lorelai smiled as Mia looked confused. "Where's Rory?"

"Oh I lost her," said Lorelai nonchalantly. Mia had gotten used to Lorelai's wit recently. "Kidding."

"Figures."

"She's with Luke. We're gonna take her to the pool today to get her used to the water."

"Oh that sounds wonderful."

"Do you wanna come with us?"

"No dear, it's ok. I have to work anyway."

"Ok you should definitely come sometime though. It'd be fun."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Oh I have something to tell you actually, Rory took her first steps this morning."

"She did?"

"Mm hmm, she looked so happy that she finally did it."

"I wish I could have been there. Did her and Jess get along ok?"

"Yeah they played together for hours."

"Well that's good."

"Anyway I'd better go; Luke and Rory are waiting for me."

"Have a good day."

"We will thanks. I'll bring Rory to see you later."

"Ok dear." Mia watched Lorelai as she walked towards the potting shed and once she was out of sight, she went back to work. Lorelai shut the door behind her as she began searching for hers and Rory's swimming stuff. She opened her drawer and pulled out her favourite white bikini then looked amongst Rory's stuff and found her pink bathing suit. She remembered when Emily had bought it.

_Richard, Emily and Lorelai were sat at the table in their usual seats eating dinner. Emily kept making small talk with the two, mainly about the DAR and her functions. _

"_So we raised quite a lot of money in the end," she was saying, finishing off her story._

"_That's great Emily," replied Richard, not really paying attention. Lorelai was pushing her food around on her plate, fed up of Emily's stories._

"_Oh Lorelai that reminds me." Lorelai took her attention from her plate and looked at Emily. "I bought a bathing suit for Rory today. I thought it was time she went swimming, she's eight months old now and...."_

"_Nine months," corrected Lorelai._

"_What?"_

"_She's nine months old, not eight." Showed how much of an interest Emily took in Rory._

"_Oh well she's definitely ready for her first visit to the pool."_

"_Maybe I could take her," offered Lorelai. _

"_It's ok, Natalie can take her, she won't mind."_

"_I don't have a problem with taking her mom," Lorelai was trying to stay calm._

"_But Natalie is her nanny; it's what I'm paying her for."_

"_But I'm her mother, does that not mean anything?" She asked, standing up from the table and excusing herself._

"_Lorelai don't be so dramatic," she shouted as Lorelai walked out of the room. "I don't see what the big deal is." Lorelai reappeared._

"_The big deal is that this is one of those first time things, like the first smile and the first laugh. Both of those, by the way, I missed. I don't wanna miss the first time she goes swimming as well."_

"_Well you can go with Natalie."_

"_God you don't get it do you?"_

"_What's the problem?"_

"_I don't want my daughter to be raised by someone else."_

"_You're too irresponsible to raise a child Lorelai, you're seventeen years old."_

"_Oh my god you're impossible. Please spare me the lecture on how old I am. I'm going to my room." She left the dining room in a huff and Emily heard her bedroom door slam. Richard on the other hand didn't look up from his plate once._

Lorelai smiled as she remembered what she had escaped. She was finally able to take Rory swimming without supervision, well Luke would be there but he was hardly a supervisor, more just company. She packed a few towels and her shampoo, hairbrush and make up so she could make herself look presentable for Luke afterwards. She barely managed to zip up her rucksack then realised she was wearing the same clothes as the night before. She quickly changed and just as she was about to head out of the door, the phone on the nightstand began to ring so she answered it, hoping to get rid of whoever it was.

"Hello."

"Hi Lorelai, it's your father."

"Oh dad, hey." She was genuinely happy to hear his voice. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just calling to check up on my girls."

"We're fine thanks, Rory's growing up fast."

"I'm glad you two are doing ok."

"How are you?"

"I'm good also, although I miss having the two of you around here."

"I miss you," she said quietly. They loved each other but they were never good at admitting it.

"Well how about I come and visit you two. We could make a day of it."

"That sounds great, when are you available?"

"I can do Sunday."

"That's perfect."

"Ok, I'll come round about eleven then."

"Yeah, ok."

"So is there anything I've missed in Rory's development?"

"It's funny you should ask actually, she took her first steps just this morning."

"She did? Lorelai that's wonderful."

"I know right? She can talk a bit too, not sentences, just single words. She can say mama and breakfast and kiss, little things like that." Richard could hear the pride in Lorelai's voice.

"She's a smart girl isn't she?"

"Yes, you have a very intelligent granddaughter."

"So what are your plans for the day?"

"We're going swimming."

"Oh, just you and Rory?"

"And my....friend."

"You've got a new friend?"

"Yeah, his name's Luke." Richard froze when he heard that Lorelai's new friend was male. The last time she had a male 'friend' she got knocked up. "Dad are you still there?"

"Yes sorry, have fun at the pool."

"We will thanks."

"I'll see you Sunday." Richard hung up and Lorelai looked at the phone, confused about why Richard had been so eager to end the call. She sighed, picked up her bag and headed back to Luke's.

At the apartment, Luke and Rory had fallen asleep together on the couch. He had been reading her a story and they somehow drifted off to sleep. Lorelai walked up the stairs, her athletic inability preventing her from going any faster. She lightly knocked on the door then walked in, only to be surprised at the scene before her. She walked over to the couch, sitting down next to them and couldn't help but smile at how cute they looked together. She scooted closer to Luke and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Luke," she whispered but got no response. "Luke," she repeated, a little louder this time.

"Hmm," he grunted.

"Wake up." His eyes shot open to find Lorelai sat very close next to him. A small smile pursed his lips when he saw her and she returned it. "You look cute when you sleep," she teased.

"Jeez," he complained, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"Is Lukey embarrassed?"

"Don't call me Lukey."

"You're cranky."

"You're annoying."

"Doesn't this remind you of our first ever conversation."

"Pretty much."

"That seems like forever ago doesn't it?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't think it was less than a week ago."

"I know."

"Shall we get going?" he asked.

"Yeah, which pool are we going to?"

"Which do you wanna go to?"

"There's one in Hartford. It's got a shallow area for kids and a Jacuzzi!"

"Oh well we have to go if there's a Jacuzzi," he replied sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm but still couldn't stop her smile spreading. "Do you know how to get there?" he asked.

"Yeah, I mean once we reach Hartford I know where to go." They got their bags together and went downstairs. They walked straight through the diner, noticing Patty and Babette staring at them but choosing to ignore them, and put the bags in the back of the truck, along with Rory's stroller. Rory was still asleep and Luke had put her in the car. Luke and Lorelai got in the truck and set off for Hartford.

As they drove past the 'Welcome to Hartford' sign, Luke glanced over at Lorelai. She was watching Rory sleep.

"Where do I go from here?" he asked.

"Take a right," she said quickly and he began to turn right. "Oh I meant left," she changed her mind.

"You're kidding right?"

"No sorry, I always get them mixed up. Do a U-turn."

"I can't, the sign says so." He pointed to a road sign and she frowned.

"Oh well we'll go on a little adventure then."

"Do you even know where we are?"

"Yeah I lived in Hartford for seventeen years."

"But Hartford's a big place."

"It's a good job I lived in this area then isn't it?" Luke's jaw dropped as he looked at all the mansions surrounding them.

"You lived around here?"

"Yup."

"Wow, why did you move to Stars Hollow then?"

"I wanted a better life."

"Doesn't get much better than this."

"Money rules people's lives around here and I for one, don't care about how much money people have. I never really fit in around here."

"Well you fit like a jigsaw piece in Stars Hollow."

"How so?" she was curious.

"You're crazy, just like the rest of them."

"Hey, I'm not crazy," she snapped. "I'm mentally challenged."

"Well I think that's the same thing."

"I don't care what you think," she joked. He looked over and smiled at her before taking his eyes back to the road. "Oh pull in here," she ordered.

"Why?" he asked as the truck came to a stop at the side of the road.

"You see that house over there?" She pointed to her right.

"You mean castle?" he joked.

"Ha ha, that's where Rory and I used to live."

"Seriously?"

"Mm hmm."

"Wow, it's....big."

"Tell me about it. You see that window on the first floor with the pink drapes?" he nodded. "That's Rory's old nursery."

"Was the crib made from gold?" she laughed at his vision of her previous life.

"I think you're taking this whole rich life a little too far."

"You never know with these kinds of people."

"Oh my god, there's Lucy Marshall."

"Who?" he asked confused.

"I used to be friends with her in high school." Luke looked at Lucy. She had bleached blonde hair and a lot of make up on. She was wearing a bright pink tracksuit with pumps and had a Chihuahua on a leash who was also wearing pink clothes.

"She looks like she belongs in Beverly Hills."

"Shut up, I hung around with weird people ok? Now hide me so she doesn't see me." Luke adjusted himself so Lorelai was out of view. "Luke I'm still noticeable, come here." She turned his head round to face her and brought his lips to hers, tilting her head so she wouldn't be seen. Just as they were getting into the kiss, they heard a tap on the window. "Looks like that didn't work," she mumbled against his lips.

"Totally worth it though," he smiled. They pulled apart and Luke wound the window down.

"Oh my god, Lorelai Gilmore, I thought it was you." She said in a typical blonde girl voice.

"Lucy, hi."

"We don't see you much anymore; all the girls miss you,"

"I'm sure they do." She was very doubtful about that fact.

"Eww why are you in a truck?"

"I just am."

"Who's the cute guy?" she asked, gesturing to Luke. She was not subtle at all.

"His name's Luke."

"He's hot." Luke looked at Lorelai, pleading with her to change the subject.

"Anyway we should get going..." She was cut off by Lucy.

"You two seemed cosy when I came over here just now."

"So?"

"What about Chris? He still loves you."

"He's got a funny way of showing it." Luke tensed up at the mention of Christopher. He hated the guy but he had to admit that he was jealous of him.

"He wants to be with you."

"But does he want Rory?"

"Who?"

"My daughter," she replied pointing to a sleeping Rory. "Remember that's the reason I left school."

"Oh that's the reason you left? I thought it was cause you were going to fat camp." Luke was finding it hard to control his laughter.

"Of course you did," said Lorelai, humouring the dumb blonde.

"So Chris is totally into you."

"Well I'm not totally into him," she snapped, mimicking Lucy's voice. Luke chuckled at how good her impression was.

"Hmm shame. Anyway I've gotta get back to school, lunch is almost over. Toodles!" They watched her jog away and Luke rolled his eyes.

"Toodles?"

"Rich girl talk," she replied.

"Did you used to talk like that?"

"Err as if. Can you seriously imagine me saying toodles?"

"I don't know, I'm still trying to work you out."

"I tell the truth when I say that rich girl talk never made it into my vocabulary."

"That's a relief. Are you ready to go?"

"Yep."

"And make sure we go in the right direction this time."

"I promise." They made their way to the pool and Luke parked the truck. Rory had woken up as they pulled into the parking lot and was looking around, wondering where she was. "Hey Rory, guess where we're going?" Lorelai cooed. "We're going swimming." Rory gurgled at how excited Lorelai sounded. She had figured out that when Lorelai spoke like that, they were going somewhere fun. Luke got out of the truck and held the door open for Lorelai. She grabbed the bags from the back of the truck while he got Rory out.

"You ready?" he asked. She nodded in response and he took her hand as they walked into the building. Luke paid for them and they stopped outside the changing rooms.

"Here," she said, handing him his bag.

"Here yourself," he replied, handing Rory over to her.

"We'll be out in a minute," she walked into the women's and Luke went into the men's. It didn't take him long to get changed, being a guy and all, so he went to stand outside the women's to wait for Lorelai and Rory. As she came out of the changing room, the first thing she saw was Luke's body. She'd never seen him topless before and she had to say, he wasn't bad to look at. Her eyes scanned his body, from his strong arms to his six pack. He too was staring at her in her bikini. Her flat stomach and her long, tanned legs. They noticed they were staring at each other and quickly recovered.

"Shall we get in then?" he asked shyly.

"Yeah, could you blow this up for me?" she gave him Rory's rubber ring and he quickly inflated it. "You make it look so easy."

"All that junk food's cutting off your oxygen," he joked. She smiled cheekily back at him as they stepped into the shallow area of the pool and Lorelai sat Rory in the inflatable. Rory seemed confused at first as to why the water was a little cold, thinking she was having a bath. It didn't take her long to get used to it and she was soon splashing around in the water, making Luke and Lorelai laugh.

"I think she likes it," stated Lorelai.

"She seems to." They watched her for a while before Lorelai splashed Luke. "What was that for?"

"Just felt like it." He splashed her back. "What was that for?"

"Just felt like it." A big splash fight soon broke out and Rory laughed as the two teens threw water at each other. They were having fun, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

**So a bit of a cliff hanger....not a massive one but hey, you don't know who was watching them! You'll find out though, in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed and please review!!!**


	6. Avoidance

**Hi my faithful readers **** here's another chapter for you. You finally get to find out who was watching them.....I myself didn't know who it was at the end of the last chapter but I managed to think of someone! It's probably not as interesting as you think. Anyway enjoy....**

Lorelai was walking out of the shower area of the changing room with her hand holding onto Rory's as she stumbled along next to her. Rory hadn't been happy when it was time to leave the pool and began screaming at the top of her lungs. People had begun to stare at them; some were chuckling at how she refused to leave while others looked disgusted. This was Hartford after all. Luke had managed to bribe Rory by mentioning the word 'candy' and of course, the baby knew what that meant. Lorelai looked down at Rory. She had that proud grin on her face as she stepped and Lorelai couldn't help but match her expression. When she looked up again she was met by a woman with her hands on her hips.

"Hello Lorelai," greeted the woman. Lorelai was shocked; she thought she'd never see this woman again.

"Francine," she replied, a little speechless which was unusual for Lorelai. The older woman looked down at Rory who was trying to walk further but was stopped by Lorelai's tight grip on her hand.

"So this is my granddaughter?" Lorelai cleared her throat.

"Yeah um...this is Rory," she replied awkwardly as she bent down to pick up her daughter before Rory could protest.

"She looks like you, she has your eyes." Lorelai smiled weakly. "She has Christopher's hair colour too, his was that exact same shade when he was that age."

"Hmm," agreed Lorelai, not really wanting to hear about how Rory looked like her absent father.

"How old is she?"

"Ten months."

"Oh she's getting close to her first birthday," stated Francine. Lorelai inwardly rolled her eyes. Any idiot could work that out.

"Yes she is," she answered kindly.

"Listen I saw you in the pool just now and I think it's unfair."

"What's unfair?" Lorelai asked with furrowed brows.

"Letting another boy into your life. It's not fair to Christopher and it's not fair to Rory." Lorelai was taken aback. It wasn't fair to Chris?

"Look Francine, it's my life and I'm Rory's mother therefore I decide what's best for us."

"I know that but what about Christopher?"

"What about him?" she was getting a bit angry.

"He deserves the chance to be a father."

"He's had plenty of chances but he never shows."

"But does he know when he has the opportunity?"

"I've called and written to him both those have failed. I think he knows he needs to be there for his child but he's too much of a coward to see it through."

"Christopher is not a coward, Lorelai. He's young and he made a mistake."

"Yeah, so did I, but I'm fixing that mistake. Rory's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I wouldn't take that night back even if I had the opportunity."

"But Chris is different from you."

"When I told him I was pregnant, he said he was gonna be there, that we were in it together and I believed him. Then at my first doctor's appointment, he didn't show up. After that we drifted further and further apart, we talked less, hardly saw each other and things between us fell apart. The night Rory was born, he showed up. Granted he was a little late and he missed the important part but he was there. I thought things were gonna be ok after that, but I was wrong." She looked at Rory and a glint of sadness shone in her eyes.

"Lorelai, I'm sorry."

"Chris hasn't seen Rory or I since that night. Rory doesn't even know who he is, that's what I'd call unfair."

"So this new boyfriend of yours is just a replacement for Christopher?"

"He's not my boyfriend and it's not like that. We've been hanging out a lot recently. I like him and he and Rory get on well which is a bonus."

"I think you're moving on too fast."

"I've been waiting for Chris for almost a year; I think I'm ready to move on."

"Well I think you're making a mistake and soon you'll realise it too."

"I think you're wrong. Anyway we'd better get ready; Luke'll be waiting for us."

"Oh how's your mother by the way?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen her. I don't live at home anymore, Rory and I moved out."

"Where do you live now?"

"At the Independence Inn in Stars Hollow."

"Where?"

"It's about thirty minutes from here. It's a beautiful little town; I can see Rory growing up there."

"Wow you've come a long way since the last time I saw you, well done."

"Thanks Francine," she replied, genuinely touched by her praise. "I'll see you later. Say bye to grandma Rory." Rory was looking at Francine curiously before she smiled sheepishly and nuzzled her face into Lorelai's neck. Lorelai smiled once more before walking to the cubicles to change.

Luke had been waiting outside the changing rooms for almost twenty minutes. After the first ten minutes, he started to get bored so he headed over to the vending machine, thinking they'd be ready by the time he got back. He chose a Hershey bar for Lorelai, a bag of jelly candy for Rory, as promised, and a power bar for himself. When he returned, she still hadn't emerged and he wondered what the hell she was doing in there. Another ten minutes passed by and he was still stood in the same position. He started to walk towards the bathroom, hoping to kill a bit more time when he heard a voice behind him.

"Are you ditching me?" asked Lorelai as she finally walked out of the changing room. He swung around to see her damp hair surrounding her confused face.

"It's about time; I've been waiting twenty minutes for you. And no I wasn't ditching you; I was going to use the bathroom."

"Oh sorry I took so long. I washed my hair then ran into someone I know and then I had to make myself look pretty."

"Who'd you run into?"

"Just a woman I knew when I lived in Hartford," she replied, that unsure tone in her voice.

"Lorelai," said Luke. "Why aren't you telling the truth?"

"I am, I don't know what you're talking about," she laughed it off.

"Tell me please?"

"Fine, it was Chris' mom, Rory's grandma." Luke breathed loudly.

"Is he here?" She shook her head.

"I don't think so; I mean he's not the type that goes swimming with his mom."

"Ok, so what did she say to you?"

"Just asked about Rory really," she lied.

"Oh right, so shall we go?" She nodded. "I got you this," he said, handing the chocolate bar to her as they left the building.

"Ooh thank you," she replied, greedily taking the candy from him. Rory stared at the chocolate, not taking her eyes off it, before she lunged to reach it. "Whoa! Are you trying to steal mommy's chocolate?" Rory licked her lips while Luke chuckled. "Rory we talked about this. Mommy needs her chocolate and it's not fair for you to take it from her. Besides, we have to look after those perfect little teeth of yours," she referred to Rory's two whole teeth and three growing ones. Rory pouted and Luke picked up on it.

"She's doing that thing you do when you want something."

"That's because I've trained her well," she replied with a mouthful of chocolate.

"Don't panic Rory," began Luke and Rory turned at the mention of her name. "I got you something too." He pulled the candy from his pocket and opened the bag for her. Her eyes shone as she watched him slowly take out a piece of candy and put it in her mouth. She smiled widely as she attempted to chew it, succeeding as it was quite soft, and swallowed it happily. She looked to Luke for another one but his attention was on Lorelai, as they stopped by the truck. He was just about to say something to her when Rory interrupted him.

"Dada." Lorelai's eyebrows rose as she looked round at Rory, who was oblivious to the fact she had said something wrong. Luke had been hoping to god that Rory wouldn't call him it again that day while Lorelai was around as he hadn't gotten the chance to tell her yet. He looked at her and she looked back. He saw how shocked she looked and he began to feel awkward.

"Wow, that was....unexpected," she finally said. Luke handed Rory another piece of candy as they piled into the truck. As they were driving out of Hartford, Luke broke the silence that had fallen upon them.

"I have to tell you something." She turned to look at him.

"What is it?"

"Just then when Rory referred to me as her dad, that wasn't the first time she's called me it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she called me it when you left the apartment to get your stuff. I was gonna tell you but I didn't wanna ruin our day out by springing this on you."

"It's ok," she murmured, almost silently.

"Are you sure?" She nodded and they went back into silence. When Luke parked up outside the Inn, Lorelai glanced at him quickly before saying goodbye.

"Thanks for taking us to the pool." She made a move to leave the truck but Luke pulled her back and kissed her softly.

"You're welcome, maybe we could go again sometime?"

"Maybe," she answered. "See ya Luke." She got out and picked up Rory from the car seat and getting the bags from the back. She watched him give her a final wave and saw him drive away from the Inn. She was sad to see him go because she didn't know when she'd be back in the diner. Rory calling him dada showed she was getting attached to him, and that made Lorelai freak out. She hadn't even been on a proper first date with this guy and Rory already loved him, what would it be like in a few months if she let it go on? She knew she had to stop it now before it went too far, for Rory's sake. She didn't want her daughter getting her heart broken and if not seeing Luke would prevent that, she was willing to abide. She walked into the Inn and tried to forget all her thoughts about Luke and how her lips were still tingling from the goodbye kiss he just gave her.

Sunday arrived and Lorelai lay in bed, wide awake. It had been two days since she last saw Luke, two days since she had stepped in the diner and two days since she had tasted his wonderful, lifesaving coffee. She turned her head to see her alarm clock, it read eight am. Richard was gonna be here in three hours and as much as she wanted to see her father, she was in no mood to talk to anyone. Truth is she was miserable. Ever since Friday when she stopped going into his diner, not just for the coffee but also for the company, she had hardly left the potting shed. She had spent almost all day Saturday curled up on the couch watching TV with Rory playing on the floor. She hadn't had any coffee yesterday, which was definitely strange behaviour and she didn't even feel like she wanted any. Even Rory had noticed her behaviour, with her usually so happy and upbeat all the time, she noticed a change. The baby could sense that her mom was sad about something so she tried to give her comforting hugs to make her feel better. Lorelai gratefully accepted Rory's gestures and a part of her felt better inside just knowing that Rory would always be there.

Lorelai dragged herself out of bed and sneaked over to the crib to check on Rory. She was still sleeping, which Lorelai was thankful for this morning. She slumped onto the couch and switched the TV on, putting the volume on mute so she didn't wake Rory, and sat for fifteen minutes or so staring at the screen blankly. She was wallowing, something she did when her and Chris drifted apart. But this was different; she had only known this guy a week, they weren't going out, they weren't really dating, what was she wallowing for? She decided she was being stupid and pathetic so she got up and changed into her clothes for the day. Once Rory woke up, she prepared their breakfast, cereal for her and a banana for Rory and walked up to the Inn to get back to routine.

"Morning dear," said Mia cheerfully. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine," but her frown told a different story.

"I didn't see you yesterday and on Friday you seemed a little distracted."

"Really Mia, I'm ok. Could you watch Rory for me while I get some coffee? Mark yells at me if I take her in the kitchen with me."

"Of course I will." Lorelai sat Rory on the desk and Mia picked her up, having missed the little girl. Lorelai walked into the kitchen to find Sookie making a new pot of coffee.

"Hey Sookie."

"Lorelai, hi. How are you doing?"

"I'm ok I guess," she shrugged.

"Are you sure? You seem a little off." Lorelai sighed.

"I just had a bad couple of days that's all."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Lorelai hesitated. She could talk to Sookie, they were friends right? And they were the same age so they were probably on the same page.

"There's this....guy," she started.

"Oh yeah?"

"Well I like him, a lot and we had a couple of days out with Rory and stuff and I thought things were going really well."

"But..."

"Well the other day, we went swimming and Rory called him dad."

"Oh."

"It freaked me out that she was getting attached to him and if it all went wrong she'd be heartbroken."

"So what are you gonna do about it?"

"I don't know I haven't spoken to him since Friday when it happened. I can't face him. I mean we had a great night on Thursday. I went to his apartment, we talked, he made dinner and then I stayed over...."

"You stayed over?"

"Nothing happened Sookie."

"Who's the guy?"

"Luke Danes, he owns the diner in town."

"Oh my god you stayed the night at Luke's?"

"You know him?"

"Everybody knows him! Did you sleep in the same bed?"

"Yeah."

"Did you make out?"

"Yeah."

"Did you......"

"It stopped there Sookie," she interrupted before the next question was asked.

"Wow, how did Luke react when Rory called him dad?"

"He seemed fine with it."

"You see I didn't think Luke was that guy. Everyone calls him the hermit cause he lives by himself and never takes an interest in anything to do with Stars Hollow. He's moody too, it's like he's got a stick up his...."

"Sookie."

"Sorry. Look Luke's a good guy I suppose; he wouldn't hurt a fly never mind a girl. I think you'll be fine with him."

"How do you know all this?"

"Well he was quite the talk of the town a little over a year ago."

"Why, what happened?"

"Ok, Luke had this girlfriend, Rachel. They were childhood sweethearts, wildly in love and all that cheesy romance stuff. Everyone thought they were gonna get married, including Luke,"

"Wow."

"I know. But one day, she upped and left. No explanation, no tearful goodbye. She just left him. Luke was heartbroken; he didn't talk to anyone for a week. Then to top it all off, his dad died three weeks later. That was definitely the worst year of Luke's life, he was a broken man. It was so hard to watch him suffer, everyone wanted to help him but he wouldn't accept any help."

"Oh my god." Lorelai had tears in her eyes at the thought of Luke in so much pain and she had to wonder, was she gonna cause pain for him by not talking to him anymore? She pushed her thoughts to the back of her head and smiled weakly at Sookie.

"Anyway, you and Luke huh?"

"I'm not sure."

"Why not? He's a great guy Lorelai; I think he needs someone like you to lift his spirits."

"But Rory...."

"He won't hurt her. Even if you guys break up, he'll still be there for her, and for you. That's just who Luke is." Lorelai thought for a second before taking the coffee pot and filling a mug.

"I'll think it over; I have to consider Rory in this decision."

"Is it Rory's feelings you're afraid of getting hurt or your own?"

"Both I guess.....the last guy I fell for abandoned me and our daughter."

"I understand, but Luke is nothing like that. Think about it and talk to him. And talk to me, I wanna know what happens," she said excitedly.

"Thanks Sookie." She held her arms out and hugged her new friend.

"You're welcome." Lorelai picked up her coffee and smiled before leaving the kitchen,

Two hours later, Richard arrived in the lobby of the Inn. He walked up to the front desk and smiled at the woman he recognised from his last visit.

"Hello there, I'm looking for Lorelai Gilmore."

"Ah you're her father; it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Mia, I own the Inn."

"Oh yes, I'm Richard." The shook hands. "So you're the kind lady that took my daughter and granddaughter in?"

"That's me. I'll get Lorelai for you." She disappeared round the corner to the door of her office and pushed the door open slightly. Lorelai was sat on the floor, reading a story to Rory who was sat in her lap gazing at the pictures. "Lorelai, your dad's here."

"Ok, I'll be out in a minute." Mia nodded and closed the door, giving the two girls another minute to themselves. "She'll be out in a minute; she's just finishing reading a story to Rory."

"Thank you. So how's Lorelai doing?"

"She's doing great; she's a brilliant mother you know. She's so dedicated to Rory, it's intriguing."

"I'm glad to hear that. I wish my wife saw Lorelai the way you do."

"How does she see her?"

"She thinks Lorelai is a failure. She got pregnant, dropped out of high school, gave up on college, everything we'd ever planned for her went out of the window. She's our only daughter and we wanted the very best for her." Lorelai came out of the office and heard them talking so she stopped round the corner, out of view so she could listen. "My wife was very cruel to Lorelai. She wouldn't let her take care of Rory, she said that's what the nanny was for but Lorelai never wanted a nanny. Emily believed that Lorelai was unable to take care of Rory and refused to think otherwise. The two have never had the best relationship, always at each other's throats about one thing or the other. But Lorelai has proved by moving out and taking care of Rory all by herself that she is more than capable. My daughter is a wonderful young woman and I'm so proud of her for how she's matured." Richard smiled at Mia.

"I'm sure she'd be thrilled to hear those words come from you."

"I am," said Lorelai, appearing from round the corner with Rory in her arms. Her eyes were filling up with tears and she walked over to Richard, putting her free arm around him. He joined in the hug, running his fingers through her hair as he comforted her, his baby. He looked down at Rory who looked concerned that her mom was crying so she buried her face into her shoulder. "I love you dad," Lorelai murmured into his sweater.

"I love you too Lorelai," he replied as he kissed her forehead, wiping some tears from her cheeks. Mia watched the two of them together, seeing the way Lorelai looked at Richard made her heart melt. She could tell she missed her dad very much. She was still just a kid herself and needed her parents. "Come on sweetheart why don't you show me around this Stars Hollow?"

"Ok." She put Rory in her stroller that was by the desk and strapped her in. Richard took hold of the handle and Lorelai put her arm through his. "Bye Mia."

"Bye Lorelai, bye Richard, you two have fun." Lorelai and Richard walked the ten minutes into the centre of town and as the gazebo came into view, Richard smiled.

"Wow, it's beautiful," he said in amazement.

"It is isn't it?"

"Hey Lorelai," said one of the townspeople as they walked down the sidewalk.

"Hi." Richard smiled at the fact that Lorelai had an acquaintance.

"Oh Lorelai, it's nice to see you," shouted Miss Patty from her dance studio.

"Hi Patty, good to see you too."

"Aren't you the popular girl around town?" asked Richard.

"Everyone knows everyone around here," she shrugged.

"They all seem to like you, not that I'm surprised." She smiled at him and they continued on their walk.

"Mama," said Rory when she saw the playground come into view.

"What honey?" asked Lorelai as she bent down in front of the stroller.

"Ther." Rory pointed towards it and Lorelai smiled.

"You wanna go to the park?"

"Ark." Lorelai looked up at Richard.

"Can we go to the park dad?" At that moment, Lorelai reminded Richard of when she was a child, asking to be taken to the park. He had never been with her before as he was always busy with work and now was his opportunity.

"If that's what Rory wants to do, we'll go." She smiled and stood up again as they walked over to the park. "So what does Rory want to go on first?"

"The swings are her favourite." They stopped near the swings and Richard bent down to get Rory out of the stroller then sat her in the swing. Rory smiled, knowing what was coming next. He started to push her and she giggled loudly. Lorelai watched them. She loved how her dad took an interest in his granddaughter, unlike her mother. She smiled as Richard pushed her higher and Rory's giggles got louder.

"I think she does like this doesn't she?" he asked,

"Yeah, a lot," she replied, leaning against the bar while she watched them. Once they were done with the swings, Richard put Rory on her feet so he could see his granddaughter walk for himself. She began to toddle away from them towards the slide and Richard and Lorelai followed her closely. Lorelai took Rory up the steps and onto the playground while Richard waited at the bottom of the slide. She sat Rory at the top and gave her a little push; Richard caught her at the bottom and looked up to see Lorelai still at top.

"It's your turn," he shouted.

"Don't you think I'm a little old to be going down slides?"

"Maybe but I've never seen you go down one before."

"Fine I'll do it." She perched herself at the top and shuffled so she slid down. A small scream escaped her lips as she went, partly because it had been so long since she'd been down one. Richard burst into laughter when he heard her scream.

"Even Rory didn't scream," he joked.

"Ok, ok no need to mock me about it."

"I'm sorry; it was just amusing that's all."

"Maybe you should go down the slide."

"Pfft. Never in a million years."

"Didn't think so." Richard smiled at her and she returned it. Their silence was interrupted by Lorelai's growling stomach.

"I see your appetite hasn't changed."

"Not one bit. What do you say we get some food?"

"I wouldn't complain." They began to walk back to the town square; Richard was still holding Rory and Lorelai pushed the empty stroller. "Ok, where can we eat?"

"There's Al's, or Weston's?"

"What's that place over there?" He pointed in the direction she was hoping he didn't. "It says good food in the window."

"It's a lie, it's not good food, it's terrible. It's just burgers and stuff."

"I could eat a burger right now." He began to walk over to the diner and as it came into view, he saw the sign above the door. "William's Hardware."

"Oh it's not a hardware store anymore; it's actually called Luke's." She pointed to the sign that stuck off the side of the building.

"Luke's." That name Luke sounded familiar. He thought about it for a moment then remembered the phone conversation he had with his daughter about her new male friend. Luke. "Right, we'll eat here then." Lorelai took a deep breath as she followed him into the diner. He took in his surroundings, eyeing up the tables and the counter and finally, his gaze fell upon a young man stood behind the counter with a backwards baseball bat. Richard chose a table to sit at and called the young man over. "Excuse me, could we have two menus please?" Luke looked up to see a middle aged man addressing him. He was dressed quite smartly; well smart for Stars Hollow residents and his eyes averted to the person he was with. His face lit up when he recognised her as Lorelai. He walked over with the menus and set them on the table.

"There you go sir," he said politely, assuming this was Lorelai's dad. "Hi," he said to Lorelai.

"Hey," she replied shortly, not giving him eye contact.

"Hi Rory," he said to the little girl. Rory smiled and gurgled at him, obviously recognising him. "Lorelai can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Oh err..."

"It'll only take a minute."

"Ok then." She stood up. "I'll be right back dad." Richard just nodded as he scanned the menu. She followed Luke behind the curtain and he stopped at the bottom of the stairs then turned to look at her. "What's up?"

"You've been avoiding me."

"What.....no I haven't."

"Yes you have, you haven't been in the diner for two whole days."

"I've been busy."

"Lorelai what's the matter? I thought we had a good time on Friday and then you completely stop talking to me." Lorelai looked at the floor.

"I'm sorry.....I just...."

"I don't want any excuses ok? I just want the truth from you. Is it because Rory called me dad?" She nodded slightly without looking at him. "Do you wanna talk to me about it?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Come on." He took her hand and guided her to sit on the bottom step. He perched next to her and she looked him in the eye for the first time in two days. She could feel the spark return between them and she immediately averted her gaze to avoid getting carried away.

"When Rory called you....dad, I freaked out. It meant she was getting attached to you and I didn't want that to happen so soon."

"I don't....."

"Let me finish. Before I agreed to go out with you, I made a list. A pro/con list if you will where I listed the pros of us dating and the cons. They were mostly things that affected Rory and I had to think about her in all of this. So when I'd finished, I had lots of pros and only one con. But the con was a big one."

"What was it?"

"Us breaking up. If Rory got attached to you and we broke up, her heart would break into little pieces and I don't wanna do that to my baby. I mean she's attached to you after a week, what's she gonna be like in a few months time? I guess the thought of Rory getting hurt was unbearable, especially when I have the power to stop it happening." Luke looked at her for a second. He saw how hard it was for her to open up to him about this so he put his arm around her waist.

"Lorelai, you know I would never hurt you or Rory; I could never do that to the two of you. Even if we did break up, which I hope never happens, I'll still be here. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know I'm just scared I guess. With Chris leaving us I didn't want it to happen again."

"I'm nothing like that jerk I could never leave the two of you. You're too special." She blushed, the familiar redness filling her cheeks. She had missed him in the last couple of days. She missed them talking about random crap, missed him lecturing her about how burgers and coffee can kill you but most of all, she missed the way his lips felt against hers. She leant in and left a gentle peck on them before pulling away and smiling. "I missed you," he confessed.

"I missed you too. I promise I will never shut you out again." They stood up and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. He pressed his lips against hers and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. She opened her mouth, allowing his tongue access as it explored her mouth. They pulled away from each other for oxygen and gave each other satisfied smiles.

"How about we go on a proper date, just you and me?" he asked.

"Sounds perfect, when?"

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Hmm Monday, nothing much. Tomorrow night's good I'll get Mia to watch Rory."

"Ok and no sleepovers this time," he joked.

"Ok if you insist," she smiled. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow night then, Duke."

"What is with you? First it's Burger Boy, then Lukey and now Duke? You're crazy."

"Mentally challenged," she corrected as she began to walk back into the diner.

"Crazy," he replied as he followed her over to her table and took out his order pad. "Ok sir what can I get you?"

"Call me Richard. And I'll have a burger with Swiss and a side of fries."

"Ok and Lorelai?"

"Burger, fries, onion rings and coffee please."

"So unhealthy."

"Throw in some of that delicious looking pie sitting over there too would you?"

"You're slowly killing yourself. Can I at least put salad on your burger?"

"Only if it's made of ketchup."

"I thought so. You're order will be ready soon."

"Ok, hurry Duke I'm starving," she whined.

"You'll get it when it's ready."

"But Luuuuke."

"I'm sorry; if you want it raw you can have it. Just don't try suing me when you have food poisoning."

"Can you get me a piece of pie while I wait?"

"But then you won't eat your meal."

"I will, I promise."

"Unbelievable." He returned with a plate of pie and she dug into it greedily. "Would you like anything si......Richard?"

"No thank you son, I'll wait for my meal."

"Shall I make Rory her favourite?"

"Yeah, she'd like that. Thanks Duke," she called after him.

"It's Luke." Richard watched the two of them with their banter. He was glad Lorelai had made friends in this town but maybe she was a little too friendly with the diner owner. He wondered what they were talking about when they disappeared but didn't ask Lorelai as he didn't want to invade her privacy. Instead he kept his mouth shut, keeping his thoughts about his daughter dating to himself because he sure as hell wasn't ready for her to date again.

**So??? I had such a hard time writing the part where Luke and Lorelai were apart....that's why I skipped two days :P I really hope you liked the chapter and please don't forget to tell me what you thought!**


	7. Surprises

Richard stayed with Lorelai and Rory for the rest of the afternoon. They walked round town a bit more after their visit to Luke's then Lorelai showed Richard around the inn. Rory had fallen asleep around three o clock so the two had a chance to talk more without focussing on the baby.

"So this Luke boy, what's going on there?" asked Richard. Lorelai suddenly felt nervous. She wasn't sure how her dad would react if he found out she had a boyfriend, well not a boyfriend, more of a date.

"What do you mean?"

"You two seemed to know each other quite well."

"We're friends," she shrugged.

"What did he want to talk to you about?"

"Erm....his nephew," she lied.

"His nephew."

"Yeah, he's babysitting tonight and he wanted some tips. You know, what to do, when to put him to bed, what to feed him." She avoided eye contact with Richard as she spoke so she didn't give herself away.

"Right." He looked straight at her. "Lorelai, I have a feeling you're lying to me."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because you've been avoiding eye contact with me since the conversation began." She breathed deeply.

"I'm scared the truth will make you mad."

"Lorelai please tell me, tell me why I might have a reason to be mad."

"Ok but first will you promise to hear me out and not jump to any conclusions?"

"Oh....kay, what's going on?"

"I met Luke a week ago. I went in the diner for coffee while Mia looked after Rory. So he and I got talking and he was being so nice to me. I started confiding in him, about mom, my life in Hartford. I told him why I left and he listened to me, he didn't look bored or irritated, he listened to every word. I went back the next morning cause I left some stuff in there and I had Rory this time. He accepted her, I could tell he wasn't a kid person but he tried with Rory. He even fed her breakfast while I ate mine."

"Well..."

"Let me finish. I told him I had a doctor's appointment for Rory the next day and he even offered to drive us."

"Did you accept?"

"Yeah, we went, had lunch then he dropped us off at the inn. That's when he err.....asked me out, on a date." Richard was actually expecting her to say that.

"So are you two seeing each other?"

"Yeah kinda, we're going out tomorrow night."

"So he gets along with Rory?"

"Yeah."

"Does Rory like him?

"She really does. She err...." She didn't want to reveal the next part but felt she should. "She referred to him as dad the other day."

"What?"

"We went swimming and I guess she got used to him being around and thought he was her dad."

"Wow this is a shock."

"It was to me too. I've actually been avoiding him since Friday because of this whole dad thing and when you suggested we eat at the diner I didn't know how to refuse without making you suspicious so I went along with it. That's why he wanted to talk to me, to ask where I'd been."

"It seems you two are quite close."

"We are," she agreed. "You know Luke's spent more time with Rory in the last week than Chris has her entire life." Richard looked at her sympathetically then frowned.

"Lorelai I have to know the answer to this question." He paused. "Have you and Luke, you know....erm....slept together?"

"No," she answered easily. He looked at her and saw pure honesty. He found himself sighing with relief. "Are you mad that I'm seeing someone?"

"Well I'm not thrilled. I want you to be careful, the last time you had a boyfriend you ended up pregnant. I don't want to see it happen again. In the future, when you're married, I'd be happy to get more grandchildren but you're so young....."

"Dad it's ok. You don't have to worry about that, I got the pill," she whispered.

"So does that mean you're planning on...." she cut him off.

"I'm not planning it but if it does happen I wanna know I've taken all the right precautions. As much as I love Rory I don't want any more kids just yet. She's enough to keep me on my toes."

"I'm glad to hear that. I just want you to be happy sweetheart, happy and safe."

"Luke makes me happy."

"If that's the case, I want to meet him properly. Maybe take him for a round of golf."

"Can I get to know him a little better first? I don't want him to date my dad before he dates me," she joked. Richard chuckled.

"Really Lorelai, some of the things you come out with are so ridiculous."

"I like the ridiculousness," she replied. They sat in silence for a minute or two.

"I'm glad we had this talk Lorelai," said Richard, breaking the silence. "And I'm glad you found someone who cares for you and Rory. I know Christopher doesn't keep to his word and it breaks my heart to think Rory with never know her father."

"Mine too, I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I didn't know you."

"You know, I owe you an apology."

"Why?"

"I should have paid more attention to you when you were a child. I realise now that I got so wrapped up in work that I forgot about the important things."

"Dad it's ok."

"No it's not. Being at the park with you and Rory today, it opened my eyes to what I missed with you. I never pushed you on the swings or watched you go down the slide. You're seventeen and I watched you do that for the first time today, what does that say about what kind of father I am?"

"Dad there's a lot more to it than that. What about when you came home from work and we ate dinner together? Or when you helped me with my homework? What about all those nights you tucked me in and read me a story? I think you've always been a great dad, you just never realised it."

"I miss you around the house; it felt more like a home when you were there. It feels empty and cold now."

"I thought it was always cold."

"Will you do something for me?"

"Sure, what?"

"Come to dinner tonight." She looked at the floor. "Please Lorelai, it would mean a lot to me."

"But what about mom? She won't want me there."

"She will, I can tell she misses you."

"I don't know dad, I don't wanna put you out."

"You're not putting me out Lorelai, you're my daughter and I want to have dinner with you." Lorelai really didn't want to go to dinner but Richard seemed so insistent.

"Ok, I'll come."

At six, Richard, Lorelai and Rory set off for Hartford. Lorelai was nervous about seeing Emily again, last time it didn't go so well. She was wearing a knee length skirt with flowers on and a baby pink vest top. She had dressed Rory in a purple dress with white tights and a pink cardigan. Her mother always reacted badly to her choice in clothes so she had tried to make as much effort as possible to avoid an argument. She hardly spoke on the journey; instead she listened to Rory gurgling to herself all the way there, the little girl was obviously unaware of where she was going."

Richard pulled up in the driveway of the Gilmore mansion and Lorelai looked up at the familiar building through the windscreen. She took a deep breath then pulled herself from the car and opened the back door to get Rory out. She followed Richard to the front door and as he opened it, she heard her mother's voice.

"Richard is that you?"

"Yes Emily, I'm home," he replied as she came into the hall.

"It's six forty five, where have you been? You know dinner's at seven." She stopped when she saw Lorelai stood awkwardly at Richard's side. "Lorelai...what are you doing here?"

"Hi to you too mom," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry what was that?" Richard could feel the tension building so he decided to cut in.

"I went to see Lorelai and Rory in Stars Hollow today Emily. We were having such a good time that I invited them to dinner."

"Oh well come through to the living room for drinks until dinner's ready." Emily turned on her heel and Lorelai rolled her eyes, already regretting her decision to come to dinner as she followed Richard into the living room. She sat on the loveseat with Rory in her lap and Emily and Richard sat opposite in the armchairs. Lorelai looked around the room. She could feel Emily's eyes burning into her but was too afraid to look in her direction. "So Lorelai, how are you?" asked Emily, cutting through the silence.

"Like you care," she said under her breath.

"I can't hear you."

"I'm fine mom."

"And Rory?" Lorelai had found the perfect opportunity to boast about her daughter.

"She's great; she can walk now and talk a little too. She can understand things too, like if you're sad she'll give you a hug to cheer you up." Emily felt pride hit her as she heard Lorelai talking so lovingly about Rory. Maybe she was capable of taking care of the baby by herself but Emily had too much dignity to admit she was wrong.

"That's great Lorelai," she smiled and surprisingly it was genuine which threw Lorelai off a bit.

"Mrs Gilmore, dinner is ready," announced the maid from the doorway. Emily checked her watch.

"Cruella it's six fifty seven. How many times do I have to tell you dinner is at seven sharp?" Emily shook her head as the maid scurried out of the room.

"Your maid is called Cruella?" asked Lorelai with a giggle.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Cruella, you know 101 Dalmatians, Cruella de Vil if she doesn't scare you no evil thing will."

"Lorelai, stop being ridiculous."

"So what's for dinner, Dalmatian puppies?" she took the joke further.

"Dear me Lorelai, you still have that sarcasm of yours," complained Emily.

"Is your housekeeper called Pongo?"

"For heaven's sake."

"Alright, alright, I'm done."

"Mrs Gilmore it is now seven, dinner is served," announced Cruella.

"Thank you, that's more like it." Lorelai and Richard followed Emily into the dining room and took their seats as the maid brought their salads.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," said Lorelai to the maid. Cruella gave her a strange look before hurrying to the kitchen. Lorelai sat Rory in her lap and Emily looked at her in disgrace.

"She can't sit there, how are you supposed to eat your food?"

"Easy, like this." She put her arms at each side of Rory and picked up her knife and fork.

"That's ridiculous."

"Where else is she gonna sit?"

"I don't know, there's got to be something."

"Mom don't worry she's fine here. I already gave her dinner anyway."

"Oh she's already eaten?"

"Yeah she has dinner at four usually so I didn't wanna mess up her routine."

"Well it seems like you have it under control," she said with a half smile. Lorelai knew she was referring to more than just dinner and silently thanked her with a smile of her own. Richard saw this and smiled to himself, glad that his wife and daughter were finally getting along.

After dinner, Richard fed Rory a bottle and Emily watched them. Lorelai excused herself and wandered upstairs to her old bedroom. She walked in slowly and scanned her eyes over everything that was once hers. She stood by the desk and stared at the items in front of her. There was a notebook, the one she had used to write letters to Christopher, a jewellery box, a few pictures and her diary. She opened the jewellery box and pulled out a small key, the one that released the padlock protecting her diary, the diary she kept while she was pregnant. She opened it to the first entry and stared at her own handwriting.

_February 16__th__ 1984_

_Today was VERY VERY eventful. I woke up feeling really nauseous and instead of savouring my last moments in bed, I was leaning over the toilet throwing up whatever I ate for dinner last night. Then I went downstairs and ate a fruit salad, with EXTRA APPLE!!! I didn't even have a cup of coffee today. So I started to suspect I gained a little, but potentially life changing gift from that night Chris and I spent together a week and a half ago, so I took a test and guess what? I'm pregnant! So I've been thinking, a lot, and I've decided this could be a good thing. I'm gonna have a baby, this tiny little person is gonna depend on me for things. I'm quite excited about this but Emily's gonna freak when she finds out.  
That's all for today  
Love Lorelai x_

She could remember that day well. She was in complete shock when the strip turned pink but the more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She turned to the last page and looked at the date.

_October 27__th__ 1984_

The best day of her life.

_Today my pregnancy officially ended and my daughter made her entrance into the world. My daughter, that sounds so weird. I could definitely get used to it though. So that labour I've been preparing for the last nine months was so much harder than I thought it was gonna be, I thought I was dying. It was totally worth it though. My baby girl is right here, looking up at me as I write this. I'm trying to think of a name for her but I'm still a little whacked out on Demerol so I'm trying not to think of something too crazy. OMG I totally just had a genius idea, so genius I could give Einstein a run for his money. You know guys always name their sons after them, why don't women do that? I'm taking a stand, my daughter is called Lorelai! Lorelai Gilmore the second.....uh wait....the third I mean, I forgot about Gran. Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, that's her name. Anyway, I'm gonna go snuggle with my mini-me, my favourite person in the world.  
Love Lorelai and Lorelai. Ok I'm gonna have to think of a nickname for her cause it's gonna get confusing._

Lorelai smiled as she ran her fingers over the page. It didn't feel like two minutes ago that she was writing that diary entry but it was almost a year ago. She closed the book and secured the padlock, slipping the key into her pocket for safe keeping. She reached under the bed and pulled out a shoe box that was covered in bright pink wrapping paper with 'Rory' written on the top in fancy letters. She put it on the bed in front of her and sat Indian style as she pulled the lid off. She took out the first item; it was her first ultrasound picture. She smiled at the peanut shape that was once Rory. She pulled out the next one that showed a slightly larger peanut that was actually starting to resemble a baby and then she saw the final one, an almost fully developed baby and found it unbelievable that this was Rory. She set the photos aside and pulled out the next item; a tiny pink hat. She held it to her face and breathed in the precious baby smell. Rory still had that scent but she was dreading the day it disappeared. She put the hat next to the photos and found the next item; hers and Rory wrist tags from when they were in the hospital. She took her time admiring the rest of the items in the box; a small, soft pink blanket, a onesie that read 'I heart mommy' that Rory never got to wear, a picture of Rory's hand and footprints made with paint, her pregnancy test that was in a small, transparent bag and a series of pictures. She looked through them. There was one of Rory wrapped in the pink blanket from the box when she was less than ten minutes old, one of Lorelai in a gown sat up in bed with an exhausted smile on her face, one of Lorelai holding the pink bundle while smiling at the camera and the final one, the one that caught her eye the most. Lorelai was sat up, holding Rory, and Chris was sat next to them, his arm around Lorelai's shoulders. Both of them were smiling widely and the sight of the picture brought tears to her eyes. She quickly wiped them away when she heard a knock at the door.

"Lorelai there you are. I wondered where you'd gotten to," said Emily as she entered the room.

"Hi mom, is Rory ok?"

"Yes she's fast asleep, she was exhausted."

"We had a long day today."

"What's all this stuff?" she asked as she sat on the bed next to Lorelai.

"It's my baby box; I found it under the bed."

"Look at this," said Emily in awe as she picked up the hat. "It's so small."

"I know, I can't believe she once fit in it, she's so big now."

"She's growing up fast," she said as she scanned her eyes over all the items on the bed. "I can't believe you kept all this stuff."

"I wanted something to remember her younger years so she can look back on it when she's older." Lorelai's eyes dropped to the picture she was still holding and Emily followed her gaze.

"Has he called?" Lorelai shook her head, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall but failed and they rushed down her cheeks. "Come on sweetheart, it's ok," she soothed as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. Lorelai found it weird at first but relaxed as she was unexpectedly comforted by her mother.

"I feel bad for Rory. She's gonna grow up not knowing who her real dad is and it's my fault..." Emily cut in.

"Lorelai it is not your fault, it's Christopher's. He's the one that can't take responsibility for his actions. You have given everything up for that girl and he hasn't even bothered to show. He's to blame, not you."

"Thank you," she said quietly, just loud enough for Emily to hear.

"I'm your mother it's my job." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Emily spoke. "You know I'm proud of you don't you?" Lorelai looked at her in surprise.

"You are?"

"Yes, I think you are very mature and have proved you are more than capable of taking care of Rory."

"Thank you mom, that really means a lot to me," she replied with her hand to her heart. "Can I just ask.....why were you so awful to me last week?" Emily sighed.

"Do you ever get scared of Rory growing up and not needing you anymore?"

"Yeah every day."

"When I found that note you left, I realised I'd lost you. You'd grown up and you didn't need me anymore. When I found out you moved out, I snapped. I wasn't ready to lose my baby yet, I needed more time."

"Mom you didn't lose me, I'm still around. And I still love you," she said quietly.

"I love you too Lorelai." They shared a smile, both glad they had worked things out.

"Do you mind if I keep this?" asked Lorelai pointing to the box.

"They're your memories, it's yours."

"Thanks." She began putting the items neatly back in the box.

"Am I allowed this?" Emily picked up the picture of Lorelai holding Rory shortly after she was born.

"Yeah of course, be my guest." Lorelai stood up, clutching the box and her diary. Emily followed her downstairs to find Richard cradling Rory who was fast asleep. "Thanks for feeding her dad."

"It was no problem."

"So I guess I should get Rory home and put her to bed."

"It was nice to see you Lorelai," said Emily sincerely.

"It was nice to see you too mom, I'll give you a call sometime." They smiled and Richard opened the front door.

"Are you ready?" he asked. Lorelai nodded and followed him out of the door. The mansion didn't look half as big as it did before she came in. It looked less intimidating and Lorelai liked that. She joined Richard and Rory in the car and he drove them back to Stars Hollow, back to their home.

Luke stood in his apartment buttoning his shirt. It was Monday evening and it was his first official date with Lorelai. He had opted to move away from his regular flannel shirt and had chosen a plain black on instead plus he had also ditched the ball cap and combed his hair. Once he was happy with his appearance, he glanced at the clock. It read seven pm. He told her he'd pick her up at this time but he knew she wouldn't be ready till at least quarter past. He stuffed his wallet and keys in the back pocket of his jeans and checked his hair in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs. When he reached the diner, he was immediately spotted by Babette and Miss Patty.

"Well, well, well, hello Luke." He rolled his eyes at Patty's flirtatious tone.

"Evening ladies."

"Boy, you look dashing," said Babette.

"Scrap dashing, he looks hot," corrected Patty.

"Jeez," complained Luke before moving behind the counter.

"Say Luke, are you going somewhere special tonight?" asked Babette, attempting to be subtle but failing completely. Luke chose to ignore the two gossip queens.

"Ooh do you have a date?" asked Patty, even more bluntly than Babette. "It wouldn't happen to be a certain brunette that we saw leaving your apartment a couple of mornings ago would it?"

"None of your business."

"The two of you make a lovely couple; your kids would be very attractive." Luke felt himself blush but tried his very best to hide it. "Where are you taking her?"

"I'm not gonna tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Cause you'll probably follow us there."

"Please."

"She doesn't know where were going and if I tell you, she'll find out before I even pick her up."

"Luke you make us sound like such gossips. We have our own lives you know." Luke simply rolled his eyes; he didn't have the time or the patience to argue with them. He checked his watch, seven ten, he decided to set off now.

"I'll see you ladies tomorrow," he said, exiting through the door.

"Don't forget to kiss her goodnight," shouted Miss Patty after him. He barely heard her but knew what she was implying and chose to ignore their requests.

Lorelai was sat in front of her mirror applying her eyeliner. She was trying to concentrate but Rory was sat on the table playing with all her makeup and she kept making a mess of it. She wiped the eyeliner off and started over for at least the fourth time. She looked at Rory in time to see her put her hand in the powder and wipe it down her top.

"Rory, I only washed these clothes this morning after you got jam on them and now I have to do it again," she scolded. "And you do know makeup is supposed to go on your face, not on your clothing." She picked up Rory from the table and put her on the floor in front of the TV then put a repeat of The Muppet Show on. She went back to applying her makeup and heard someone tap on the door. "Come in."

"Hi." She turned when she heard Luke's voice.

"Oh hey, I thought you were Mia."

"Sorry, you're not ready; I can wait in the lobby..." She cut him off.

"Don't be silly, come in. I'm just finishing up here." Luke walked further into the potting shed and took the opportunity to glance around.

"So this is your place...." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah it's not much. It's better than living on the street though."

"It's like the same size as my apartment."

"I guess." Luke's attention went to the TV and he saw Rory sat in front of it. She hadn't taken her eyes off the screen since Lorelai turned it on.

"Oh, that Muppet thing.....Jess likes this."

"Yeah so does Rory, she loves it. She acts like there's no one else in the room when it's on, she'll completely ignore you.

"Hey Rory," greeted Luke as he leant down next to her. The baby didn't even turn to look at him. "Hmm I guess you're right," he chuckled. "Why's her top orange?"

"Oh she got hold of my makeup," she answered while looking in the mirror, applying her mascara.

"Right."

"Ok I'm ready. Could you just turn the TV off for me please?"

"Yeah." Luke did as Lorelai asked and Rory pouted at him when the screen went blank.

"Don't look at me like that; I'm sure if you ask Mia nicely she'll let you watch TV." Rory's pout turned into a smile when Luke picked her up. Lorelai watched the two of them. She loved seeing how Luke interacted with Rory. He was so good with her and it made her smile seeing them with each other. Luke looked up and saw her watching. It was the first time he had properly looked at her that night and he couldn't help but smile.

"You look beautiful," he said shyly. She was wearing a black dress that went halfway down her thighs. It had a white sash around the middle that was tied in a bow at the back and it complimented her small waist. The neckline was a V shape and it showed some cleavage, but not too much. Lorelai blushed as she walked closer to him.

"You do too....I mean, great.....you look great," she replied, her nerves getting the better of her. "I like how you look without your cap, you scrub up well." Luke blushed in return and leaned closer to her, still holding Rory. They immediately stepped away from each other when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," she called, the way she had done earlier.

"It's only me," said Mia as she appeared. "Are you two ready to go?"

"Yep," replied Lorelai. She took Rory from Luke and kissed her forehead. "Bye sweetie, be good for Mia ok? I love you." She kissed her cheek and Rory smiled goofily. "Mia you can let her stay up a little later than usual if you like, she slept in this morning."

"Ok dear. Now you two go out and have a good time." She took Rory from Lorelai and waved to the pair as they left the potting shed.

Five minutes into the journey, Lorelai was getting bored.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"It's a surprise."

"Oh but I wanna know."

"Wait and see."

"Fine, are we there yet?"

"Obviously not cause I'm still driving." Lorelai sighed and sat back in her chair.

Ten minutes later, Luke turned into a parking lot and Lorelai heard music, loud music.

"What is this place?" Luke turned a corner and parked the truck. Lorelai looked at what was in front of them. "Wow this is so cool."

"It's Woodbridge's one and only festival, the carnival. It's just a giant fun fair really."

"I happen to love fun fairs," she replied happily as they walked towards all the action.

"Do you want a hot dog?" he asked.

"Yes please." He went to order and came back with two hot dogs. "You're gonna eat one?"

"Yeah."

"You, Mr Health freak, are gonna eat a hot dog?"

"I'm allowed a treat once in a while," he said as he took a large bite.

"You make that look so sexy," she joked.

"Shut up." He dabbed some ketchup on her nose.

"Hey, you'll spoil my makeup." He chuckled and licked his finger before wiping it off. Her skin tingled at the contact of his damp finger and she smiled at him.

"So are you happy with me chosen location?" he asked as they walked away from the kiosk.

"Yeah it's perfect."

"Good, that's what I was going for." They finished their food and Luke stopped and looked her in the eye. "Have I told you how pretty you look tonight?"

"Yeah I think it was mentioned."

"Ah but as I remember, we were interrupted the last time, before I had a chance to do this." He leaned towards her and both their smiles grew. His lips brushed hers in a sweet, innocent kiss and he smoothed his fingers over her cheek. She kept her eyes closed, getting lost in his gentle touch as she felt her body responding to him in a way she wasn't quite ready for. She wasn't aware that such a simple act of affection was capable of creating so many sparks and fireworks. He admired her as she opened her eyes, revealing her breathtaking blue orbs.

"Luke," she whispered.

"Mmm," he responded.

"Wanna find somewhere secluded and make out?" Luke wasn't expecting her to say that.

"Erm...."

"Do you not want to?"

"I'm not big on....you know..."

"PDA?"

"What's PDA?"

"Public display of affection."

"Oh yeah that's what I meant."

"We can find a really, really quiet place."

"Lorelai, do you really wanna..." he lowered his voice. "Do that at a carnival?"

"It's just making out, it's not like we're gonna have sex right there and then." Luke cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from hers. His cheeks started to turn red and he hoped to go she didn't notice. "Luke are you embarrassed?" she laughed. "Is it cause I said sex?" she joked.

"Lorelai stop talking about sex," he warned.

"But I wanna make out!" she whined.

"Let's leave the making out for later."

"Well can we ride..." he held his hand up

"Please don't finish that sentence."

"What? I was gonna ask if we could ride the roller coaster."

"Oh....right."

"What did you think I was gonna say?" she teased.

"Doesn't matter."

"Did you think I was gonna ask if I could..."

"Damn it Lorelai, I will ride the roller coaster with you if it'll get you to stop talking."

"You've got yourself a deal." She followed him over to the ride and he purchased their tickets then they joined the queue. Luke looked up at the steep hill of the roller coaster and Lorelai noticed him wincing. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm just...not a big fan of heights that's all." He felt a bit insecure telling Lorelai this as he thought it made him look weak and scared.

"We don't have to go on it if you don't want to."

"No it's fine, you really want to go on it so I'll go on it with you."

"You don't have to on my account."

"It's ok."

"It's not that high, believe me and I'll hold your hand the whole way round."

"Does it go upside down?"

"I don't think so."

"Ok, I'll be ok." They were let through and Lorelai dragged Luke to a seat. "Did you have to pick the front seat?"

"It's the best seat in the house." He shook his head and gripped her hand tightly as the roller coaster set off. The ride came to a halt at the end and the passengers made their way to the exit. Lorelai glanced over at Luke as they walked away and saw him looking at the floor. "Are you ok?"

"What....err yeah....you err said it didn't go upside down."

"Oh I didn't know, I swear."

"It's ok, just a shock to the system that's all."

"I'm sorry. You look a little green do you need anything? Water, a bucket?"

"Water's good." She led him over to a drinks cart.

"Hi can I get a water and a coffee?"

"We don't have coffee."

"Ok erm can I get a coke?" She leant closer to Luke. "Coke has caffeine in right?" she whispered. He nodded in response.

"And lots and lots of sugar."

"Spare me the lecture," she groaned, pretending to be bored. She took their drinks and pulled out her wallet.

"What are you doing?" asked Luke.

"Paying for our drinks."

"Put your money away, I'll pay."

"But you already bought me a hot dog and paid for me to go on the roller coaster."

"This is a date, the guy pays on a date."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes just forget about money and have a good time."

"Ok." They walked over to a bench and sat down, each taking swigs from their drinks.

"So how was your day?"

"It was ok I guess."

"Do anything interesting?"

"Erm watched TV, drank coffee, joined the FBI, the usual really."

"Very impressive."

"What did you do?"

"Poured coffee and yelled at Kirk."

"Who's Kirk?"

"You haven't met him yet?"

"No."

"You're lucky."

"Who is he?"

"The town idiot."

"Oh shoot, I was going for that title."

"Believe me, you don't wanna be anything like Kirk."

"How old is he?"

"Sixteen."

"Is he a trekkie?"

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"I wanna meet him."

"No you don't."

"I do, I like mocking people."

"You'll regret that decision."

"When does he go in the diner?"

"All the damn time. When he's not at school I can't get rid of him."

"I'll come and check him out."

"You won't like what you see."

"Why is he not good looking? Not everyone can have your level of hotness Luke."

"Jeez."

"What? It was a compliment."

"That's the second time this evening I've been referred to as hot."

"Who else called you it, do you have another lady friend?" she gasped fakely, trying to act shocked.

"No, it was Miss Patty."

"Well who could blame her, have you looked in the mirror lately?"

"Babette said I look dashing," he mimicked.

"Dashing....wow."

"You don't think I look dashing?" he challenged.

"Hot's a better description." He smirked shyly and she smiled. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I won't go on that again."

"I won't make you."

"Why don't we look around for something less....frightening to do?"

"Sounds like a plan." They stood up in unison and Luke took her hand in his. She wrapped her fingers around his hand as they walked together through the fair. They walked in silence for a while, both enjoying each other's company as they observed what was going on around them. Luke felt a tugging on his arm and looked round at Lorelai. "Look the bottle game." She dragged him over to the stand. "I think you should play."

"Really?"

"Yeah come on, it'll be fun." He reluctantly agreed and paid for two turns, one for him and one for Lorelai.

"Ok you go first," he said. She took a ball and threw it at the bottles. It missed.

"Aww man."

"You've got two more tries to get the five bottles down," reminded the man. She threw again and it missed for the second time.

"God I suck," she complained. She threw the last one and it tapped the edge of the bottle on the left hand side but it wasn't quite strong enough to knock it down. "That was so close, did you see that? Do I get a prize?" The man shook his head and she turned to Luke. "Your turn." He grinned and picked up a ball. He threw it with so much power that he got all five bottles down in one. Lorelai's mouth fell open. "How did you do that?" Luke smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Ok you can pick one of the giant soft toys we have here." The man pointed to a line of soft toys, ranging from characters to stuffed animals.

"Which do you want?" Luke asked Lorelai.

"Me?"

"Yeah, what would I do with a giant teddy bear?"

"I don't know; cuddle up to it when you go to bed."

"I'd rather you have it."

"Well thank you. Can I get a Winnie the Pooh?" She took the giant bear from the man and they walked away. "I didn't realise how big this way," she said as she held it to her body with her arms wrapped around it. "It's bigger than Rory."

"Hand it over, I'll carry it."

"No it's ok, you don't have to."

"I want to." He took it from her and tucked it under his arm easily.

"Thanks." She put her arm through his and snuggled closer to him. The air was starting to cool and a light breeze caused it to become quite chilly. Luke noticed Lorelai had Goosebumps on her arms and he realised she was closer to him than she was before.

"Are you cold?"

"A little."

"Did you bring a jacket?"

"Yeah but I left it in the truck."

"Here hold this a second." He gave her the Winnie the Pooh and started to remove his jacket. "You can wear my jacket."

"Won't you be cold?"

"I'll be fine." He draped the coat over her shoulders and took the bear from her. She smiled her appreciation and pulled it on further. It smelt like Luke and she inhaled the scent deeply.

"So you know the roller coaster didn't turn out so well?"

"Yeah."

"Do you wanna brave it out and ride the Ferris wheel with me?"

"I think I can handle the Ferris wheel."

"Good let's go." He bought their tickets again and they settled in the seat, pulling the bar over them. When it set off, Luke gripped the bar tightly and loosened his grip when he felt Lorelai's hand on his shoulder. The seat tipped slightly backwards when it went back down and Luke gripped the bar again.

"It's tilting, why is it tilting?" he panicked and Lorelai couldn't hide her laughter.

"Just relax, that's what it's meant to do." Luke let out a breath.

"You probably think I'm pathetic."

"No I don't, if you don't like heights, you don't like heights."

"I suppose." She moved closer to him and the car rocked.

"Stop moving, you're making it swing."

"Sorry, I was just trying to sit closer to you." She finished shuffling and looked at him. Their faces were inches apart and Luke forgot about his surroundings. "I know something that can take your mind off the height."

"Really?"

"Mm hmm." She leaned closer to him and he met her halfway. Their lips locked and they opened up to one another at the same moment causing tongues to come into contact within seconds of the kiss beginning. The pulled away smiling when they felt the ride slow down and come to a stop. They got off and walked hand in hand through the exit. Lorelai stopped when she saw somebody stood in front of them.

"Lore?" said the person. She couldn't believe it. Here stood in front of her was the guy that abandoned her ten months ago. The guy that left his newborn daughter without so much as a goodbye. She hated him so much at that moment; she gripped Luke's hand tighter.

"Chris....I err....I have to go." She ran past him, dragging Luke along with her. She ran as fast as she could and Luke found it easy to keep up with her due to his athletic ability. She came to a stop when she found it hard to get oxygen into her lungs and Luke let her hand go.

"So that's him, that's Chris?" she nodded. "I wanna go back there and punch the jackass."

"No Luke, I don't want him to ruin our date. Of all the nights he could have been here, all the nights I could have seen him, it had to be tonight, our night." He could tell she was upset so he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug.

"I'm sorry, it's just what he did was so wrong."

"I know but we were having a good time and I don't want this to get in the way of that."

"Ok, let's just forget about it. You wanna go in the arcade?"

"Yeah, thank you." They walked together in silence and Luke glanced over at her. Her expression showed a mixture of sadness and relief and Luke frowned at how a guy who's been absent for close to a year could just come and mess everything up so quickly.

"You know, Rory's gonna be jealous that you got such a big toy, maybe I should win her something too."

"You don't have to, she'll get over it."

"I want to." He put a quarter in the machine and used the arrow buttons to position the claw over the toy he wanted. They watched as it picked up the toy but quickly dropped it again.

"Stupid machines," cursed Lorelai, hitting the glass with the palm of her hand.

"I'll try again." He put another quarter in. On the eighth attempt, he managed to get the one he wanted and Lorelai cheered.

"Yay you did it!" She hugged him and he gave her the toy.

"I thought she'd like Kermit the Frog," he said.

"She'll love it, thank you."

"No problem." He checked his watch. "It's ten thirty, do you need to get home?" he asked, hoping she would say no.

"Yeah, I should actually," she frowned. "Can I get some cotton candy for the ride?"

"Go on then, don't expect me to visit you when you're in your diabetic coma."

"I won't." She dragged him over to the cotton candy stall and bought a large size bag. They walked through the fair together; Lorelai was greedily eating the cotton candy while Luke kept an eye out for Chris. They made it to the truck and Luke helped her in. "Luke I finished all my cotton candy already."

"I thought it was for the ride."

"It was but I couldn't resist it." He rolled his eyes and closed the door after her. He walked round to the driver's side and he drove them back to Stars Hollow.

When he pulled up outside the inn, the two of them jumped out and Lorelai grabbed her prizes.

"Thanks for tonight, I had a lot of fun," she said as they stopped on the porch.

"I'm glad, I wasn't sure if you'd prefer to go to dinner or a movie."

"I like anything, except museums."

"Why would I take you to a museum on a date?"

"I don't know, you might be into that stuff."

"Ok....I had a great time too."

"Thanks for paying for everything."

"You're welcome, are you coming in the diner tomorrow?"

"Yeah I think I'll come for breakfast."

"Ok I'll see you then." He stepped towards her and kissed her goodnight. The kiss overpowered every kiss they had shared that night and Lorelai swore she heard fireworks going off around her. Luke pulled away and looked her in the eye, still embracing her.

"We're really good at that aren't we?" she asked.

"We are. Goodnight Lorelai."

"Night Luke, see you tomorrow." They shared a smile before she turned and walked through the front door of the inn.


	8. Where Are You? Part One

**Hey **** I know I didn't leave an author's note at the beginning of the last chapter and I'm sorry! I hope you all had a really great Christmas and New Year. I got my first Gilmore Girls box sets for Christmas and I know that's shocking but I've never bought them before. **

**I want to say thanks to xokaliox22, MaryBBlove23, Jeremy Shane, Sarahb2007, coffeebeanner and hfce :D you guys always review and you're great. THANK YOU!! **

**Also thanks to soccergirl121, suusje32 and gypsykl79 for reviewing the last chapter! I realised I lost some reviewers around chapters 4 and 5 and I'd like to hear from you guys again if you're still reading.**

**Now about the chapter, it's not what you're expecting. In fact I think you'll hate it. There is only one word to explain why you'll hate it.....'CHRIS'......I don't really like this chapter, it's bad! But just bear in mind, things will get better again, THEY ALWAYS DO!! I hope I don't lose readers for this chapter, I don't want to give too much away but it's not something you want to happen. Chris, as always is made out to be the bad guy cause I HATE HIM!!! Sorry for inflicting this chapter on you but I thought it'd turn out really great when everything's back to normal.....please don't hate me!**

"Hey Mia," greeted Lorelai as she walked into the lobby of the inn. She had been on her second date with Luke the night before and Mia had babysat for her again. Luke had taken her to his apartment and made her dinner to prove his cooking skills to her. She wasn't expecting him to make such a special meal with him owning a diner. It never occurred to her that he would know how to make proper food; she thought he was limited to burgers and fries. He had made steak; something he wouldn't normally eat, but he knew she'd like it so he had some too. After a lovely dinner, they retired to the couch where they started an intense make out session, only pulling apart to breathe before leaning back in for more. After fifteen minutes or so, Lorelai had told Luke she should get home before they did something they both knew they shouldn't.

"Good morning honey, where's Rory?" she asked, surprised as the two were normally attached at the hip, literally.

"Oh she's in the dining room with these people."

"People?"

"Yeah, they're guests at the moment. I can't remember their names....anyway they've fallen in love with her and Rory loves all the attention so I left them to it for a while."

"Oh well don't leave her for too long, you don't know these people."

"I won't, one of the waiters is keeping an eye on them for me."

"Ok, there's someone waiting over there for you." Mia pointed to the other side of the lobby and Lorelai followed her finger. She gasped when she saw who was sat, reading a book.

"Erm...I can't talk to him."

"Who is he?"

"It's Rory's dad," she whispered as she walked past Mia and headed out of the room. It was too late though, Chris had already seen her.

"Lorelai," he shouted. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping that maybe she'd disappear if she wished hard enough. "Lore." His voice was closer now. She opened her eyes and turned around to look at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone icy.

"I came to see you."

"How did you find me?"

"My mom told me you lived here."

"Oh." She looked at the floor, avoiding eye contact with him.

"So how are you?"

"Don't Chris."

"Don't what?"

"Don't act like everything's ok, it's not ok."

"I know, I'm sorry...."

"You left us. You left me and you left your daughter."

"Lore."

"There's nothing you can say to make this better Chris."

"Look I've come back to fix this, please hear me out." She looked at him in pure hatred but as much as she wanted to kick him out, she wanted to hear what lame excuse he had for abandoning them.

"Ok, let's sit." She guided him over to the couch in the lobby, not wanting to be in a room alone with him. She looked at him expectantly.

"Ok erm....when she was born..."

"She has a name."

"When Rory was born, I was scared ok. When I saw her, she was so tiny and dependant and I couldn't handle it. I could barely look after myself never mind someone else, someone so fragile."

"I was scared too Chris, but I didn't just leave her. Did you really think that I had a clue what I was supposed to do with her? I was sixteen, I had no clue how to take care of a baby, I didn't even know how to hold her at first but I learnt."

"I wasn't ready."

"Neither was I but I made myself ready, for Rory's sake. I grew up a lot when she was born and I wish you'd have done the same. I at least expected a visit from you when we were at home but you never came."

"I'm sorry."

"So why are you here now?"

"I came to wish her happy birthday."

"You're a bit early."

"What do you mean? Her birthday's in a few days, September 10th."

"Oh my god, you don't even know when your daughter was born. Her birthday's October 27th." He looked down at his shoes, obviously feeling stupid. "It just shows how much you take an interest."

"I thought...."

"Well you thought wrong, just leave Chris."

"Who was that guy you were with the other night?"

"So that's the reason you came to visit? You're jealous?"

"Who is he?"

"He's my friend."

"You looked pretty cosy together on the Ferris wheel."

"So what? It's none of your business."

"It is my business; you're the mother of my child."

"Child you've seen once. Don't try to tell me you haven't been with other girls." He looked away from her knowing glance. "I thought so."

"It's different for me, you shouldn't be off with guys, you should be at home being a mom."

"You should be acting like a dad, but you're too selfish. I can't believe I'm even having this argument with you, I don't have to answer to you Chris." Mia overheard their conversation and was quick to defend Lorelai.

"Excuse me, Christopher is it?" Chris nodded. "You have no right to judge Lorelai. She takes care of that little girl night and day, seven days a week and she deserved a night to herself. She's given everything up and you haven't even bothered to visit." Chris looked up at Mia, annoyed at this woman that didn't even know him.

"You can't talk to me like that, you don't even know me," he shouted.

"Hey don't shout at her," said Lorelai. "She's done so much for Rory and I and she was just telling the truth."

"Are you ok dear?" asked a concerned Mia to Lorelai.

"Yeah I'm fine thanks." She gave her an appreciative smile before Mia went back to the desk. Just as Chris was about to speak again, they heard a baby crying. Lorelai turned her head and instantly recognised her daughter's cries. She saw one of the women from the dining room come in, carrying a very upset looking Rory. Lorelai jumped up and made her way over to them. "What's up sweetie?" she asked Rory as she took her from the woman's arms.

"I think she got scared when she realised she was with a bunch of strangers and you weren't there," the woman answered. Lorelai rocked Rory from side to side, trying to stop her cries. Chris watched Lorelai with Rory and he had to admit, she looked like she was a great mother. Lorelai turned back to Chris once Rory was calm and went to sit down again. He looked at Rory, she looked so much like Lorelai it was unbelievable.

"She's pretty," he said quietly.

"That's what you said in the hospital."

"Well it's true." Lorelai kept her focus on Rory to avoid lashing out at Chris. "Hi Rory," he said softly. Rory turned to look at him, her big blue eyes focussing on him. She didn't gurgle anything in response the way she usually did with people and she didn't flash him her perfect smile, she just stared at him.

"Say hi Rory," said Lorelai. Rory looked up at Lorelai and giggled, a big smile taking over her face. Chris watched them. He was kind of jealous that Rory acted that way towards Lorelai but she hardly even acknowledged him. Lorelai saw his disappointed expression. "What did you expect Chris? She's a baby, she's not gonna automatically know you're her dad. She has no idea who you are and you only have yourself to blame."

"I know, I just....I don't know." Lorelai looked at him sympathetically before she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and an instant smile played on her lips when she saw Luke.

"Hey," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey yourself, look who's here Rory." The baby looked round and smiled at Luke. Chris saw his daughter's reaction when she saw him, her whole face lit up. He felt that familiar pang of jealousy when he thought of how Rory had greeted him, with a confused stare. He immediately wished he'd come here sooner, to claim what he thought was his.

"Hi," Luke said as he eyed Christopher warily. He knew who the guy was and he hated him, but he stayed civil to him in front of Lorelai. Christopher looked at Luke. He just wanted to punch the guy and tell him to stay away from his girls.

"Hey," he replied through gritted teeth. "So you're the guy that's close to my girls?"

"We're not your girls," said Lorelai firmly.

"You were, that night on your balcony."

"Stop it Christopher." Luke wanted to punch him and it took all of his willpower to stop him doing so. He knew Chris was just trying to wind him up but he wasn't gonna let it affect him, he would simply rise above it. Luke sat down next to Lorelai and smiled at Rory, who was still grinning back.

"What are you looking at?" he asked her playfully.

"Dada," replied Rory, holding her arms out for Luke to pick her up. Chris was shocked. He was sure he heard her wrong; did his daughter just call this man dad? He watched as Luke scooped Rory off Lorelai's lap and held her up in the air, causing Rory to laugh uncontrollably as she tried to reach for his face. Chris was fuming, who did this guy think he was? He had an urge to get up and tell him to get his filthy hands off his baby but resisted cause Lorelai was sure to kick off at him. He sat in silence until Luke stopped playing with Rory and turned his attention to him. Lorelai did the same.

"So what brings you here?" Luke asked Chris.

"I just came to see Rory."

"Yeah he got his dates mixed up and thought Rory's birthday was in a couple of days," said Lorelai.

"Oh Rory's birthday's not till October 27th."

"Yeah I err....realise that now," said Chris, feeling intimidated by Luke. Lorelai could feel the tension between them and she desperately tried to think of a way to kill the awkwardness. "Lorelai would it be ok for me to take Rory out."

"Out where?" She looked unsure.

"For a walk around the town maybe?"

"Oh erm.....I don't know Chris..."

"I just want to spend some time with her," he pleaded.

"I guess....an hour would be ok." Chris' frown turned into a smile and Luke's smile turned into a frown.

"Thanks Lore."

"It's Lorelai."

"Right, sorry." He stood up and Luke handed Rory to him. Rory looked as if she was gonna cry as she looked at Chris and he sighed in relief when she didn't.

"I'll have to get her things," said Lorelai, standing up. "I won't be a minute."

"I'll wait here," offered Luke, wanting to keep an eye on Chris with Rory. They watched as she walked away then Chris looked at Luke.

"So what's your game?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Luke, seriously confused.

"You, coming in here and acting like you own them. Rory is my daughter."

"I know she is," said Luke trying to stay calm though Christopher was getting on his last nerve.

"She shouldn't be calling you dad."

"I didn't teach her to say that, she said it herself. I was taking care of her one morning and she came out with it, it's not my fault I've been around more than you."

"Well I'm gonna be around now, a lot, and she's gonna know that I'm the dad and you're just the wannabe," Chris said harshly.

"You should be around, she's your daughter."

"Well I'm gonna be."

"Don't think it'll automatically make up for the last ten months though, what you did will never be ok."

"I'll fix it." Just as Chris was gonna carry on, Lorelai came back and Luke took some things from her. He set the stroller up and Chris sat her in the seat. He struggled with the straps as Rory moved around and Luke stepped in.

"Here, I'll do it."

"I've got it," said Chris forcefully. He carried on and the struggle continued. Chris sighed and finally gave up, stepping away from the stroller. Luke stepped in and easily fastened Rory in.

"This is her bag," said Lorelai, handing it to Chris. "It's got a few diapers, some wipes, a sippy cup with some juice in it and just some toys to keep her occupied for a while."

"Thanks." He hooked it onto the handle of the stroller and wrapped his hands around it tightly, as if he was claiming it as his. "Ok so I guess we'll be going." Lorelai seemed reluctant to let him go.

"Chris, if you need anything you know, if she cries and you don't know what to do, will you bring her back?"

"We'll be fine Lore, Lorelai I mean," he corrected himself.

"Ok." She knelt down in front of Rory. "Bye hon, have fun." Lorelai stood up and looked at Chris. "An hour tops."

"We'll be back." She watched as they left and Luke stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Well done," he said.

"What?"

"That must have been really hard for you to do, but you managed it."

"It was hard. He hasn't seen Rory for so long and I can't believe I just let him take her out without any supervision." She began to pull away from Luke to head towards the door but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"They'll be fine," he soothed. "Just relax; the town will look out for Rory don't worry."

"Ok, they'll be ok," she reassured herself. "Thanks by the way."

"For what?"

"Not punching Chris."

"Believe me, I wanted to but it wouldn't get me anywhere, except maybe jail." She laughed slightly.

"It was really big of you not to though."

"I know, it's cause I'm so great."

"You are," she agreed, leaning in to kiss him lightly.

"Come on kids, not in the lobby," shouted Mia from the front desk. Luke's cheeks turned bright red. "Lucas are you embarrassed?" Luke looked at his shoes.

"A little."

"Aww Lukey's embarrassed," mocked Lorelai, squeezing his cheek between her fingers. He brushed them away and smiled.

"What do you wanna do now?" he asked quietly. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I think we should get food, I'm so hungry," she emphasised the 'so'.

"You're always hungry. Wanna go to the diner?"

"Erm...why don't we eat here, just in case Chris brings Rory back?"

"Ok," he agreed.

"Oh my friend Sookie works in the kitchen and she is the best chef ever."

"Sookie St. James?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"She was in the year below me in school."

"I know, she told me." They sat at a table in the dining room and Luke smiled at her.

"Have you been talking about me?"

"Maybe," she said with a shy smile.

"Did Sookie tell you all sorts of terrible things about me?"

"Nope, it was all good, except for some things."

"Like what?" Luke asked, obviously intrigued.

"Like Rachel," she said quietly.

"Oh." He focussed on the table, avoiding her gaze.

"Luke, do you wanna talk about it? I know it can't have been a good time for you."

"I'm fine, I'm over it."

"Are you sure?" she asked, noting his uncomfortable tone. "Cause I'm here if you wanna talk."

"Lorelai I said I'm ok with it," he replied, raising his voice a tad. He could see the hurt hit her eyes as he practically shouted at her. Look I'm sorry; I didn't mean to raise my voice like that. I know you told me all about your situation with Chris and I know I should tell you about my situation with....her."

"You don't have to tell me," she said quietly. "I just wanted to help; I want to understand what happened."

"Can we go somewhere more....private?"

"Yeah." She got up and took his hand, leading him to the potting shed. Once they were inside, they sat on the couch and Luke looked at her, trying to find a way to explain things to her. "Luke you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I do, I want you to know, it's just hard to put it all into an explanation."

"Take as long as you want." He took a deep breath.

"We've known each other since we were ten, we became really good friends then when we started high school, we kinda started a relationship." He breathed again. "So we were really close, we told each other everything and we were inseparable. She was always talking about how she wanted to travel and that we should do it together. But then my dad got sick and I had to stick around. When we were in our senior year, she packed her stuff and she left without me. She didn't even tell me, she left me a note saying she'd gone." Lorelai saw Luke become upset, although he did his best to hide it. She moved closer to him and put her arm around him. "I thought we were gonna get married, I had a ring picked out and everything. I was working at my dad's hardware store to save up for it. But all that went down the drain when she left. I tried my best to forget about her and focus on getting my dad better but then he died three weeks later."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into his ear, feeling sad seeing Luke so down.

"Well, I'm over it now so it doesn't matter anymore."

"Luke, you can be upset about it you know."

"I know but I don't wanna be." They sat in silence for ages, not an awkward silence, it was comforting actually. Luke was glad Lorelai was being so good about this, he wasn't sure how she was gonna react to talking about Rachel but she seemed really interested in it. After a half hour or just sitting together, enjoying each other's company, Luke finally broke the silence. "Do you wanna go back to the lobby, they're due back soon."

"Just ten more minutes?" she pleaded. She snuggled closer to him and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. They were interrupted by the phone ringing. Lorelai groaned loudly.

"You should get that, it might be important."

"Stupid phone." She got up and picked it up. "I hate you," she answered.

"Lorelai that is no way to answer the phone."

"Oh hi mom, you know I didn't mean it right?"

"I can never get used to your stupid jokes."

"Sorry, so what's up?"

"I was calling to let you know that a friend of mine just called and said she saw Christopher walking through Hartford."

"Christopher?" she asked confused. "That's impossible."

"She said he had a baby with him, in a stroller."

"Oh my god!" Luke stood up at Lorelai's panicked voice and walked over to her.

"Did you know about this?"

"He showed up at the inn today asking to see Rory. So after we talked he asked if he could take her for a walk around Stars Hollow."

"And you let him?"

"Well.....yeah."

"Lorelai, that boy is irresponsible. He shouldn't be taking her out by himself."

"I know, I was really unsure at the time but he was supposed to stay in Stars Hollow." Luke looked at Lorelai, knowing Chris had done something he'd regret. She moved closer to him, tears flooding her eyes. Her voice became shaky.

"I can't believe this Lorelai."

"Alright mom, this is no time to yell at me. We need to find Rory. What if something's happened to her? Chris doesn't know a thing about taking care of her, he doesn't have anything for her to eat and I only gave him one cup of juice." Lorelai was becoming hysterical and Emily knew her daughter was probably out of her mind right now. She shouldn't be yelling at her, she should be comforting her.

"Sweetheart, don't panic at the moment, we don't know what's going on. Don't immediately think the worst."

"I'm gonna come to Hartford, I need to find them."

"Ok, meet us at the house and we'll help."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." She slammed the phone down, tears streaking her cheeks as she looked at Luke. "I have to go to Hartford," she said shakily.

"What's happened?" he didn't want to think the worst.

"Chris.....Rory....." She couldn't form a sentence.

"Ok, you can tell me on the way there."

"You don't have to drive me," she said as he dragged her out of the potting shed and towards the inn.

"I'm coming with you, I want to help with whatever's going on here."

"Thank you." They rushed into the lobby and saw Mia still at the desk.

"Lorelai sweetheart, what's the matter?" she asked, seeing Lorelai's damp cheeks and puffy eyes. Luke jumped in to answer.

"Chris has taken Rory and we don't know where he is. We're going to Hartford to look for him."

"Oh my god, is there anything I can do?"

"Can we borrow your cell phone?" asked Luke seeing as neither Luke nor Lorelai had their own. "Then if he shows up here, can you call us and let us know?"

"Absolutely, now go look." She gave him the cell phone and watched as the two of them left the inn in a hurry. When Luke pulled up in the driveway of the Gilmore's home, Lorelai quickly jumped out of the truck and he was quick to follow. She didn't bother knocking on the door; she went in and immediately called for Emily.

"Mom, where are you?" she shouted unsteadily. Emily appeared with Richard hot on her heels.

"Lorelai, you're here," said Emily, she was obviously upset. She looked at Luke. "Who is this?"

"My friend Luke. He drove me here and he's gonna help us look for Rory."

"Ok," she said suspiciously but let it go because they had more important things to deal with. "We should get going." They all nodded in agreement. The four of them began to rush out of the door but Lorelai held back for a second trying to gain some composure. Richard noticed and went to check if she was ok.

"We'll find her sweetheart, don't worry."

"What if we don't? I can't live without her dad," she sobbed. He gave her a hug. "I want her back."

"I know, shh." Richard tried to comfort her. "I lost you once."

"What?"

"In the mall."

"You lost me in the mall?" she sniffled.

"Yeah, I turned away for a second and when I looked back you weren't there."

"How old was I?"

"I think you were two or three. I was so scared, but we found you. You were in the toy store."

"Of course I was in the toy store."

"Come on, let's go find your daughter." She followed him out to the driveway and went over to where Luke and Emily were stood awkwardly together. "I think we should go separately. Luke and Lorelai together and Emily and I, is everyone agreed?" Everyone nodded.

"We'll go to the police station to report Rory as missing," said Lorelai, the very sound of those words coming out of her mouth making her sick to her stomach. They went their separate ways and Luke drove them to the station.

"Excuse me," said Luke politely to the person behind the desk.

"May I help you?"

"Yes," interjected Lorelai. "My daughter is missing."

"Missing?"

"She's been taken by someone."

"How old is she?"

"Nearly eleven months."

"Ok do you know who took her?"

"His name's Christopher Hayden."

"Is he a friend of yours or any relation to your daughter?"

"He's her father but he hasn't been around. Then he comes and says he wants to take her out for an hour. I told him to stay in the town we live in but he didn't and now she's missing."

"So you're telling me, Mr Hayden has taken his daughter out for a while?"

"You don't understand, he hasn't seen her since she was born."

"I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do for you at this time. If they haven't shown up in twenty four hours, come back."

"Are you serious?" asked Lorelai, verging on a nervous breakdown.

"I'm sorry, they're the rules."

"So I think my baby's in danger and you're not gonna do anything about it for another day? Anything could have happened by then."

"Lorelai, come on. We'll go out and find them," said Luke calmly. She sighed in frustration and allowed him to take her back to his truck. As they drove through the streets of central Hartford, Lorelai was keeping her eyes peeled; hoping to spot them walking along the sidewalk so this whole mess would all be over. Luke turned into the mall and found a space near the entrance. They rushed inside and began wandering around. They didn't split up; they didn't want to lose each other as well. They were practically running through the mall, getting some strange looks from some shoppers. They went into the toy store and hurried over to the cashier.

"Hi you haven't by any chance seen a boy around seventeen with a baby today have you? He's got dark-ish hair, brown eyes and the baby's a girl, about a year old. She's in a stroller, big blue eyes, wearing jeans and a pink shirt...." She knew she was rambling but she desperately needed to know where her baby was.

"I'm sorry Miss; I don't recall seeing anyone fitting those descriptions."

"Damn it."

"Is everything ok?" she asked.

"Yeah thanks everything's fine, I'm just looking for them that's all. Thanks for your help." Lorelai smiled before grabbing Luke's hand and dragging him back into the craziness of the mall. They went round every store she could think that Christopher would visit but they came up empty every time. She was getting really mad with him now. How could he do this to her? Surely he knew how much she loved Rory and that she'd be heartbroken if anything were to happen to her. They left the mall and once they were back in the truck, Luke cranked it up and they got back to driving around.

Two hours later, they was still no sign of Chris or Rory. Lorelai was in full on panic mode. She missed her daughter; she wanted her back, to know she was safe. Rory was supposed to have dinner an hour ago, she was probably crying out of hunger right now and Chris wouldn't have a clue what to do. She wasn't even sure he knew what she ate. Her and Luke were currently walking to the playground, hoping they would find them there as they were running out of possibilities. They began to look around when they reached the swing set. Once again, they weren't there. Luke hated seeing the depressed look on Lorelai's face, she'd been wearing it every time they went somewhere and didn't find what they were looking for. They turned around and began to walk away. Lorelai stopped when a green object on the floor over by the slide caught her eye. She let go of Luke's hand and wandered over. He followed her and held back as she leant down to pick it up.

"It's Rory's Kermit the Frog," she said quietly.

"Are you sure it's Rory's?"

"Yeah it's the one you won for her."

"But any kid could have one." She turned the toy around to find a small stain on the back.

"This is definitely Rory's, that's where she threw up on it yesterday." Luke winced a bit. "I miss her Luke."

"I know." He pulled her closer to him and she held back the tears, not wanting to shed any more than she already had. They made their way back to the truck once again, desperate for an answer to this whole mess. It was now almost five thirty, it was gonna get dark soon and their chances of finding them would lessen. The cell phone started to ring and Luke gave it to Lorelai to answer.

"Mia?"

"Have you found her?"

"No, so he hasn't showed up there?"

"No, sorry dear."

"I don't know what to do Mia, I can't think of where they could be."

"Listen, I informed the town of your situation and they're all getting ready to come to Hartford. We have a bus to take them all there. We all want to help honey and we will find her before the night's over."

"Thanks Mia."

"Where should we meet you?" she asked.

"Erm....do you know the park near the big church?"

"Yes I think I know which you mean, isn't it called Meadow Park or something?"

"Yeah that's the one, we'll meet you there in a half hour ok?"

"That's fine, we'll see you soon."

"Ok bye." She shut off her cell and Luke took his eyes off the road for a second to look at her.

"What's going on?" he asked before turning his attention back to the road.

"The whole town's coming to Hartford to help look for Rory; we're meeting them in a half hour."

"You know sometimes I really hate that town, but other times, they really come through for you."

"They're great people."

"Except for Taylor."

"I might have to second that."

"What did he do to you?"

"Kicked me out of Doose's cause Rory dropped a potato on the floor."

"Seriously?"

"Yep, he's pathetic sometimes."

"Have you been to a town meeting?"

"No, I was gonna though. It sounds fun."

"Taylor thinks he's the king at those meetings, it gets on my nerves."

"He gets on everyone's nerves." They smiled before Luke drove on further.

Half an hour later, Luke and Lorelai were sat in the truck in the parking lot of Meadow Park. They were expecting the bus full of townspeople to show up at any moment and were eager for them to arrive. They got out when the bus rounded the corner and parked up. The air was getting cold as it was nearing six fifteen and it was September. Luke grabbed a jacket from the back of the truck and gave it to Lorelai when he saw her shivering. The town piled off the bus and gathered around Lorelai and Luke.

"We can't believe this," murmured a member of the crowd.

"Rory is such a darling girl," said somebody else.

"I've never met this Rory," said a loud voice from the crowd.

"Shut up Kirk," shouted somebody else.

"Who let Kirk tag along anyway?" complained a third person. Lorelai and Luke stood in silence as they listened to the town bickering over who allowed Kirk on the bus. Lorelai was brought out of her thoughts by a tap on her shoulder.

"Lorelai," said the voice. Lorelai swung around and immediately hugged the person behind her.

"Sookie, I'm so glad you're here."

"Are you ok?"

"As well as a person can be in this situation."

"I'm so sorry." Lorelai smiled weakly. "I know we're gonna find her."

"We will," said Lorelai, still unsure of herself.

"Ok order, order," shouted Taylor over the noise of the crowd. "Now we have to split up. There is a significant amount of us here so we can go in pairs or groups of three. We will meet back here at ten pm sharp. Hopefully we will have found the poor girl before then. If you don't know what Christopher or Rory look like, collect a picture from Miss Patty before you leave. On with the search!" Lorelai smiled at the kindness of the town. She watched as groups of people scurried over to Patty for a picture then wandered off through the streets of Hartford. Once most of the people had disappeared, Lorelai, Luke and Sookie made their way over to Miss Patty and Taylor who were still stood by the bus.

"Oh Lorelai honey, I am so sorry."

"I know thanks." Lorelai looked at the pile of photos she was still holding. "Can I take a picture?"

"Of course sweetheart." She gave her a piece of paper with a large picture of Rory on it. "Would you like one of Christopher too?"

"No thank you." She stared intently at the photo of Rory. She was sat on the couch in the potting shed, cuddling her toy rabbit and smiling widely at the camera. She was wearing a cute yellow dress with an embroidered flower on it. Lorelai had made that outfit herself; it was one of the few she was actually proud of. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at it. Luke noticed and pulled her into a tight hug and she cried into his chest. Sookie and Miss Patty rubbed her back soothingly, they all wanted to cry. The only reason Luke hadn't was because he was staying strong for Lorelai. A single tear rolled down his cheek but he didn't bother to wipe it away, he let it fall. Sookie was the only one that saw him cry and she mouthed 'are you ok' to him. When he nodded at her, she smiled slightly and they focussed their attention back on Lorelai. Her loud cries had turned into small muffled sobs as she pulled away from Luke.

"How about we go back out there and search some more?" asked Luke.

"Ok, Sookie are you coming too?" Her voice was weak.

"Of course, come on." The trio began to walk away from the parking lot.

"Hang on; I left something in the truck." They walked back over and Luke unlocked it. She reached in and pulled out the Kermit the Frog. "I got it." They walked away again; Lorelai hugged the toy to her body and leant into Luke who had his arm around her. They walked in silence, ready to continue the search.

**Okay so I know you weren't expecting all that to happen....and I apologise again but this chapter has two parts so things will all get better! It only took me like five hours to write this, I was quite proud. Okay so please leave me a review.....it'd be much appreciated (as always). And if you get the chance, please read my new story. It's a one shot about Luke and Lorelai called 'How I feel about you.' I'd like to know what you think as there might be a sequel to it in the future. **

**Emily. **


	9. Where Are You? Part Two

**I'm so glad you liked the last chapter and I think we've all agreed that Chris is a jerk! Okay so I didn't want to make you wait too long with you all being on the edge of your seats lol so here it is :D **

**Thanks to all the reviewers, and hello to the new reviewers! Also one of you pointed out that I'd got Rory's birthday wrong....I apologise!! From now on, I'll use the correct date and she is now eleven months old. Okay...on with the chapter...**

Richard and Emily had been driving through Hartford for close to five hours and so far there had been no sign of Chris or Rory. They couldn't even begin to imagine how Lorelai was feeling right now; they were terrified for their granddaughter. The couple were sat in silence in their car. Emily was staring out of the window, looking around for a clue or something that would guide them to Rory. The truth was, Emily was frustrated with herself. She hadn't taken an interest in Rory, she didn't know her and she feared that she had missed her chance. What if she never saw her granddaughter again? She would never have the chance to get to know her, to have a relationship with her the way she never did with her daughter. Richard looked over at Emily for a second, noting her distraught expression and put this hand over hers before taking his attention back to the road.

"It's getting late, Richard," said Emily quietly.

"I know."

"They've been missing for almost six hours."

"We'll find them Emily," he assured. She sighed in uncertainty.

"I wonder how Lorelai's doing, can I borrow your cell phone?" she asked. Richard was the only one with a cell phone as he used it for work. She took the phone from him and dialled the number that Lorelai had written on a piece of paper.

"Hello," she heard a deep voice at the other end.

"Hello is Lorelai there?"

"Uh yeah I'll just put her on for you." She heard some mumbling on the line then a shaky voice addressed her.

"Hello."

"Lorelai it's your mother."

"Any luck?" she asked, a glimmer of hope taking over her.

"No sorry, what about you?"

"Not much, we found Rory's toy at the park but nothing after that."

"Oh dear, this is just one big mess."

"Mom the townspeople from Stars Hollow are helping us look. There's about forty of them around Hartford right now."

"That was very kind of them," she said, surprised at their gesture.

"Well Rory's very popular."

"I bet she is."

"Anyway, we're gonna go back to searching. We'll call you if we find anything."

"Ok bye." Emily hung up and looked at Richard. "Who is that boy Lorelai came with today?"

"That's Luke."

"I know that but who is he?"

"He owns the local Diner in Stars Hollow, Lorelai and Rory eat there a lot."

"He seems to think of her as a bit more than just a customer."

"Emily, Lorelai told me something in confidence when I went to visit her and if I tell you, will you promise not to fly off the handle?"

"What is going on?"

"Just promise me."

"Ok I promise now will you please fill me in?"

"Well Lorelai is dating Luke; they went out on Monday night."

"She's dating him? She's dating the filthy diner owner and truck driver?"

"Emily he seems like a nice boy, a lot more responsible than Christopher. This incident proves that."

"Well I'm sorry Richard but last time she was 'dating' someone, she ended up pregnant at sixteen."

"I know, I had this conversation with Lorelai and she has assured me that her and Luke are nowhere near ready for that stage."

"And you believed her?"

"Yes I did, I trust her one hundred percent. And she told me she has already taken the correct precautions in case she is in that situation again."

"I can't believe this."

"You promised you would stay calm over this."

"Well things change."

"Emily now is not the time to be confronting Lorelai about this, let's just focus on getting Rory home, safe and sound."

"Ok but this isn't over." They went back to silence and Emily scanned the streets again. "Stop the car!" she shouted. Richard immediately came to a stop and followed Emily as she got out of the car and rushed down the sidewalk.

"Emily what is going on?" he asked.

"Look Richard," she pointed ahead of her where a stroller was sat in the middle of the sidewalk. It was facing away from them. Richard ran towards it, stopping abruptly when he reached it.

"It's empty," he said sadly as Emily approached him.

"Oh my god," she said frantically. "He's left the diaper bag too." Emily reached for it and looked at the contents. The diapers, a full pack of wipes and some toys were still in there. Richard looked into the seat and found a sippy cup. Emily saw him lift it up and hold it in his hand. "Lorelai told me she only gave him one cup of juice," she said quietly.

"It's full Emily." Tears sprung into Emily's eyes and she panicked.

"So she hasn't had anything to eat or drink in six hours? Richard this is really serious, she could be dehydrated!"

"Come on, let's keep looking." Richard folded up the stroller and carried it over to the car, putting it in the boot along with the diaper bag before driving on further. Emily pulled out Richard's cell phone again and hit redial.

Luke, Lorelai and Sookie were aimlessly wandering the streets of Hartford together. They occasionally crossed paths with townspeople, asking if they had found anything before continuing. Lorelai heard the cell phone ring again and answered it quickly.

"Hello."

"Lorelai we've found Rory's stroller."

"What, where?"

"It was a couple of blocks away from the bus station, we're heading there now."

"The bus station?" she gasped. "You think he's left Hartford."

"We don't know for sure but we're going to check just in case."

"Ok we'll be there soon to meet you. Did you just find the stroller?"

"And the diaper bag."

"He hasn't taken it with him?"

"No."

"I'll check it out when we get there mom."

"Ok we'll wait for you by the entrance." They once again hung up and Luke and Sookie looked at Lorelai expectantly.

"Mom and dad have found Rory's stroller near the bus station. Rory's bag was still there too so we have to go down there to meet them." Luke nodded and they ran back to his truck. They pulled into the parking lot just short of ten minutes later and rushed to the entrance to find Richard and Emily.

"Mom, dad," said Lorelai as she approached them. She threw her arms around both of them then pulled back to look at them. Luke and Sookie stood awkwardly behind Lorelai as she listened to her parents explain what they found. They gave her the bag and she looked inside at the contents.

"Oh my god," she said as she saw that nothing had been used, not even the drink she had put in. "She hasn't had anything to drink," she said, fear rising in her voice. Luke stepped forward so he was standing at her side and put his arm around her shoulders. Emily watched him warily, still not happy about the two of them.

"I think we should go inside and see if anyone has seen them," suggested Luke. They nodded and he led them inside. Lorelai clutched onto him as they approached the information desk. "Excuse me," he addressed.

"How may I be of assistance?"

"We were wondering if you've seen a seventeen year old boy in here with a baby girl at all today."

"Do you have a description of them?"

"Yeah um..." Lorelai interjected. "The boy has dark hair, brown eyes, medium height and he was wearing um...jeans I think. Then the baby has equally dark hair, bright blue eyes and she was wearing a pink shirt with some jeans. I have a picture of her actually." Lorelai pulled the folded picture of Rory from her pocket and gave it to the woman behind the desk. They watched as she studied it and looked up at them again.

"I believe I saw a baby similar to this and she was with a young boy."

"Really?" asked Lorelai, hoping things were about to get better. "Do you know where they were headed?"

"I'm not entirely sure; they were sat in those seats over there." She pointed to some now empty chairs.

"Did they get on a bus?"

"No I saw him walk out of the building about twenty minutes ago. He sat there for a couple of hours." Lorelai heard herself breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that they were still in Hartford.

"Did the baby look ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like was she crying or did she look to be in any distress?" Lorelai needed to know that Rory was ok.

"She cried for a while when they were sat in here, maybe for a half an hour or so but then she went to sleep."

"Ok thank you. Do you know which way he went when he left?"

"That way." She pointed right.

"Right thank you so much." The five of them made a move to race out of the station but Lorelai paused when she saw a woman cradling a baby on a nearby bench. She wished that was her and Rory at that moment. Luke saw her staring at the mother and her child and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"That'll be you tomorrow, you'll see." She smiled at him weakly before allowing him to guide her to the others. They had all stopped when they saw her staring and waited patiently for her. When they saw her and Luke begin to walk, they let them go in front so they could lead the way. They picked up speed as they walked down the sidewalk, continuously looking around them.

Babette and Morey were walking together near a small park they had found; it was quiet and deserted which freaked Babette out. She held onto Morey's arm tightly as they cautiously kept an eye out.

"Morey it's scary out here."

"Just stay close." They walked on further, approaching a group of trees and bushes. Babette heard leaves rustling which struck her as odd because it wasn't windy. She grasped Morey's arm tighter and stepped closer to him. When she heard the noise again, she tapped Morey on the shoulder.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered.

"Hear what?"

"I swear you need to get your hearing checked." She stopped dead in her tracks when the rustling sound got louder.

"Ok I definitely heard that." They crept forward a bit, both as frightened as each other. When the sound stopped, Babette let out the breath she was holding.

"Man that was scary," she exclaimed. Suddenly she felt someone tap on her shoulder. "Argh!" she screamed. Both her and Morey jumped round in unison and saw none other than Miss Patty stood behind them. "Patty you almost gave me a freakin' heart attack!"

"Sorry doll, I thought I heard someone round here so I came to check it out."

"Well don't sneak up on people like that."

"I won't do it again, I promise."

"So are you by yourself?"

"Well I was with Taylor but he was making me wanna blow my brains out so I ditched him," she chuckled.

"I'm not surprised; Taylor's probably the worst person you could be with in this situation."

"Tell me about it."

"So have you found anything Patty?" She shook her head.

"Not a thing, how about the two of you?"

"Not a scratch, I can't believe this is happening."

"I know, Lorelai must be out of her mind."

"She's such a sweet girl, she doesn't deserve this," said Babette sadly.

"All I can say is that this Christopher has got some serious explaining to do when we find him."

"You can say that again, he won't get off easy, not if we've got anything to do with it."

"He's hot though, I can see what Lorelai saw in him," she said as she checked out his picture.

"Not the time doll."

"Right sorry."

"Have the police been informed?" asked Morey, making himself part of the conversation.

"Luke said they wouldn't do anything until they'd been missing for twenty four hours," explained know-it-all Patty.

"That's absurd, there's a baby's life potentially in danger and they're not gonna do anything about it?"

"That's the cops for you."

"If no one's found them in the next hour, I'm going back there," stated Morey confidently. "They need to do something about this, it's a serious matter."

"Luke said it's because Christopher is Rory's father. He said Lorelai explained he'd never been around but they wouldn't take any notice."

"Idiots." They stood shaking their heads.

"Patty do you wanna search with us?" asked Babette.

"Yes I think that's best." The trio started to walk further, heading towards the fountain in the middle of the park. They walked in silence, listening out for any unusual sounds. Babette stopped, as did Patty, when they heard a baby crying. They desperately tried to trace the sound so they could follow it's direction. They followed the loud cry of the baby, Morey running as the two women followed at a slightly slower pace.

"Rory," shouted Morey. They went round the corner and stopped when they saw a woman sat on a bench, pushing a stroller forwards and backwards to calm her baby. The three of them sighed and tried to catch their breath. "I thought we'd found her," he said sadly.

"I know honey," calmed Babette, she herself was just as disappointed. "You never know, someone else might have found them."

"Let's hope so," added Patty. They walked on further, past the fountain and towards the playground. "I already looked over here."

"Where else should we look?" They stood in a huddle, thinking of another place they could visit.

"Damn it, I need the bathroom," revealed Morey.

"Morey that's the third time since we started this search that you've needed the bathroom."

"I can't help it."

"You shouldn't drink so much."

"But you're supposed to have two litres of water per day; I'm just sticking to the guidelines." Babette rolled her eyes as they searched for a public restroom. When they found one, the ladies waited outside and Morey went into the men's. When he entered, he was surprised to see a young boy sat on the counter next to the sink. He hardly looked at him at first but when he gave him a second glance, he instantly recognised him. He saw the boy look at him and Morey's eyes dropped to the baby in his arms. It was Rory. Morey walked over to the sink to wash his hands and smiled politely at the boy. "Hi," he greeted, trying to be polite.

"Hey," said Chris hesitantly. Morey looked down at the baby.

"She's beautiful," he said carefully, trying not to give himself away.

"I know."

"Your daughter?"

"Yeah."

"What's her name?"

"Rory." Morey smiled. He'd found them. He looked closely at Rory and saw she was shivering. She wasn't wearing a coat or a cardigan, just a shirt.

"How old is she?" he asked. He knew how old Rory was but he wanted Chris to tell him.

"Erm....." Chris hesitated. He wasn't actually sure how old she was. He couldn't remember when Lorelai had said her birthday was. "Nine months," he guessed. Morey was a little shocked that he didn't know how old his daughter was. Almost everyone in Stars Hollow knew Rory was eleven months old, but her own father didn't. He saw Rory stir in Christopher's arms and she opened her eyes slowly, revealing her bright blue orbs. She looked up at Chris for a second, a scared and confused look on her face as she looked around her. She was looking for her mom but she wasn't there. Her attention went to Morey and she studied him carefully. She had met him before, three or four times now, but she wasn't entirely familiar with him. Morey could tell she recognised him a bit and gave her a small smile. She started whimpering which soon turned into cries that got louder and louder. Morey wanted to do something, he wanted to take Rory from this horrible man and run. But he had to play it better than that. If he wanted Rory safe, back where she belonged with Lorelai, he had to be more tactful.

"Can I hold her?" asked Morey slowly. Chris looked at him suspiciously. Morey swallowed hard. "I know a bit about babies and I might be able to calm her down." Chris hesitated before he allowed Morey to take her. Morey leant down and lifted her carefully, swaying her gently from side to side. "It's ok Rory," he whispered.

Outside the restrooms, Babette and Miss Patty were stood close together trying to keep warm.

"I wish I'd have put a jacket on," complained Babette.

"Me too honey, it's getting chilly." Patty held the picture of Christopher up in front of her and studied it. Babette saw her and rolled her eyes.

"Will you stop having dirty thoughts; it's not the time or the place."

"I'm not." She held the picture of Rory up next to it and compared the two. "Do you think Rory looks like Christopher?" Babette looked at the two photos.

"Not really, she looks like Lorelai. She has his hair colour though." The women stared at the photos for a few minutes.

"What's taking Morey so long?"

"He's probably checking his hair in the mirror." They chuckled at each other. Their chuckling stopped abruptly when they heard crying come from the men's rest room. They looked at each other.

"You don't think....?"

"He's found them." They stepped forward but Babette stopped them. "We can go in there, it's the men's."

"Oh who cares? It's not my first time in the men's room, come on." They rushed into the toilets to find Chris sat on the counter and Morey holding a bawling Rory.

"Rory," gasped Babette. Chris stood up quickly.

"How do you know her name?" he asked seriously.

"I err...."

"You should be ashamed of yourself," said Patty harshly as she took Rory from Morey.

"Give me my baby back," he demanded, stepping towards Patty but Morey grabbed his coat to stop him.

"Not so fast kid. Do you know what you've put Lorelai through these past few hours?" He raised his voice.

"Who are you people?"

"We live in Stars Hollow, Lorelai and Rory are friends of ours," informed Babette.

"Yeah and you had no right to run off with her," added Patty.

"She's my daughter!" he shouted.

"You have a funny way of showing it. Did you not think to tell Lorelai you were taking her?"

"She said I could take her for an hour."

"Yeah an hour," said Morey. "By my watch it's been what, seven hours?"

"She's my kid; I have a right to take her places."

"But Lorelai has been worried sick; this is as good as kidnap."

"How'd you work that out?" he spat.

"Erm let me think. Oh yeah, you abandon your child the day she's born then show up eleven months later offering to take her for an hour and seven hours later you still haven't brought her back," shouted Morey, he was really angry with this kid. He was still holding onto his coat to avoid him escaping.

"Have you fed her anything?" asked Babette.

"She didn't seem hungry," he shrugged.

"Did the crying not tell you? Babies need routine. Rory will have a specific time she has each meal and she's probably starving right now."

"She's freezing," said Patty worriedly. "The least you could have done is wrap her in your coat, she could have hypothermia." Patty wrapped her arms around Rory to try to warm her up. The baby was whimpering into Patty's shoulder as she was soothed by Patty's voice, a voice she recognised. Chris was looking down at his shoes, avoiding eye contact. Morey pulled a half empty water bottle from his pocket and held it out to Patty.

"Give her some of this," he offered. "She must be thirsty." Patty laid Rory in her arms as she offered the water to Rory. She gulped it down at a record pace for an eleven month old. Some ran down her face and Babette wiped it up with her sleeve.

"There you go sweetie," she said softly. "Don't worry we're gonna get you back with your mom in no time."

"Does anyone have a cell phone?" asked Babette.

"I have," said Patty. "I stole Taylor's." She pulled it out and paused when she realised she didn't know the number. "Does anyone have Lorelai's number?"

"She has Mia's cell. The number's erm..." Babette looked to be thinking before she reached into her purse and pulled out her address book. She handed it to Patty and she quickly dialled.

"Hello?" answered Luke after the fourth ring.

"Lorelai is that you?" asked Patty.

"Erm if it is then her voice has got very low pitched," he joked.

"Who is this?"

"It's Luke, who's this?"

"Oh Luke it's Patty. Can you put Lorelai on?"

"Yeah hang on." He gave the phone to Lorelai quickly.

"Hello?"

"Honey it's Patty." She could hear the panic and worry in Lorelai's voice and a smile was brought to her lips at the fact that she was going to end that in the next thirty seconds.

"What's up, have you found something?"

"We've found them," she exclaimed.

"You have? Where are you? Is Rory ok? Is Chris still there?" she couldn't stop the questions pouring out as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

"Wow sweetie slow down. We're at Pope Park near the Park Plaza Shopping Centre, where are you?"

"Erm...were near the Greater Hartford Transit bus station. We'll drive to you."

"Okay honey, we'll wait by the fountain."

"Is she ok?"

"She's fine, she's cold and hungry but she'll be ok."

"Thank you so much Patty."

"You'll have to thank Morey; he's the one that found them."

"Okay I'll tell him when we get there." She hung up and turned to Luke, Sookie, Emily and Richard who were waiting for information. "They've found them," she said, relief washing over her. Her depressed expression turned into a happy smile and everyone breathed a big sigh of relief. "They're at Pope Park, they're gonna wait by the fountain for us."

"Oh thank god," said Emily, over the moon that her granddaughter was alive.

"Is she ok?" asked Luke in concern.

"Patty said she's cold and hungry but she seems ok."

"I'm so glad," he said happily. "Come on, we need to get there." He took her hand and began to walk away.

"Mom, dad, are you coming?"

"Of course we are."

"Ok and Sook?"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," she said, her emotional personality shining through as tears flooded her eyes.

"Come on." They rushed towards their cars and drove the ten minutes to Pope Park. Luke left his truck on the side of the road, not bothering to spend time looking for the parking lot and the threesome headed in the direction of the fountain. Emily and Richard were shortly behind following them. When they rounded the corner, Lorelai ran faster to see her baby again. "Rory!" she shouted as she saw Babette, Patty, Morey and Chris stood just ahead of her. "Rory baby," she said softly as she approached them, immediately reaching for Rory and bringing her to her body. She stroked her hair and felt how cold she was. "You're freezing." Luke took off his jacket and wrapped it around Rory. "Thanks," she whispered. Rory buried her face in Lorelai's shirt and looked up at her mom, tiredly. Lorelai saw her exhausted expression and felt tears prick her eyes again at what had happened to her daughter. Both her and Luke looked over at Chris, who had an ashamed look on his face as Morey held onto him tightly. "What were you thinking?" shouted Lorelai angrily.

"Lorelai....."

"Do you know what I've been going through the past seven hours? We searched all over the city for you, I nearly lost my mind. I didn't know where she was, I didn't know if she was ok and I wasn't even sure she was alive."

"She's my daughter; I was just doing what father's do."

"What's that? Kidnap their daughters?"

"I didn't kidnap her; I was spending time with my kid."

"Usually the mother knows where the father's taken the kid, I told you to stay in Stars Hollow and you run off to Hartford, I said bring her back in an hour, seven hours later you're still missing. Were you even gonna bring her back to me?"

"I don't know..." he admitted.

"I'm never gonna forgive you for this you know and you'll never see Rory again, you hear me?"

"You can't keep me away from her."

"I can do what I want, I'm gonna get a restraining order and make sure you never get your hands on her again."

"Lorelai please."

"No Christopher, I don't wanna hear it. You left her once I'm sure you can do it again." Christopher stepped closer to Lorelai and Luke felt it was his turn to butt in.

"You stay away from them Christopher," he warned.

"Who do you think you are? You weasel your way into my girl's lives and now you think you own them."

"We're not your girls," shouted Lorelai, for the second time that day.

"I care for Lorelai and Rory, more than you ever have," said Luke matter of factly.

"How do you know?"

"Because I've been there a hell of a lot more than you. Now I suggest you move away and never bother these two again."

"You can't tell me what to do. You think just because my daughter calls you dad means you can order me about?"

"Is that what this is about? You kidnapped Rory cause she called me dad?"

"It's not right for her to call you that, I'm her dad and she should be calling me it."

"Well you have no chance of that now," said Lorelai. "You're never gonna see her again."

"Lore please."

"Don't call me Lore. If you'd have brought her back when I asked you to then I might have considered letting you be a part of her life but you blew it. This is all your fault, you have no one but yourself to blame for this."

"So you're telling me that if this dude wasn't around," he gestured to Luke. "You'd still feel the same way?"

"Of course of I would. You crossed a line, probably the biggest line you could possibly cross and there is nothing that can change my decision. Take a long, hard look at your daughter cause you're not gonna see her again."

"Lorel..."

"Get out of here," ordered Morey, letting go of Christopher and pushing him away from the group. Lorelai turned and began to walk away, followed by Luke and Sookie.

"Expect a call from my lawyer Christopher," shouted Richard. Christopher didn't even acknowledge that anyone had spoken; he just continued to walk away. Emily and Richard followed the threesome then Babette, Morey and Miss Patty went after them. When they reached their vehicles, they stopped and stood in silence for a few seconds. They all looked at Rory; Lorelai was hugging her close and running her hand through the girl's hair.

"Is she warming up a little?" asked Luke.

"A bit," said Lorelai quietly. She looked at Morey who was stood awkwardly next to his wife. "Thanks Morey."

"For what?"

"For finding them, you saved the day," she said with a smile.

"I'm just glad she's ok," he replied. She stepped closer to him and gave him a hug. When she pulled away, she had fresh tears in her eyes and turned her attention back to Rory.

"You must be starving sweetie," she said to the baby.

"I have a Hershey bar," offered Sookie.

"Are you sure? It's yours."

"Rory needs it more than I do." Lorelai thanked Sookie and quickly unwrapped the chocolate bar. She broke a bit off and put it in Rory's mouth. She watched as Rory munched on it then held her hand out for more.

"I'm so glad your back hon," whispered Lorelai.

"You should take her to the hospital," said Emily.

"Erm ok we'll go there now." Lorelai moved towards the truck but turned back before she got in. "Thanks again guys, I really owe you."

"You don't owe us anything," dismissed Patty with a wave of her hand.

"No I really do." She smiled and got into the truck.

"Richard are you coming too? And you Mrs Gilmore?" asked Luke.

"I think we're going to go home now we know Rory's safe," said Richard. "Will you call us when she's been checked out?"

"Of course," he replied, shaking Richard's hand. He and Emily got in their car and drove away from the scene. "Could you let the town know that Rory's ok? Tell them we'll see them when they get back and thank them for all their help?"

"Ok, bye Luke." Patty hugged him, taking advantage of the fact that she could then the four stalked off to make their way back to the bus. Sookie had decided to go back to Stars Hollow and Lorelai had promised to call her. Luke got in the truck and looked over at Lorelai. She was staring at Rory who was now asleep. He started the truck and began the drive to the hospital.

"How's she doing?"

"She's ok, she's warming up now."

"Good." Silence fell upon them as the journey progressed. Luke glanced over at Lorelai when they were almost there and smiled when he saw she was asleep, her arms wrapped protectively around Rory. They looked the same when they slept, they both had their mouths slightly open and their breathing was in sync. He pulled up in front of the hospital and gently shook Lorelai awake. "Hey, we're here."

"Hmm?"

"The hospital."

"Ok." Luke got out and went round to her side to help her out.

"Do you want me to take Rory?" he asked, not sure if she was ready to let go of her yet. When she nodded sleepily, he lifted Rory from her lap and helped Lorelai stand up. She leant into him as they walked through the entrance to the reception desk.

"Can I help you?" asked the receptionist. She looked at Rory who was still wrapped in Luke's coat.

"Yeah there was an incident tonight and we need to get the baby checked out," he said politely.

"Ok can you tell me what happened?"

"She was taken by someone and has been exposed to the cold air for at least three hours. She hasn't had much to eat or drink since about lunchtime either."

"Ok I'll call a doctor down here so he can take a look at her." She smiled at the couple and told them to sit in the waiting area. Lorelai slumped down in the chair next to Luke and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Long day huh?" he asked.

"Very long day."

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah I am now Rory's here." She looked down at Rory who was sleeping in Luke's arms. "She must be exhausted."

"She'll sleep it off," he said. "You know, I was terrified tonight," he admitted. "I wanted to cry."

"You seemed so strong."

"I was only acting strong on the outside for your sake. Inside I was breaking apart."

"You really care for Rory don't you?"

"Of course I do, I care for her mom too," he said with a smile.

"Oh really? I'll be sure to tell her."

"You do that." He took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. They didn't need to say anything to each other, his gesture said it all. They sat like that, in complete silence, until a doctor came and led them to an exam room.

**Sorry it ended like this, I know you wanted me to post this chapter really soon and I wouldn't be able to write any more for another couple of days if I didn't post today so I ended it here. The next chapter will carry on from here I think. I hope you're not all disappointed with this update; it's not as detailed as it could be and I'm sorry! I don't know if the way they found them was that good either...anyway I hope you enjoyed it and please review! I got a lot of reviews in the last chapter, a lot more than I usually do and I'm very grateful! I hope you guys all review again, it'd be great to hear from you :D**


	10. It's Gonna Be Ok

**So Chris is gone FOR GOOD! I knew he had to come up at some point in the story so I thought why not get him out of the way near the beginning :D now it's javajunkie all the way!!! **

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last couple of chapters, I'm glad I didn't scare you all away by bringing Chris into the mix and you'll be pleased to know that everything will be good again. Enjoy the chapter!!**

Lorelai and Luke were asked to wait outside while Rory was examined. The doctor said it would take ten to fifteen minutes to complete the examination and Lorelai didn't want to be apart from Rory for that long. She wanted to be with her, holding her hand while they did whatever they were doing to her but all she could do was wait until they had finished. Luke was sat on the chairs outside the door to the exam room and Lorelai was pacing around in front of him nervously, biting her nails.

"Lorelai will you sit down?" he asked.

"Sorry, I just wanna make sure she's ok."

"I know." He reached for her hand and pulled her into his lap. "She'll be fine in there; the doctors know what they're doing."

"Yeah I know but I've been away from her for so long, I just wanna hold her again."

"You will once they've checked she's ok."

"Do you think there's something wrong with her?" she asked, that worried tone taking over her voice again.

"I don't know I'm not a doctor."

"I did not know that." She smiled at him and a warm feeling filled his heart. He hadn't seen that smile for almost nine hours and was so glad it was back. He brushed her dark curls away from her face and left a light kiss on her forehead. "How much longer till they're done?" she asked quietly.

"About five minutes."

"Ok." She rested her head on his shoulder and they sat in silence. It was nearly ten thirty and the hospital was quiet, with only a few people walking past them in the time they were sat there. Ten minutes passed by and a doctor came out of Rory's room, smiling at Luke.

"How is she?" asked Luke, looking down at Lorelai who was now asleep.

"I'd like to talk to the both of you if that's ok."

"Err yeah. Lorelai, wake up," said Luke softly. She opened her eyes slowly and became familiar with her surroundings. She saw the doctor stood next to them and immediately became alert.

"Is Rory ok?" she asked quickly. The doctor took a seat beside them and looked at the two.

"We took your daughter's body temperature and found that it had dropped to 34 degrees Celsius. This means she has mild hypothermia, which is easily treated."

"Is that the only thing wrong with her?" asked Lorelai anxiously.

"No there is something else. Because Rory didn't have anything to drink all afternoon, she is dehydrated. It's quite moderate, not severe but we need to keep her in until her fluid levels are back up to where they should be." Luke noticed Lorelai was upset again and rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Is she gonna be ok?" asked Luke.

"She'll be fine; we just want to monitor her for a while. We've adjusted the heat in the room she's staying in and we've wrapped her in some blankets to warm her up. We've also put her on an intravenous drip to cure the dehydration." Lorelai looked up at the doctor.

"Isn't that like a needle?"

"Yes it is. We had to insert it in her arm so we can get the correct fluids back into her body." Lorelai put her hand over her mouth in shock.

"Is her condition that bad?"

"It's not serious, if we were treating an adult, or a slightly older child, we would have acted differently but because your daughter is an infant, we needed to use an IV to get her body working properly again." Lorelai breathed heavily.

"When will she be able to come home?"

"It's hard to say at the moment, it may take twelve hours to build her strength up or it may take longer."

"Can we see her?" asked Luke.

"Of course." The doctor stood up and Luke and Lorelai followed him into the room. Lorelai stared at Rory as she walked over to her bedside. The baby was asleep and was wrapped in several blankets with a hat on her head. She felt a tear run down her cheek. She wiped it away and stroked Rory's cheek with her fingers.

"What are the tubes up her nose?" asked Lorelai.

"It's just a breathing aid."

"You mean she isn't breathing properly?" she raised her voice, mostly in worry.

"The aid is a precaution because of the hypothermia, there's nothing to worry about," assured the doctor.

"Ok, sorry for practically shouting at you," she said quietly.

"It's ok, I understand. I'll leave you to it," said the doctor as he left the room followed by a nurse.

"Do you wanna be alone with her?" asked Luke.

"No, don't leave," she pleaded. He walked over and stood next to her, pulling her closer to him as he looked at Rory. "I can't believe we're here," said Lorelai. "When I woke up this morning I would never have thought something like this would have happened today."

"I know, nobody could have predicted this." Luke sighed deeply. "You know this whole thing is kinda my fault."

"How?" she asked, shocked at his statement.

"After they left the inn, you were gonna go after them but I stopped you. If you'd have gone after them, this never would have happened and Rory would be fine. It's all my fault." She could sense the sadness in his voice.

"Luke stop it. This wasn't your fault ok?"

"But you have every right to blame me for this."

"No I don't, stop beating yourself up. Chris is the only one to blame here and he's gonna pay."

"Are you gonna get a restraining order?"

"Damn right I am. He's never gonna get his hands on my daughter again."

"If he tries to come near either of you, he'll have to get through me first."

"I'm glad I have you," she said appreciatively, stretching up to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for being here."

"Don't mention it." He turned his attention to Rory. "This situation could have been a lot worse you know."

"I know, I guess we're lucky in a way."

"In a way," he agreed. They looked down at Rory who had begun to stir from her sleep. When she opened her eyes, she observed her surroundings, taking in the bed she was lying in and the various machines around her. When her eyes found Lorelai, she smiled and gurgled slightly. The sound wasn't as loud or as strong as it was before but Lorelai didn't care. She hadn't heard that sound all day and she missed it.

"Hi baby," she said softly as she leant down to get closer to Rory. "I missed you so much today, I'm so glad you're ok."

"Mama," said Rory quietly.

"I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." Rory started to move around in the blankets and tried to lift her arm up to reach for Lorelai's face. "You've gotta stay under the blankets hon," she said as she tucked her back in. She caught a glimpse of the drip in Rory's arm and tried her best not to think about it. She was never a fan of needles, they freaked her out. Luke noticed her looking at it and grazed her arm with his fingers.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah I just don't like needles that's all."

"Just try not to think about it." She nodded and smiled down at Rory again.

"Sorry I let this happen sweetie, I didn't know he was gonna disappear like that." She turned her head to look at Luke. "Rory look who else is here." She switched places with Luke so Rory could see him.

"Hey Rory," he said, smiling at her. He leant down to her, the way Lorelai had done just seconds before and she reached up arm up again. Luke tucked her arm back under the blankets to keep her warm. "You've gotta stay under the blankets sweetie, sorry." Rory began to pout at him. "Some things never change." Lorelai laughed as she watched them together. Rory noticed the tube in her arm and started to play with it using her fingers. "No, no, no," said Luke, taking her fingers away. "You're not allowed to play with this ok?"

"Luke I'm just gonna find a pay phone so I can call Mia and my parents."

"Do you wanna use Mia's cell phone? I still have it."

"Thanks." She took it from him and went outside into the corridor. She dialled her parent's number first and waited as it rung.

"Hello?"

"Hi can I speak to Emily Gilmore please?"

"Who is it please?"

"It's Lorelai."

"Lorelai who?"

"Lorelai Gilmore. Who are you the FBI? I'm their daughter."

"Ok I'll just get Mrs Gilmore for you." Lorelai waited as the maid found Emily and brought her to the phone.

"Lorelai?"

"Hi mom."

"Is she ok?"

"She will be. She has mild hypothermia and she's dehydrated."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It's not, she's got a drip in her arm that's sending fluid into her body and she has a breathing aid....it's horrible."

"What does she need a breathing aid for?"

"The doctor said it's just a precaution because of the hypothermia."

"When will she be able to go home?"

"Not till at least twelve hours."

"You should get some sleep, you must be exhausted."

"I'm fine; I wanna stay up with Rory."

"Well we'll be there to visit in the morning, which hospital are you at?"

"St. Francis."

"Ok call us if anything changes."

"I will, bye mom." Lorelai hung up and dialled the number for the inn. Mia picked up just after the first ring.

"Lorelai?"

"Hey."

"How is she?"

"She's ok, she has hypothermia and she's dehydrated."

"Hypothermia?"

"It's mild. They've turned the heat up in her room and wrapped her in some blankets."

"What about the dehydration?"

"That's a bit worse, she's on a drip."

"Oh my god."

"I know there's this needle in her arm and there's fluid going through it."

"Poor girl, she's gonna be ok though right?"

"Yeah the doctor said she'll be fine. She won't be able to come home for at least twelve hours though."

"Oh dear, do you want me to come over there?"

"No it's ok, Luke's here. You stay at home and get some sleep."

"I'll be there in the morning to see her."

"Ok Mia."

"I'll bring you some stuff too, like fresh clothes and some things to keep Rory occupied."

"Thank you Mia, for everything."

"You're welcome, now you get back to that gorgeous girl of yours. Give her a kiss from me."

"I will bye."

"Oh and Lorelai?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you get some sleep tonight." Lorelai chuckled a little.

"I will, see ya." She hung up with a smile and opened the door slightly to Rory's room. She paused when she heard Luke talking and listened to what he was saying.

"You know, I was so worried when you went missing. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to break down but I couldn't. I had to stay strong for your mom. You're a very lucky girl Rory, do you know why?" Rory stared up at him; it was as if she understood every word he was saying. "You've got the best mommy a person could wish for. She's very special, your mom. She loves you more than anything else in the world and she'd do anything for you. I want you to always remember that ok? I hope that someday your mom will love me as much as she loves you. I don't wanna be a rival to you or anything cause I know you're not used to sharing her, but I know the love she has for you will last forever, she'll never stop loving you, ever."

Lorelai looked at the floor. She was surprised by his words. They got her thinking; will she love Luke one day as much as she does Rory? She snapped herself from her thoughts to continue listening to Luke. "I know you think I'm your dad and I really wish that were true but it never will be. No matter how hard we both wish for it, it will never be true. But that doesn't mean I don't care you and it doesn't mean I won't treat you as my kid. I know we haven't known each other long but you've really grown on me and I think I've grown on you too. When I met your mom, I thought she was annoying. She was begging me for coffee, you know how she is, and she wouldn't wait her turn. But when I looked at her for the first time, she didn't seem so annoying anymore, she was beautiful and I mentally kicked myself for telling such a pretty girl to 'shut up and wait her turn'.

That really did seem like months ago to both of them, not weeks. Lorelai was about to enter the room when Luke began talking again. He had never talked this much around her before, in fact she wasn't sure he had talked this much his entire life. "You have your mom's eyes, those big, warm, happy, pretty, blue eyes. They're a part of the reason I can never say no to the two of you. When your mom's begging me for a cup of coffee and I look into those eyes, I find myself giving in. You're gonna have me wrapped around your finger when you figure out I'll never be able to say no, you already have that kind of effect on me now," he chuckled and his face broke into a smile. Rory didn't take her eyes off him as a smile spread on her face too, causing her eyes to light up. "Could you do me a favour and not tell your mom about our chat? I know you're getting smarter by the minute and I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to say everything yourself. Just keep this between us ok?" He brushed his fingers along her cheek and lightly tapped her nose with his index finger. Rory laughed and kicked her legs as much as she could with them being wrapped between the blankets. When Lorelai was sure their moment was over, she pushed the door open and smiled when Luke turned to look at her, his arm draped protectively over Rory's blanket.

"Hey."

"Did you make all your calls?" he asked as she approached him.

"Yeah I told them what's going on. They're coming to visit in the morning."

"Ok, I guess we should get some sleep," he suggested. "You look tired."

"Gee thanks."

"You know what I mean, you're eyes have lost their spark."

"You mean my big, warm, happy, pretty blue eyes?" she asked. She wasn't mocking him but it sounded that way when she said it.

"You heard that?" She nodded at him and he sat in the chair, obviously embarrassed. She moved onto his lap and draped her arms over his shoulders, joining her hands together at the nape of his neck. "How much did you hear?"

"From when you were telling Rory how worried you were when she went missing."

"So pretty much all of it?" She nodded again. "Jeez. Now you're gonna mock me and I'm never gonna hear the end of it."

"I'm not gonna mock you," she said quietly. "Not tonight anyway, but I can't promise anything for tomorrow. What you said, it was....beautiful. Everything about me being special, how you're gonna treat Rory as if she's your own, you saying I'm pretty."

"Well you are," he said sheepishly.

"I know everything you said to her was the truth Luke; I have no doubt about that."

"I don't know how I got so lucky."

"What do you mean?"

"Well three and a half weeks ago, my life was crap. The only thing I had was the diner, and Liz and Jess but I don't see them that much. I was kinda lonely, no one to talk to on the nights when I was in my apartment, no one to confide in and no one to spoil. I'm earning money at the diner and it's all going into a savings account cause I have no one to spend it on. Well I didn't until I met you and Rory. These past weeks, I feel like I'm worth something, I have a reason to get out of bed in the morning other than the diner. I am so lucky to have met you two. I sometimes wonder what you see in me." He didn't wanna look up at her. He had just poured his heart out to her, something he had never done with anyone. He noticed neither of them had said anything in at least a minute and Lorelai thought she should speak up.

"Luke?" He didn't say anything; he was focussing on avoiding eye contact. "Look at me." He lifted his chin to look her in the eye. "You really wanna know what I see in you?" He nodded. "Where do I begin? First of all, you're hot," she grinned and he rolled his eyes. "Second of all, you're a great guy. I know you put on a grumpy diner owner front for everybody else but I've seen the soft, gentle, sweet side of you. I've witnessed for myself how great you are. And finally, you care for Rory. If I was to even think of being with any guy, he'd have to get along with her cause we're a package deal. You care for her a lot, the fact that you searched for Rory all afternoon with me and you're still here with us now is living proof." Lorelai looked away from him and laughed to herself.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Us, when did we become so sappy?"

"I have no idea." The door opened and the doctor entered the room again carrying a thermometer.

"How's she doing?" he asked as he went to Rory's bedside and leant over her. Rory had been lying silently, just staring at her surroundings.

"She's fine," said Lorelai, getting up from Luke's lap. "She seems to be her normal self."

"That's good; it shows she hasn't suffered any major trauma or shock. Has she been crying at all?"

"No she's been as good as gold."

"Ok I have to take her body temperature now so do you mind if I ask you to leave for a second?"

"Oh you're measuring it the uh....that way?" she asked.

"Yes I measure it twice actually, once in her ears and the once in her rectum."

"Right well we're leaving," said Lorelai quickly. She grabbed Luke's hand and dragged him out of the room. When the doctor told them it was ok to re-enter, they walked in cautiously. They saw Rory's eyes were watery and there were tear stains on her cheeks. They had heard her crying and Lorelai's heart broke knowing what her daughter was going through.

"So what's the verdict?" asked Luke.

"Her temperature has risen to 36 degrees."

"Is that good?" asked Lorelai.

"It means she's gotten over the hypothermia. It is considered that 35 degrees or less is classed as hypothermia and the average body core temperature is 37 so she's recovering well. We're gonna keep her in this room tonight to make sure she maintains her temperature as her body is still quite weak from the dehydration but hopefully she'll be able to move to the children's ward in the morning."

"That's great," said Luke, joy overtaking him. Both he and Lorelai had smiles on their faces that refused to go away.

"I'll get the nurse to bring you some formula for Rory. I know her routine has been messed up a little today but hopefully she'll be back into it in the morning."

"Thank you, for everything you've done for her," said Lorelai. She couldn't even describe how grateful she was.

"You're welcome; I'll see you in the morning." He began to walk to the door.

"Oh could you get the nurse to bring some diapers and stuff as well? We haven't brought anything in with us, it's in the car."

"Of course." He left the room and they walked over to Rory. Luke pulled a tissue from his pocket and reached over to wipe Rory's damp cheeks. Lorelai smiled at him.

"I'm so glad she's ok," said Lorelai, tears forming in her own eyes. She tried to blink them away but that made it worse and a few escaped.

"Do I have to dry your tears too?" asked Luke softly but he had a joking tone in his voice.

"Sorry, I'm just really happy."

"I know." He wiped her cheeks with the same tissue he had used for Rory and left a kiss where it had been.

"I hope you didn't use that tissue before you smothered our faces with it."

"I've been using that same tissue since last week," he grinned.

"Eww gross," she said while slapping his arm.

"Relax, I was kidding."

"You're cruel." The nurse came back with a bottle, a few diapers, some baby wipes and a pacifier. Lorelai watched as Luke picked up Rory, trying to avoid knocking the tube in her arm, and fed the milk to her. They sat in silence as they waited for her to finish Luke saw she had fallen asleep. He laid her carefully on the bed, trying not to disturb her and put the sides up so she wouldn't roll off in the middle of the night. Lorelai stood up and gestured for Luke to sit in the chair. "You don't mind me sitting on you all night do you?" she asked.

"No come on, hop on." He patted his thighs.

"Dirty," she replied as she climbed onto his lap and got comfortable. "Luke?"

"Yeah?" he asked, his eyes closed.

"You know when you were taking to Rory earlier?"

"Hmm." He was still embarrassed about that and didn't feel all that comfortable talking about it.

"Did you mean what you said about wanting me to love you as much as I love Rory?" His eyes shot open and he met her intense blue gaze. She wasn't mocking him or smiling for that matter, she was deadly serious.

"I erm...you know I..."

"I wanna know," she pushed. "I won't be freaked out by your answer, I promise."

"Ok...I..did mean it. Someday, I want us to be a proper couple. I don't know if it's too early to be talking about this but that's what I want."

"Wow."

"I freaked you out didn't I?" he asked knowingly.

"No, surprisingly you didn't," she replied. "I think I want that too. You me and Rory, we could be a family." He was shocked by her thought but he a part of him wanted it to happen. "Now I freaked you out didn't I?"

"No you didn't."

"Luke I want you to know that I'm on my way there."

"On your way where?"

"To falling in love with you." Luke couldn't help but smile.

"Me too," he admitted quietly as they both drifted off to sleep.

**I know it was shorter than usual but I wanted to post tonight and it's already past midnight here in England! I hope you all like the Luke/Rory stuff; I have figured that Gilmore fans tend to like it when they bond with each other. I'm sorry if I got any medical details wrong in this chapter, I am not a doctor, I'm a Graphic Design student so I do apologise if any medical experts read this and there is something wrong. I hope you all enjoyed this and I'd love to hear what you think :D in other words, please review!!**

**Emily.**


	11. A Weekly Dinner

**OMG 100 reviews!!! Thanks to everyone that's still reviewing **** I know I say that at the beginning of every chapter but I really appreciate them! This is kind of a filler chapter....I'd say nothing really interesting happens in this, it's just to lead me onto my next chapter. I hope you like it!**

"What time is it?" asked Lorelai sleepily as she shifted on Luke's lap.

"Seven," he replied, looking at his watch.

"Too early," she complained. Rory had woken up just seconds ago and was laughing and gurgling to herself. She had regained her usual volume, much to Luke and Lorelai's disliking at the early hour. "Rory go back to sleep," she pleaded, nuzzling her face into Luke's neck.

"Doesn't look like that's gonna happen," he chuckled. Lorelai turned her head to look at Rory and smiled at her.

"You know the way she's wrapped in those blankets with the hat and everything?"

"Yeah."

"It reminds me of when she was born. That was the last time either of us have been in a hospital, it was this one actually."

"What was she like?" he asked. Part of him wished he could have met her as a newborn.

"She was perfect. As soon as I set my eyes on her, I fell in love with her. She was so small; they wrapped her in a little pink blanket and put a matching hat on her head. I've still got them."

"You have?" She nodded. "You'll have to show me."

"I will." She looked at him and smiled. "She looked a little gross at first; she had all the fluid and stuff all over her. But after they cleaned her up, they brought her to me and she was perfect in every way." Luke matched her smile and pulled her closer to him. "I didn't think we'd be back in a hospital again for a really long time....well I hoped anyway. But here are."

"It's ok, she's coming home today right?"

"Hopefully."

"She seems well enough to me," he said. "There's nothing to worry about anymore. Everything's falling back into it's place."

"Hmm I know," she agreed quietly. They looked up when they heard the door open. "Mia, you're here!" shouted Lorelai, jumping off Luke's lap and hugging the older woman tightly.

"I won't be here for much longer if you keep blocking my airways the way you are," she joked.

"Oops sorry," Lorelai apologised, loosening her grip.

"How's she doing?" She made her way to the bed and looked down at Rory.

"She's great," replied Lorelai.

"What are you doing here so early?" asked Luke, standing up to give Mia a hug.

"I just couldn't stay away. I was stood behind the front desk and all I could think about was this little one." She ran her fingers over Rory's blanket. "I hope Lucas has been taking care of the two of you," she said to Lorelai.

"He has, he's been great," replied Lorelai, throwing a smile in Luke's direction. Luke caught it and threw one back.

"Good I'm glad, he hates hospitals."

"You never told me that," Lorelai said to Luke.

"You didn't ask," he shrugged.

"So you stayed here with us all night even though you hate hospitals?" Luke nodded nonchalantly. "You really are great." Luke felt himself blush. He didn't mind sharing moments with Lorelai when they were alone or when Rory was there but he felt insecure when Mia was listening. He knew Mia didn't mind but he felt uncomfortable. Mia noticed the silence that had fallen upon them and felt she should break it.

"Hello sweetheart," she cooed to Rory. Rory pointed at her and smiled. "I've missed you so much honey, yes I have. I'm glad you're back with us. And when you come home to the inn, I'm gonna spoil you so much. I know your mom doesn't like accepting things from other people but I'm not gonna take no for an answer. Anything you want, I'll buy it for you," she promised. She turned round and caught Lorelai's eye.

"Within reason," Lorelai warned.

"Yes within reason. Here I brought you some clothes to change into." She handed Lorelai the bag she had over her shoulder.

"Thanks Mia," she said as she took the bag. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Ok." Once Lorelai had left, Mia turned to Luke. "So you stayed here all night huh?"

"Yeah," admitted Luke shyly. "I didn't want Lorelai go through this by herself so I stayed."

"Well that was very caring of you. The two of you seem to be very close."

"Things are good."

"I can see that." Silence filled the room again.

"Wow this conversation is awkward," revealed Luke.

"Lucas, I'm glad things are great between you guys but you need to remember, you're only teenagers. You shouldn't be rushing things between the two of you; you should take the time to think about how you really feel about one another."

"I know we're young but we're not stupid. We know how we feel; we talked about it last night after Rory had gone to sleep."

"But you haven't known each other long."

"I can't believe this Mia. You were the one that pushed me to ask her out in the first place. I was gonna wait a while till we knew each other better but you told me to jump right in so I did. Now you're telling me to take things slower?"

"Lucas there's no need to get mad over this," she said firmly.

"I'm sorry but things are going really well. Maybe we are moving quickly but it works for us and I don't wanna do anything to ruin what we have."

"I'm just looking out for you both; I don't want either of you to get hurt."

"We won't Mia, Lorelai and Rory are too important to me."

"Ok, just be careful."

"We will." Mia looked down at Rory who was watching the two of them. She smiled sheepishly when she saw Mia looking at her.

"Things have changed haven't they?" said Mia.

"What do you mean?"

"Since these girls came into our lives, things have changed. I used to focus on my work, you used to focus on yours and that's how we lived our lives. Then Lorelai shows up at the inn with this little girl and everything was different. I have someone to look out for now, someone to take care of and you do too. If the girls hadn't come to Stars Hollow that day, we'd still be in our routines." Luke contemplated her words. He couldn't remember how he used to spend his time before he met Lorelai. He saw her every day, well almost every day and he couldn't imagine her not being in his life.

"They've definitely changed for the better."

"I agree."

Lorelai emerged from the bathroom and walked down the corridor towards Rory's room. Just as she reached the door, she heard a very familiar voice. She walked past Rory's room and further down the corridor, following the shouting she could hear. When she reached the nurse's station, she saw her mother yelling at a very frightened looking nurse.

"Mom?" she said, loud enough for Emily to hear over the yelling.

"Lorelai there you are."

"Why are you yelling? This is a hospital."

"This person won't tell me which room my granddaughter is in," she accused with a point of her finger. Lorelai looked sympathetically at the nurse.

"It's this way mom." Lorelai pushed her away from the nurse's station and mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to the victim of Emily's rage. "Right in here." She opened the door and let Emily go in ahead of her. Emily stopped when she saw Rory already had visitors.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" Her tone was sour and Lorelai noticed.

"Err Luke stayed with us last night," explained Lorelai.

"Does he not have a home to go to? His parent's probably wondered where he was." Lorelai and Mia cleared their throats and looked at the floor while a wave of emotion hit Luke. He tried his best not to let it show though. Emily noticed everyone had gone quiet and spoke up again. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked, not really giving a damn.

"Luke's err..."

"My parents are dead Mrs Gilmore," he said as politely as he could. Emily froze for a moment.

"Oh well.....I'm sorry."

"It's ok," he said quietly. Emily saw Lorelai walk over to him and touch his arm affectionately.

"Are you ok?" she almost whispered.

"Yeah, don't worry about me I'm fine," he replied brushing it off.

"Ok." She remained next to him, her fingers staying in contact with his arm.

"So how's Rory?" asked Emily while keeping her eye on the man that was stood exceptionally close to her daughter, too close for her liking.

"She's doing great; she's over the hypothermia so they're just focussing on the dehydration."

"Has the doctor been to see her this morning?"

"Not yet."

"That's unacceptable, it's eight o clock. He should have been to see her by now."

"Mom it's fine, he'll be here when he can."

"Oh alright." Emily looked at Luke. "Do you not want to go home Luke? Surely you want to shower and put on some clean clothes."

"I'm ok thanks Mrs Gilmore. I'm gonna stay till Rory's allowed to go home."

"Well I'm here now; you don't have to stay anymore."

"Mom, he says he wants to stay so he's gonna stay." Mia could tell Emily was wary of Luke. She knew she had a right to be after what happened the last time her daughter had a boyfriend but Emily seemed to be almost attacking Luke and she wouldn't stand for that. Luke was a good man; he didn't deserve to be grilled like this.

"Don't you have to go to work?" Luke felt like she didn't want him there but he didn't wanna leave.

"I had my colleague open the diner this morning."

"Is that safe?"

"I'd say so."

"Mom where's dad?" asked Lorelai before Emily could ask Luke another question.

"He had to go to work, I told him I'd call him when I knew what was going on." Lorelai saw Emily glaring at Luke. She couldn't make out her expression but it didn't look good.

"Can I uh talk to you outside for a moment?" asked Lorelai kindly.

"What why?"

"I just...come on." She pulled Emily out of the door and closed it behind them.

"Lorelai what are you..."

"What's going on mom?" Lorelai interjected.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't act stupid. Why were you asking Luke so many questions in there?"

"I want to get to know him."

"Really cause from where I was standing, it seemed like you were attacking him."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Mom," Lorelai raised her voice.

"You can't have a boyfriend," she blurted.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Mom, I already talked to dad about this."

"I know he told me."

"Then why are you going off about this then?"

"I'm entitled to have my opinion as well."

"I know."

"I don't want you dating this boy."

"You can't stop me; remember I don't live at home anymore."

"You are seventeen with a baby, have you not learnt your lesson?"

"I'm not sleeping with him."

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Yeah I do cause it's the truth." Lorelai didn't want to argue with Emily again but she was being impossible.

"He's not good enough for you Lorelai; you are supposed to marry into society."

"Mom you and I both know that is never gonna happen. I don't want that life. I want a job and a husband that's loves me, not one that's with me to keep up appearances. I want a life."

"Are you saying I don't have a life?"

"No you have a life you enjoy but that doesn't mean everybody else would be happy living the way you do. I want Rory to grow up differently to how I did. I want her to be free to feel however she wants, like the things she wants to and to make her own decisions. I don't wanna suffocate her."

"You think I suffocated you?"

"In a way. When I lived in that house, I had to act a certain way. I had to pretend to be someone I wasn't. Dancing around in oversized dresses wasn't something that appealed to me. I never wanted to go to cotillion or the debutante ball."

"You didn't go to the debutante ball; we never got the chance to present you to society."

"That's because I wasn't available to society. I've always been my own person mom; I've never listened to what anybody tells me."

"I know but this Luke is not good enough for you."

"Oh my god, who are you to make that decision? You don't even know him!"

"I can tell just by looking at him. Those jeans and that worn out shirt; he's not right for you."

"Mom stop it. Luke is a great guy, the best I have ever met and he cares for Rory and me so much. You have no right to talk about him like that."

"Lorelai he can't support you and Rory. He probably doesn't have enough money to look after himself never mind the two of you."

"He's a business owner; a very successful one, not that it matters how much money he has. I like him and he likes me, that's all that's important."

"You are so stubborn sometimes."

"I must get it from you," she spat back. She took a long, deep breath to try to calm herself. "Mom I don't want to fight like this with you."

"I'm concerned Lorelai."

"There's no need to be. Luke's a fantastic guy, he loves Rory. I heard him talking to her last night after I called you and he was saying such amazing things to her." Lorelai smiled at the memory. "He told her that he loves her as if she was his own, he said she was lucky cause she has such a special mom and he said that he hopes I can love him one day as much as I love Rory."

"So he's a smooth talker."

"He's more than that mom, he meant every word. He told me that when Rory was missing, he wanted to cry but he didn't cause he wanted to stay strong for me. I think the fact that he stayed here all night with us is enough proof to show how brilliant he is." Emily looked at the floor. What Lorelai was saying sounded genuine and she was starting to feel stupid for making a big song and dance.

"I just want you to be happy," she admitted happily.

"I am, Luke's the second best thing that's happened to me in my life."

"Well if that's the case, I want you to come for dinner."

"When?"

"Once a week, you, Luke and Rory."

"Seriously?"

"Yes I want to keep up with the goings on in your life. If Luke is going to be a part of your life, I want to get to know him."

"A weekly dinner?" Lorelai didn't want to go back to that house every week to make pointless small talk with her parents and she definitely didn't want Luke to have to sit through a dinner with them.

"On Fridays."

"Oh Friday isn't a good day actually. You see I have the day off and..."

"Well it's perfect then, you'll be fresh for dinner." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I guess that's settled then, Friday night dinner it is." A content, pleased smile sat on Emily's face and Lorelai forced herself to put on a fake one. She was less than thrilled about going back to the place she ran away from, never mind going there every week. She followed Emily back into the room and sighed at what she had gotten herself and Luke into.

It was Friday morning and Luke woke up to an empty bed. Rory had come home from the hospital yesterday in the late afternoon. He had stayed at the potting shed with Lorelai and Rory that night after Lorelai pleaded with him not to leave them by themselves. When he turned over and found that Lorelai wasn't next to him he sat up, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light, then looked around. He climbed out of bed and checked the crib; that was empty also. He hadn't heard either of them moving around that morning and was a little puzzled as to where they were. He pulled his jacket on and walked out of the potting shed into the cool September air. He spotted Lorelai sat by the lake in her robe, holding Rory close. He approached her and sat down next to her on the grass.

"Morning," he greeted with a brief kiss.

"Hey."

"What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Just enjoying the peace and quiet. It's beautiful out here."

"It is isn't it?" He looked down at Rory who was staring at the water surrounding her. She was dressed in her sleeping suit and Lorelai had put a coat on her. "I used to swim in here," he said.

"Really?"

"Yup, it's cold."

"I bet it is." They fell into silence. They saw Rory pointing out towards the lake and her eyes turned to find Luke's.

"Is!" she shouted loudly. Luke looked out into the water and saw a fish flying through the air before landing back in the water again.

"Yeah Rory that's a fish," he agreed. "You know I'll have to take the two of you fishing sometime."

"Fishing?" asked Lorelai. "Can you seriously see me fishing?"

"Well you don't have to catch anything, you could just sit in the boat and watch," he suggested.

"Huh."

"Rory would probably enjoy it."

"I think she would."

"Ok we'll go sometime. We can go to my dad's cabin."

"I thought you hadn't been there since...you know."

"I haven't but if I was to go back there, you're the one I'd wanna go with." She blushed and tried to hide it with a smile. Rory squirmed in Lorelai's arms, trying to escape her grasp. "Come on Rory," said Luke, lifting her off Lorelai's lap as he stood up. "Shall we get some exercise?" Lorelai watched as he set her on her feet a safe distance away from the lake and began to chase her around. Rory squealed in delight, obviously enjoying the game. She moved as fast as her tiny legs would carry her and after a short amount of time she fell to the floor. Luke scooped her up and she laughed hysterically as he tickled her. "I win," he exclaimed. He put her on the floor again and smiled at Lorelai who was still watching them.

"I wanna play too," she said, like a child would.

"Oh really?" he asked in a deep voice. "Are you sure about that?" She nodded as she stood up and began to back away from him. Rory was stumbling around them, waiting for the game to start again. Luke stepped closer and closer to Lorelai as she backed further away. Suddenly he lunged for her and she ran away from him. Rory followed them at a slower pace, giggling as she watched her mom try to escape Luke. Luke caught her and pushed her to the floor where he held her down. "Come on Rory," he said as the toddler approached them. She collapsed on top of Lorelai and looked up at Luke.

"Rory get off me," murmured Lorelai through her laughter.

"You remember the time you attacked me with your tickling?" he asked.

"Uh oh," said Lorelai, knowing what was coming next.

"It's payback time," he chuckled as his fingers ran over her waist and hips causing her to laugh uncontrollably.

"Luke stop it!"

"Help me Rory," said Luke.

"No Rory don't," pleaded Lorelai. "You love your dear old mom remember!" Rory copied Luke, running her fingers over Lorelai's stomach. Lorelai laughed harder as she squirmed under their touch. When Luke saw tears rolling from her eyes from laughing so hard, he smiled a satisfied smile. "Luke I can't breathe!" she said breathlessly. He reluctantly pulled his hands away and looked at her exhilarated form lying in grass. She breathed heavily, trying to get oxygen into her lungs while she smiled at Luke. "Are you satisfied with yourself?" she asked as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Very."

"You should be ashamed," she said, acting disgusted.

"Why's that?"

"You nearly killed me!"

"Drama queen," he chuckled. "Anyway Rory was in on this too." He gestured towards Rory who was sat on Lorelai's stomach watching them intently.

"Ah but she was under your influence."

"She didn't have to listen to me."

"That's true." She eyed Rory suspiciously before reaching out and tapping her nose. "You are in trouble young lady," she said sternly. Rory's lips spread into a smile and a small giggle escaped her mouth. "Aww she's too cute to be mad at."

"Push over," said Luke.

"I tell you what Ror, if you give me a kiss I'll let it go." Rory crawled up Lorelai's body so she was lying on top of her and left a kiss on Lorelai's cheek. "Lips," said Lorelai.

"Lis," repeated Rory as she left a kiss on Lorelai's lips.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Will you let me off the hook if I kiss you?" asked Luke.

"Erm....why don't you try your luck and find out?" He leant over and kissed her lightly, lingering slightly before pulling away again.

"So?"

"Hmm, no you're still in my bad books."

"So Rory get's special treatment?"

"Cause she's cute!"

"Am I not cute?" She thought for a moment before looking at him.

"Kinda but nowhere near as cute as she is."

"Favouritism."

"Try your luck again," she ordered. He leant in to kiss her again, this time giving her everything he had. After he pulled away, her eyes remained closed as she recovered. "I guess you're off the hook," she said cheekily.

"It's cause I'm so irresistible," he joked.

"Oh yeah that must be it." He stood up and helped her to her feet. They watched as Rory also got to her feet and followed them into the potting shed. Luke lit the fire as Lorelai changed Rory then the three of them sat around it. Lorelai sat on the floor against the couch and Luke sat with Rory as she played with some building blocks. "Luke, I have something to tell you."

"What?" he looked worried. Usually when somebody says that to you, it's bad news.

"My mom wants me to go to dinner at her house once a week."

"Really?"

"On Friday nights."

"Oh so are you going tonight?"

"Yeah I have to. When she says we should do a weekly dinner, it's not open for negotiation."

"So do you not want to go?"

"Not particularly. There's something else though." He looked up at her again, not speaking. "She wants you to come too."

"Just tonight?" She winced as she spoke again.

"Every week."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I really am."

"Why does she want me there?"

"She said because we're dating she wants to get to know you and keep up with what's going on."

"Do I really have to go?"

"I'm so sorry," she said, emphasising the 'so'.

"It's ok I mean there's nothing you could have done right?"

"Right."

"So dinner tonight?"

"At seven."

"Ok."

"There's a plus side though."

"What's that?"

"Great food."

"It'll be ok right? I mean we'll only be there what, an hour and a half at the most?"

"Make that two, but if we want to get out of there we can always say Rory's tired or something. She has just got out of the hospital after all."

"You would use your own daughter as an excuse to leave your parent's home?"

"I would use anything to get outta that house."

"Ok you're really making it appeal to me now," he said sarcastically.

"Sorry." Luke turned his attention to Rory as she stood up and carefully placed the last building block on top of the tower she had made. She smiled proudly at it and Luke clapped his hands together to praise her. She lost balance on her feet knocking the whole tower over in the process. Luke noticed tears clouding her eyes.

"Hey we can build you another tower sweetie," he said softly but Rory's cries drowned out his voice.

"I think it's time to put the bricks away," said Lorelai as she crawled forward to put them back in Rory's toy chest.

"Do you wanna go out somewhere today?" he asked.

"Like where?"

"I don't know, where do you wanna go?"

"Ooh the mall!"

"Seriously?"

"I got my pay check yesterday," she said excitedly. "Rory needs new shoes and a winter suit cause it's getting colder now. I also need to buy some fabric to make her new clothes; she's growing so quickly.

"You want me to spend my day off shopping?"

"Shopping with me," she said, hoping to make it sound a little better. "We can get you some new flannel shirts! Yours are a little worn."

"I like worn out shirts."

"But you need new ones," she pleaded. "Rory's birthday's in a month and I need to buy her presents. This would be the perfect opportunity."

"Ok we will go shopping but you're not allowed to go overboard. You still need money for food remember."

"Right. So we're going to the mall?"

"Yes we are going to the mall."

"Yay! Thank you," she beamed. "I'll change now." She got up and went to get ready. Twenty minutes later, Luke was still sat on the floor with Rory. He had put her coat and hat on ready to go outside but Lorelai was still not ready.

"Lorelai what's taking you so long?" he asked.

"I need make up! You can't rush a woman when she's applying her make up."

"Just hurry up, Rory's getting bored."

"Ok I'm ready." She walked out in a pair of jeans and a Bangles t shirt.

"You like the Bangles?"

"They're amazing!"

"Dear oh dear," he shook his head. She put her coat on and grabbed her purse. "I need to go to my apartment to change into some fresh clothes," he said as they walked towards the inn.

"Ok, I can get a cup of coffee while I wait for you."

"If you must."

When he parked outside the diner, Lorelai lifted Rory from the car seat and jumped out, following Luke in the crowded room. She took a seat at the counter, perching Rory on it so she was facing her.

"What can I get you?" asked Caesar.

"Coffee please."

"To go?"

"Yeah you might as well put it in a to go cup." She smiled at him before she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey Lorelai."

"Hey Patty," said Lorelai as she took her coffee from Caesar.

"I see this little darling's back to her normal self," she gestured to Rory who was currently trying to pry the lid from the stack of donuts.

"Yes she is. Rory you can have a donut later," she promised as she pulled the girl's hand away.

"Mama!"

"Don't try to play cutsie with me; you're not having a donut yet."

"Bless her," said Patty. "So is everything alright?"

"Yeah she's as good as new now."

"I'm so glad to hear it. And is everything ok with you?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"And Luke?"

"He's fine too..." Lorelai said, unsure as to why Patty was asking so many questions.

"Good, good." Patty paused for a moment. "So what's going on between the two of you?"

"Oh well..."

"You seem very close. Luke said you were going on a date on Monday night."

"Yeah we did."

"Where did you go?"

"To the carnival in Woodbridge."

"Oh how fun! He's a great guy you know."

"I know...."

"Kinda reminds me of my second husband; quiet but caring." Lorelai smiled when she saw Luke come down the stairs.

"Luke are you ready?" she asked urgently.

"Err yeah."

"Ok let's go then." She stood up abruptly and made a beeline for the door. "It was nice talking to you Patty."

"You too honey," she said with a wink.

"Ok...bye." She grabbed Luke's arm and dragged him out of the diner. They got in the truck and Luke looked over at her.

"What was that all about?"

"Oh Patty was just asking questions about us so I needed an escape."

"Good plan." He started the engine and drove to the mall.

When they got back to the inn, Luke helped Lorelai carry her shopping bags to the potting shed. She had at least ten bags of various items. She had bought lots of different coloured fabrics to make Rory some cute winter outfits that would actually fit her as she was growing out of her other clothes. She had purchased a new pair of shoes for her and new coat, even though Rory didn't need one. They then got onto shopping for Rory's birthday. Lorelai bought Rory several things, mostly from the toy store, and had tried her best to hide the things from her daughter so she didn't see anything. Luke had bought a few shirts, as per Lorelai's request. He stood in the store as she held various patterns and designs against him to see which would look best. She seemed to be having a good time dressing him so he let her choose the one's she liked.

When they reached the potting shed, Luke dropped the bags on the bed and turned to look at Lorelai. She was tucking Rory into the crib as she had fallen asleep as they were leaving the mall. It was almost four and Lorelai knew she'd be awake soon wanting dinner.

"I should get going," said Luke. "I've gotta shower and stuff before we go to dinner at your parents."

"Ok," said Lorelai, not doing a very good job at hiding her disappointment.

"What's up?"

"I hate my mother for this. Friday was supposed to be our day. We both have the day off and we're supposed to have the day to ourselves but my mother has to mess it all up."

"It's still our day but instead of eating dinner alone, we eat it with your parents instead."

"It's so typical of her."

"We still had a good day though right?"

"Yeah it was fun."

"So we've had our fun for the day and now we sit through this dinner."

"I guess."

"Ok I'll come by about six to pick you up."

"We'll be in the lobby." They stepped towards each other and Lorelai leaned forward to kiss him.

"Bye." He said as he left the potting shed.

At six, Lorelai and Rory were sat on the couch in the lobby waiting for Luke. Lorelai was wearing a red dress that stopped at her knee with black shoes and a black wrap over the top. Rory was wearing her PJs so Lorelai didn't have to change her when they got home, knowing the baby would be asleep before dinner was over anyway. She knew Emily wouldn't approve of the outfit but it was convenient. When Luke arrived, Lorelai was shocked. He was wearing a suit, granted there was no tie but he had a nice shirt on. He had ditched his cap and sorted his hair out.

"Wow," she awed when he approached them.

"Hello to you too," he grinned, feeling pretty confident.

"You look good," she complimented, standing up to kiss him.

"I could say the same about you." He smiled and looked at Rory. "Why is she wearing her pyjamas?"

"So I don't have to change her later."

"Your mother won't like that," he pointed out.

"I know, it'll be fun hearing her grill me about it though. Lorelai you should dress her properly, can you not even dress your own daughter now?" she mimicked.

"That will be fun to watch."

"Yes it will."

"So shall we get going?"

"If we must." She lifted Rory from the couch and they set off for Hartford. When they got there, Luke got out of the car and walked round to Lorelai's side but she didn't move.

"Are you coming in?" he asked.

"In a minute."

"Ok...." He unfastened Rory and lifted her from the truck. When Lorelai finally moved, they walked over to the front door.

"Luke, anything my mother says to you tonight, don't take it to heart. She doesn't know what she's talking about most of the time."

"I won't. Are you gonna ring the bell?"

"I also want to apologise for my parents. If they completely attack you, I'm sorry. Just remember we still like you."

"Ok now ring the bell before I jump in the truck and drive home." She took a deep breath and pushed the door bell. A few seconds later, a maid answered. It wasn't Cruella, Emily must have fired her.

"Hello."

"Hi we're here for dinner."

"Oh yes come in. May I take your coats?"

"Thank you," said Lorelai as she removed her coat and helped Luke with his as he juggled Rory.

"Mr and Mrs Gilmore are in the living room."

"Right thank you." Lorelai and Luke walked into the dining room together, side by side.

"You're here," greeted Emily, walking towards them.

"Hi mom."

"Hi Mrs Gilmore."

"Lorelai," she said cheerfully. "Luke." Her voice went down a few notches when she acknowledged him. "Hello Rory," she cooed to Rory who was in Luke's arms. "I'll take her." She practically yanked Rory from Luke and walked off towards her armchair.

"Well sit you two," said Richard. Lorelai and Luke made their way to the couch and sat close to each other. "May I get you a drink?"

"Coke please," said Lorelai.

"Right and Luke?"

"Uh do you have sparkling water?"

"We sure do." Richard handed their drinks to them and an uncomfortable silence took over the room.

"So has Rory got into her routine again?" asked Emily.

"Yeah everything's back to normal."

"Good. Will she be eating dinner with us?"

"She already ate; I told you she has dinner at four."

"Of course." The silence fell again and Luke looked at Lorelai desperately.

"So Luke how's business?" asked Richard.

"It's good thanks. It's been busy the last couple of weeks."

"That's fantastic, so business is thriving?"

"Yeah there are a lot of travellers coming through Stars Hollow at the moment and they all stop by for something to eat."

"It's a nice little place you have."

"Thank you."

"Have you ever thought about taking the Hardware sign down? It could get confusing for some people."

"It was my dad's sign and I didn't wanna get rid of it."

"Oh right. Have you ever thought about franchising?"

"Err not really."

"It's the key to being successful Luke, you should really think about it." Lorelai could sense Luke was uncomfortable.

"Dad Luke only opened the diner this year."

"It's never too early to think about expanding."

"I think Luke likes being in Stars Hollow though."

"He can speak for himself Lorelai."

"She's right Richard, I don't wanna leave Stars Hollow, it's where I grew up."

"Very well."

"Mrs Gilmore, dinner is ready," announced the maid. Emily nodded and the five of them made their way to the dining room. Emily and Richard sat at each end of the table and Luke and Lorelai sat opposite each other.

"Lorelai I got the maid to purchase a high chair for Rory so she can sit properly at the table."

"That was nice of you, thanks mom."

"Well if you're going to be coming here every week she needs somewhere to sit." The high chair was situated next to Lorelai's seat and Emily placed Rory in it. The maid brought out the starter; a salad. Luke watched as she put a plate in front of each of them and they all began eating. He had never seen Lorelai eat salad before, not willingly anyway. "How's the dressing Luke?"

"It's lovely thanks Mrs Gilmore." Emily smiled and watched him closely as he chewed his food. Luke caught Lorelai's attention and made a 'Why the hell is she looking at me? Face' Lorelai shrugged her shoulders and took her attention back to her food.

"How's the DAR mom?"

"It's good, thank you for asking."

"What's the DAR?" asked Luke.

"The Daughter's of the American Revolution," replied Emily as if that would explain it. Luke sat looking confused.

"They have charity events to raise money," explained Lorelai.

"Oh, sounds interesting."

"It is," replied Emily. The maid came in and took their plates away before bringing the main course. Luke looked down at his food, it was beef. He looked at Lorelai who was staring at him, knowing he wouldn't want to eat it. Emily caught them staring at each other and noticed Luke hadn't dug into his food yet. "Is there something wrong with the food?" asked Emily.

"Err no it's fine thanks," replied Luke nervously.

"Luke doesn't eat red meat," revealed Lorelai.

"You don't?"

"I do just not on a regular basis."

"Oh well I can get the maid to get you some chicken or turkey," said Emily, standing from her chair.

"No it's fine really, I'll eat the beef." Emily sat in her chair again. They ate the rest of their dinner in silence. Luke noticed Lorelai slipping some vegetables to Rory secretively. He chuckled slightly; everyone knew she didn't like her veggies. After dinner, Lorelai was fed up of the awkward atmosphere.

"I don't feel so good," she said as they sat back in the living room.

"Are you ok?" asked Emily.

"I don't know, I have a really bad headache and I feel a little nauseas."

"Maybe I should take you home," said Luke. He was concerned for her. She seemed fine over dinner.

"Would that be ok mom?" asked Lorelai.

"Absolutely, you should be resting if you're sick."

"Thank you." They got up and walked to the door. Emily handed them their coats and opened the door for them.

"We hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks mom."

"See you next week." She waved then closed the door.

"Are you ok?" asked Luke.

"Yeah I'm completely fine. That was just so we could go home."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah you could cut the tension with a knife in that room."

"I know. You're a good faker."

"There's plenty more where that came from," she grinned. "Next week I'm gonna have menstrual cramps," she laughed.

"Jeez."

"What, not a popular subject with you?"

"I don't feel comfortable talking about.....that."

"Ok." They got in the truck and Luke backed out of the driveway. "Thanks for sitting through dinner, and for eating red meat."

"Well I have to get in your parent's good books right?" He smiled. "I'll just go for a really long run tomorrow." He pulled away from the mansion and tried not to think about next week's dinner.

**This was quite a long chapter for a filler! I hope you all liked it :D I promise the next chapter will be more interesting than this.....Also I'm back at college tomorrow so the updates will come slower, sorry. Today was my last day off. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	12. Bonding

**I know I said the updates would be slower but I managed to write another chapter tonight! So here's chapter 12. It is a little shorter again but I was gonna include something in this one but you'll find it in the next chapter cause it would have been way to long if I'd have included it all together. Hope you like it **

A week passed by in the blink of an eye and Luke and Lorelai found themselves stood in front of the Gilmore's front door for their second dinner. Lorelai had chosen to dress Rory in something a little more appropriate this week even though Emily never even commented on the fact that Rory was wearing her pyjamas. Luke reached to ring the bell but Lorelai caught his arm to stop him.

"Don't push it yet," she ordered.

"Why not? The sooner we get in there, the sooner we get out."

"I just wanna talk for a second."

"So we drive thirty minutes here in silence but now you wanna talk?"

"Well....yeah," she said lamely.

"Lorelai this is ridiculous, let's just ring the bell."

"No!" She grabbed his arm again. "Don't you think my mom was acting....weird last week?"

"Weird?"

"Yeah, I dress Rory in PJs and she doesn't say a thing, you say you don't eat red meat and she offers to get you some chicken, I fake an illness and she lets me go home straight away with no questioning!"

"What's up with that?"

"It's not my mother. I had the German measles and she still made me attend the Christmas party."

"Well she couldn't leave you at home by yourself."

"The party was at our house," she exclaimed hysterically. "All I wanted to do was rest but no! I had to go to the stupid Christmas party even though I had spots all over my body. I'm telling you, she's up to something."

"You're being paranoid."

"Believe me, I know my mother."

"Well let's go in and see if she's still acting 'weird'."

"You're not taking me seriously."

"Lorelai I don't see the problem."

"Just wait till she scolds you for getting fingerprints on the cutlery."

"What?"

"You'll see," she warned as she reached over and rang the doorbell. Luke rolled his eyes and plastered on a smile when the maid answered the door.

"Hello," she greeted shyly.

"Hi we're here for dinner."

"Oh come in." The maid opened the door fully and gestured for Luke and Lorelai to walk in.

"Come on Rory," said Lorelai to the toddler who was stood watching them as they stepped through the huge door. Rory turned around and walked the other way towards Luke's truck. "Ha she doesn't want to be here either," Lorelai joked.

"Rory," called Luke. He stepped out of the door and watched as Rory kept stumbling to the truck.

"What is going on?" asked Emily as she saw the maid and Lorelai stood at the open door with Luke stood just outside. "Where's Rory?"

"She's making an escape plan," said Lorelai, pointing to where Rory now stood next to the truck.

"You can tell she's your daughter," Emily remarked with a shake of her head. Lorelai scowled at her when Emily wasn't looking. "Don't look at me like that."

"How do you do that? You were looking over there!"

"Rory come here now," said Luke.

"Nuuuuuu," moaned Rory. Luke sighed and walked over to the truck. He managed to get a hold of her as she tried to escape. Rory pouted at him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered before he reached the front door again. They took off their coats and gave them to the maid before they were led into the living room by Emily.

"Richard, they're here," called Emily to Richard's study.

"Coming Emily," they heard a muffled reply. They took their usual seats and Luke set Rory on the floor. She used the coffee table to stand up and began to walk around the room.

"Lorelai sit her on your lap while we have drinks," ordered Emily.

"Mom she's just learnt to walk, she likes to be on her feet."

"Fine." Richard walked into the room and found Rory stood in front of him.

"Well hello Rory," he said, surprised to see her walking around. She looked up at the tall man in front of her and fell backwards onto her butt. Richard laughed and walked towards his chair.

"Hello Luke, Lorelai."

"Hi dad."

"Lorelai I was wondering if you were available tomorrow?" he asked.

"Err yeah why?"

"Well I assume you want a restraining order against Christopher?"

"Yeah I do," she replied with a nod of her head.

"And you want to fight for sole custody of Rory."

"What? I never mentioned that," she said, taken aback. "I just want him out of Rory's life."

"If he signs all his parental rights over to you, he'll be out of her life forever."

"But how do we get him to do that? Did you not hear him in the park that night? He said I can't keep him away from her, I doubt he's gonna just give up like that."

"That's why we fight. You're bound to win with his absence and then the incident last week."

"Dad I don't wanna get into a whole custody battle with him, I just want him out of our lives."

"Lorelai you need to think about this rationally..."

"No I don't wanna drag this out over months, maybe even years. If I get a restraining order he'll have to stay away or else he'll be breaking the law."

"You are so stubborn."

"Just listen to me on this, please." He looked at her and saw her desperation.

"Very well. So tomorrow we need to go to the courthouse and apply for the order."

"Can I bring Rory with me?"

"It would be best not to. The judge may ask you some questions and we could be there a while."

"Oh well..."

"I'll babysit," offered Luke. Lorelai turned her head to look at him.

"You will?"

"Yeah of course."

"What about the diner?"

"I hired a new guy remember? He's looking for some extra shifts so he can work tomorrow."

"Are you sure that's ok Luke?" interrupted Emily. She wasn't at all happy with the idea of Luke taking care of Rory by himself. "I don't mind babysitting," she added.

"It's ok mom, it'd be easier for Rory to stay in Stars Hollow anyway."

"Oh." Emily needed to think of a way to stop this. "Maybe I could go to your town tomorrow then."

"You don't have to go to all that trouble, Luke will look after her."

"Ok then." Emily slumped back in her chair. She not only felt annoyed that this boy was going to be taking care of her granddaughter all day but she also felt useless. She wanted to be a bigger part of the girl's lives but Lorelai was once again pushing her away. She'd hoped that having dinner would bring them closer together but she wanted more than once a week visits where Rory was tired after a long day, she wanted to play an active role in the upbringing of her granddaughter.

"So will I get the restraining order tomorrow?" asked Lorelai, trying to understand the process.

"Well you will sign the forms in front of a court clerk then the clerk will take them to the judge. The judge may sign them straight away or he/she may ask you a few questions to decide whether you need an ex parte."

"What's that?"

"Well if you believe you or Rory are in danger now, you can get an ex parte restraining order that will keep you protected until the hearing."

"The hearing?"

"Yes once the judge has granted you the order, you will be given a hearing date. Here you will need to present your case so it can be decided whether you wish to extend the order. Christopher will have to be present for the hearing and the two of you will have to come to an agreement."

"What if we don't agree?"

"Then the judge will make the decision for an extension. That's why you present your case, so the judge can fully understand your reasons for applying."

"Ok, so this ex parte, do you think I need one of those?"

"Do you think you are in danger of Christopher showing up and causing you or Rory any harm in the next couple of weeks?"

"Erm...probably not."

"Then the judge won't grant you an ex parte."

"Ok, let's get this over with."

"Right then, I will pick you up at eight tomorrow morning," said Richard. Lorelai's eyes widened.

"Eight?"

"Yes we need to get to the court early to avoid the crowds."

"I repeat, eight?"

"What's the problem?"

"Tomorrow's Saturday."

"Seeing as today is Friday, I gathered that."

"Saturday is the day of rest."

"Sunday is the day of rest," he pointed out.

"Saturday is the day of pre-rest."

"What are you talking about?"

"Richard as you may have noticed, Lorelai isn't a morning person," said Luke.

"Ah so that hasn't changed."

"Even Rory sleeps in on a Saturday!" said an exasperated Lorelai. Rory crawled over to Lorelai's legs, having gotten fed up of walking. "Don't you sweets?" Rory just laughed and crawled off again.

"Lorelai pick her up, she'll ruin her outfit," scolded Emily.

"She's fine."

"It's such a pretty dress; she shouldn't be crawling around the floor in it."

"It's ok I made the dress, I can always make another."

"You made that?"

"Yup."

"Well I didn't know you were so handy with a sewing machine."

"Oh yeah, I make most of her clothes actually. The price of fabric is a lot cheaper than the price of clothes. I don't actually have my own sewing machine but Mia lets me use hers when I need it."

"Isn't that nice?" Emily got up and picked Rory up, admiring her clothing closely. "It's such good quality, you could do this for a living, you'd make a fortune."

"Oh I don't know, I kinda like the inn business."

"Lorelai you're a maid, that's not a suitable career."

"But I'm hoping to work my way up the ladder. One day I wanna open my own inn."

"I don't see how working as a maid is going to get you there."

"Mom trust me on this." Emily rolled her eyes then admired Rory's dress again. "It's gorgeous." Lorelai beamed proudly. Her mother was complimenting her; she couldn't remember her ever praising her before but there's a first time for everything.

"Mrs Gilmore, dinner is ready," the maid announced, well more like whispered but Emily seemed to understand. She checked her watch.

"Carolyn it's seven fifteen."

"I...I know Mrs Gilmore."

"We must have gotten sidetracked with this whole Christopher thing. Carolyn dinner is at seven sharp, I thought I told you this."

"I'm sorry Mrs Gilmore."

"You will serve our dinner then pack your bags. You're fired."

"Ok Mrs Gilmore." The maid scurried out of the living room and Emily went into the living room. Luke held Lorelai back for a second.

"She fired the maid cause dinner was fifteen minutes late?"

"Oh yeah, you have a lot to learn." Carolyn set their soup starter in front of them and Lorelai watched as she left the room. "So mom, how long has Carolyn worked for you?" she asked casually.

"Oh two or three hours." Luke choked on his soup as he swallowed it and Lorelai stifled a laugh. "Are you ok Luke?" asked Emily.

"Err yeah I'm fine Mrs Gilmore," he said as he sipped his water. Lorelai smiled widely at him, still trying to hold in her laughter while Luke scowled at her. Ten minutes later, Carolyn brought the main course in.

"So Carolyn, it was nice to meet you," said Lorelai kindly.

"It was....nice to meet you too," she said, almost inaudibly.

"I hope you find another job soon."

"Thank you." Carolyn flashed her a genuine smile before leaving the family to dinner.

"Lorelai must you talk to the maid?"

"Why am I fraternising with the enemy?" Emily rolled her eyes.

"So has anything happened this week?"

"Like what mom?"

"Like anything interesting?"

"Erm...ooh I broke my record for how many cups of coffee I drank in a day."

"You're poisoning your body with that stuff," said Luke.

"Hey, you served me like half those cups."

"More fool me."

"Is that the most interesting thing you could think of?" asked Emily, obviously bored.

"Well...." Lorelai thought for a second. "Yeah."

"Boy you lead an exciting life," said Emily sarcastically. Lorelai checked to see that Emily wasn't looking before she passed a couple of carrots to Rory. "Do you have to pass all your unwanted food to your daughter Lorelai?"

"Seriously, do you have eyes all over your head?"

"Well I didn't mention anything last week when you practically emptied all the vegetables from your plate into Rory's mouth."

"I don't like vegetables."

"They're good for you," said Luke.

"I thought you were on my side!" she whined.

"Not on this I'm not."

"Fine I will eat my vegetables." She reluctantly put a spoonful of peas into her mouth, pulling a disgusted face as she chewed.

"Speaking of things I didn't mention last week..." began Emily.

"Here we go," muttered Lorelai.

"Can you not dress your daughter Lorelai? You brought her here in her pyjamas, that is not proper attire for dinner." Lorelai smirked at Luke as she had predicted this conversation; it was just a week late.

"It was convenient."

"Convenient how?"

"Well by the time we get home, Rory's asleep and it seemed unfair to wake her so I could change her for bed. I just thought it'd be easier then I don't have to try to get her back to sleep."

"But she's not wearing them this week."

"That's cause I made her this dress and I wanted her to wear it tonight. I brought her PJs; they're in the diaper bag for when I give her a bottle."

"Oh well I suppose that's logical."

"Yes it is." Lorelai couldn't believe how much her mother was agreeing with her tonight, it was strange behaviour and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. "It's past eight now actually, I should get her to sleep."

"Can I help?" asked Emily.

"Sure." Lorelai lifted Rory and the two women went upstairs to Lorelai's old bedroom leaving Luke and Richard alone. Everyone had finished their meal but had completely forgotten about dessert.

"So Luke, what do you say we retire to the living room for a scotch?"

"Err I'm only eighteen so I'll have water, thanks."

"Nonsense, a glass won't hurt."

"Are you sure? I've never had scotch before; it always seemed a little strong for me."

"It is an acquired taste." Luke situated himself on the couch as Richard poured his drink. "There you go." Luke looked at it in uncertainty. "It's ok Luke I won't tell Emily."

"Ok." Luke took a small sip and winced as it burned his throat. "Whoa."

"Not to your liking?"

"Not really."

"Don't worry about it, would you like anything else?"

"Err..."

"You can have a beer if you like. Don't try to tell me you've never had beer before."

"I have."

"Hmm Lorelai has too; more than I would have liked."

"Well if it makes you feel better, she told me she hasn't had a drop of alcohol since she found out she was pregnant."

"That does make me feel better." Richard handed Luke a bottle of beer. "So Luke, I know this is all a bit typical of me but I'd like to know what your intentions are with Lorelai."

"What do you mean?"

"Well what are your plans?"

"We've only been together for like two and a half weeks."

"As Lorelai's father I want to know. And seeing as my granddaughter is affected by this as well, I would like to know what's going on."

"Well we've been on seven dates, a couple of days out with Rory..."

"What about in the future? Do you plan to go steady?"

"Of course. I was gonna talk to Lorelai about that actually."

"Well I want you to know that if you ever hurt my girls, I will hunt you down."

"You missed the 'and kill you'."

"I may be protective Luke but I'm not psychotic." Luke chuckled as he sipped his beer. "So things are good?"

"They're great. You're so lucky to have such an amazing daughter and granddaughter."

"I know I am," Richard said with a smile. "Tell me Luke, how do you feel about Rory?"

"I erm..."

"I'm not trying to put you on the spot; I'm just curious why a young man like yourself would choose to be tied down by a baby that wasn't his." Luke felt an ache in his heart when Richard mentioned that Rory wasn't his.

"The way I see it is Rory's a great kid. I'm not particularly a kid person but Rory's different. I don't feel tied down when I'm with her; I feel fulfilled." Luke felt a little wary when he remembered who he was talking to but carried on anyway. "Before I met Lorelai and Rory, I was lonely I guess. My dad died last November and my sister left, I've lived alone since then. People in Stars Hollow call me the Hermit cause apparently I'm grumpy and never talk to anyone. Then when Lorelai came into the diner the first time, we talked for a while and I found out how great she was. Things just went on from there really."

"So you're happy with the girls."

"Definitely."

"I forgot to thank you for staying with Lorelai last week when Rory went missing. She really needed your support and you really helped her."

"It was no problem; I wanted to make sure Rory was ok."

"I'm glad you care for her."

"I really do. And for Lorelai too."

"This may sound odd coming from me but what are your...sexual intentions?"

"Uh..." Luke hated talking about sex to anyone never mind Lorelai's dad.

"There's no need to be embarrassed Luke," assured Richard, seeing Luke's cheeks turn a bright shade of red.

"We haven't...."

"Had sex?"

"Yeah that."

"Do you plan to?"

"It's up to Lorelai. As soon as she feels ready, I'll...you know...."

"Feel comfortable?"

"Yeah. I know Christopher is the only guy she's ever been with in that way and I don't wanna pressure her into anything so I'll wait till she's ready." Luke drank the rest of his beer and put the empty bottle on the coffee table.

"That's very good of you Luke. I know Christopher had no intentions of waiting until Lorelai was ready, he just couldn't wait to get my daughter pregnant."

"I know Lorelai getting pregnant wasn't something either you or Emily wanted or were happy about but if you ask me, it turned out pretty good." Luke breathed deeply. "I know she left but she told me she would have done that anyway, Rory was just an incentive to go ahead with it. I don't think you could have asked for the situation to turn out better."

"I know Luke. All the way through Lorelai's pregnancy we were disappointed in her and I think she knew that. But as soon as I met my granddaughter, all my anger and disappoint seemed to melt. Yes I will still hold a grudge to Christopher for preventing Lorelai from completing high school and going to college but Rory is a special girl and I'm proud of Lorelai for how she grew up when her daughter was born."

"I think she's really amazing for what she's doing with Rory. Raising a kid at seventeen by yourself can't be easy can it?"

"No it can't."

"But she's not alone anymore, I'm here," he admitted shyly.

"Are you really in it for the long haul?"

"I am if Lorelai wants me to be. I know I might sound like some clueless kid but I'm not. When my dad died, I had to take care of myself. I opened my own business and got it up and running while looking out for my sister who also had a kid young."

"You're sister has a child?"

"Yeah she's seventeen. I have an idea of how you felt when Lorelai told you she was pregnant believe me. Liz isn't half as mature as Lorelai is; I get dumped with my nephew most of the time cause Liz can't be bothered. It breaks my heart to know he won't have a mother that deeply cares for him the way Lorelai does for Rory."

"You're more mature than I thought you were Luke, I think you and Lorelai could work."

"You do?"

"Yes I do, I can see you as my son in law in the future."

"Whoa I think it's a little early for that."

"I know, I just like to think ahead." Luke smiled at Richard as he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Lorelai walking round the couch to him, cradling a sleeping Rory.

"Did she get to sleep ok?" asked Luke.

"Yeah she was fine."

"You were up there for a while."

"We were talking."

"Oh some of that went on down here too." Luke couldn't help but realise that the atmosphere felt warmer.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah." They stood up and walked to the front door. "Here, I'll take Rory while you put your coat on." Luke carefully lifted Rory so she was against his torso, her face snuggling into his neck. She stirred a little then quickly found comfort in his warmth and dozed off again. Emily and Richard watched as he handled Rory so lovingly, slowly rubbing her back to soothe her back to sleep.

"Shall I take her back so you can put yours on?" asked Lorelai.

"It's ok, she seems to be pretty comfortable here," he chuckled. Lorelai held his coat to her body as they said goodbye to her parents. "Thanks for dinner Mrs Gilmore," said Luke politely.

"You're welcome Luke. And call me Emily." Luke and Lorelai smiled in unison hoping that maybe he'd won her over.

"Right and thanks for the talk Richard."

"You're welcome."

"Bye mom, bye dad," said Lorelai.

"Goodbye you two," said Emily. They began to walk through the door.

"I'll pick you up at eight tomorrow Lorelai," called Richard.

"Don't remind me," she groaned, not turning to look at him. They got into the truck and Luke put Rory in the car seat. She moved around, unhappy with the change of location but soon settled when Lorelai rubbed her belly. "I used to do this when she was smaller," she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, when I read to her she stirred sometimes and I found that this soothed her."

"I think she wants to be in the comfort of her crib."

"Yeah, we should get going."

When they reached the inn, Luke pulled up outside and shut the engine off. Lorelai turned and smiled at him.

"Tonight's dinner was actually tolerable," she said, surprised.

"I know."

"What did you and dad talk about?"

"You."

"Bad things?"

"Very very bad things."

"Like what?"

"Like how you have the best boyfriend in the world."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah I figured things were going well and we should make it official."

"That sounds good, I'm a girlfriend," she said, her smile growing wider.

"My girlfriend," he added, emphasising the 'my'. "Anyway we should put Rory to bed."

"Luke will you stay over tonight?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Well I wouldn't have asked."

"Right, of course I will. It makes sense actually; seeing as you have to leave early." She nodded in response. "I'll have to go get some stuff for tomorrow though."

"Oh yeah absolutely."

"Do you want me to walk you to the shed first?"

"No it's fine," she said dismissively.

"I am doing anyway. After everything that's happened I wanna know you both get there ok."

"Thanks Luke." He unfastened Rory and held her in the place she found so comfortable before. After he had made sure Lorelai and Rory were home, he drove to the diner to pick up some clothes and toiletries. He picked up his toothbrush, deodorant, soap and spare underwear then stuffed them in a bag, along with a fresh pair of clothes and some sweats to wear to bed. When he arrived at the potting shed, he lightly tapped on the door and waited for Lorelai to answer. She let him in and he admired her pyjamas.

"You have Bananarama PJs?"

"Good band," she commented.

"If you say so....I'm just gonna get ready for bed."

"Ok." She sat on the couch and waited for him to finish getting changed. When he reappeared, she stood up and rushed over to him, crushing her lips to his. He stumbled back a little to keep his balance as she ran into him. She ran her hands over his bare chest; he wasn't wearing a t shirt cause he left it at his apartment. He pulled her closer to him and felt her pushing him towards her bed. Luke stepped back until his legs came into contact with the bed and caused him to collapse onto it. Lorelai climbed on top of him, her hands still exploring his body as he tried not to get too carried away. Lorelai's lips never left his as she moved her hands over his taut stomach and stopped when they reached the waistband of his sweats. He broke the kiss when her hands began to creep slowly underneath.

"Lorelai," he said breathlessly.

"What?"

"We can't do this now."

"Why not?"

"Cause a lot's happened in the last week or so and you're still in a vulnerable place. I don't wanna take advantage of you."

"You're not taking advantage, I want this. Now."

"How about we wait a little longer? We've only been official for like a half hour.

"If you wanna wait, we can wait. But I'm ready Luke."

"Let's just go to sleep." She nodded and climbed under the duvet with him. He turned off the light and moved closer to her. She placed her hand on his smooth chest and he placed his on her exposed thigh; she was wearing shorts. Lorelai tried to ignore the arousal she felt from their episode minutes before as she closed her eyes. "Night Lorelai," he whispered as he kissed her temple.

"Night Luke."

**So a lot of bonding going on in this.....PLEASE REVIEW :D I love my reviewers!**


	13. Babysitting

**Sorry for the slight delay in updating here....I had writer's block. I just couldn't think of anything to go in this chapter. But I did it and here's another update. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review :D**

Luke glanced at the clock; squinting as the morning light hit his eyes. It read eight thirty. He turned over to see the other side of the bed empty as Lorelai had already left with Richard. He hadn't heard her get up; he hadn't even stirred just a little. He sat up in bed and glanced over at Rory's crib. Although he loved the little girl, he was nervous. He had never taken care of a baby by himself all day, he had taken care of Jess overnight but Liz usually picked him up in the early morning shortly after he'd woken up meaning he didn't have to entertain him. He climbed out of bed and walked to the crib. The sight warmed his heart; Rory was laid on her back, her arms up at each side of her head and her mouth slightly open. He heard her shallow breathing and quietly went to the kitchen.

He found a note on the counter from Lorelai; it was instructions for taking care of Rory. He skimmed the page, noting her usual feeding times and her afternoon nap time. He stopped when he saw the word 'diaper' and realised he'd never even thought about diaper changing. He didn't have a clue how to put a diaper on and he definitely wasn't looking forward to any surprises Rory might leave for him. He sighed and opened the fridge to see what food she had in so he could make breakfast. His eyes widened when he found two yogurts, a half eaten bar of chocolate and a stale block of cheese. He picked up the cheese and threw it in the trash before taking his attention back to the fridge. He couldn't believe it. There was no milk, no eggs and no fruit. He opened a cupboard and found some mallomars and a bag of candy. He closed the cupboard and went back into the main room. He found Rory waking herself up so he bent over the crib and smiled at her.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty," he said affectionately. Rory rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists before her lips curved into a smile. "You ready to get up?"

"Up!" she shouted, the volume of her outburst surprising Luke.

"You're happy in the mornings," he stated as he lifted her over the bar and held her on his hip. "Are you hungry?" Rory's smile widened and he took that as a yes. "Mommy doesn't have any food here so we're gonna have to go to the market to get some. Not Doose's though cause Taylor's stupid," he said softly. Rory giggled and he hoped that meant she agreed with him. "How about we take a trip to Walmart?" He put Rory on the floor as he went to look in her dresser for an outfit for her to wear. He settled on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt that read 'Rory' across the front. He figured Lorelai had made it. He laid her on the bed and began to take off her pyjamas. He undid her diaper and screwed his face up until he saw there was nothing in there. After fifteen minutes; ten minutes of Luke trying to figure out how to fasten the diaper, they were both dressed, Luke put Rory's coat and shoes on and carried her to his truck.

He parked in the parent/child parking close to the door when they reached the superstore; he only parked there because it was close to the door and he wasn't breaking any rules, he had the car seat to show it. He lifted Rory into the child seat in the cart and she looked at him confused.

"Cool huh?" he asked as they walked through the automatic doors. Rory just smiled her response and looked at her surroundings. Luke pushed the cart over to the produce section intending to buy Lorelai some fruit, even though she probably wouldn't eat it.

"Nana," said Rory with a point of her finger.

"You want a banana?"

"Banaaaa!"

"Ok we'll have to go pay for it first." He picked up a banana and went to an empty cash register.

"Hello," greeted the operator.

"Hey, just this for now please." He gave her the banana and the cashier watched Rory's eyes light up as the banana was paid for.

"What's her name?" she asked curiously, gesturing her head towards Rory.

"Rory," he replied proudly.

"Aww she's gorgeous."

"Thank you," he beamed.

"There you go Rory," she said, passing the banana to a waiting Rory.

"Nana," said Rory happily. Luke handed some money to the operator.

"She looks like you," she commented.

"Huh?" He was both shocked and confused by her comment.

"Oh I said she looks like you," she repeated, assuming he hadn't heard. "I can see the resemblance." Luke felt happy, elated even. He wasn't quite sure how it was possible for Rory to look like him but this stranger had noticed something.

"Thanks," he found himself saying as he took his change.

"Have a nice day. Bye Rory." Rory looked up from trying to open her banana when her name was mentioned and smiled slightly at the cashier.

"Say bye Rory," said Luke. She looked up at him then back to the cashier.

"Bye," she said quietly.

"You're not shy are you?" he asked. "It's not like you to be shy." Rory turned her head away from the attention she was receiving. "Thanks," said Luke as he walked back towards the store.

"Dada," said Rory, holding her banana out to him.

"What's up sweetie?"

"Nana."

"You want me to open it?" He took it and opened it. He broke a piece off and gave it to her. He wasn't sure if she was able to bite into things and he didn't wanna risk her choking on it.

"Mor!" He rolled his eyes.

"Aren't we greedy this morning?" he asked as he gave her another piece. He left her to chew it and stepped towards the vegetables. "Ok what do we need?" he asked, partly to Rory, partly to himself. He picked up some potatoes, carrots, corn, green beans and tomatoes and put them in the cart. Rory watched as he put some loose apples in a fruit bag and put those in too. "We need to make your mom eat more fruit don't we Rory?"

"Nana."

"Sorry you ate it all," he said sympathetically. He moved round to see the rest of the fruits and noticed a pack of blueberries. "Rory?" he asked.

"Dada."

"How about we have a special breakfast when we get back?"

"Brekfas."

"I'll make blueberry pancakes," he said. Rory looked at him confusedly. "You'll love them."

"Love."

"Stop repeating what I'm saying," he teased as he squeezed her cheek between his fingers. She laughed and held her arms out to him.

"Up." Luke wasn't sure whether he should let her walk instead of sit in the cart. She was only eleven months old and he didn't wanna lose her in the giant superstore; he'd never forgive himself. He lifted her to his hip.

"You've gotta hold my hand the whole time ok?" He lowered her to the floor and followed as she went over to the bananas.

"Nana!"

"What is it with you and bananas?" he asked although at least she didn't have Lorelai's junk food obsession, not yet anyway. He picked up a bunch of bananas and put them in the cart. He took Rory's hand as they turned into the first aisle. When they reached the fourth, Luke let Rory wander a bit by herself while he kept a close eye on her. He saw her walk over to a big stand and pick up a box. She brought it back and threw it in the cart, having picked up on the shopping process. "Whoa what are those?" he asked as he plucked them from the half full cart. "Pop tarts?" He remembered Lorelai begging him for a pop tart for breakfast instead of the fruit salad he had made. He sighed. "Is this the flavour your mom likes?" Rory turned around and walked down the aisle. Luke tossed the strawberry pop tarts back into the cart and followed her closely as she led the way.

A half an hour later, they had finally finished the food shopping. Rory had chosen a few of the items; Lucky Charms cereal, hot fudge topping, Pringles and some ice cream. He didn't refuse them; he just let her put them in as they all seemed like things Lorelai would eat anyway. He took Rory's hand as they began to make their way to the checkouts. Luke turned around when he remembered he needed some new screwdrivers and headed over to the non food items.

"Ther!" shouted Rory as she pointed and tried to free her hand from Luke's grasp.

"What?" he asked, keeping a tight hold on her tiny hand.

"Ber!" Luke looked in the direction her finger was pointing.

"Bear?" he asked.

"Ber!"

"Ok we can have a quick look at the bears." He wheeled the cart over to the aisle Rory was interested in and let her hand go as they approached it. She picked up a medium sized bear and hugged it tightly.

"Ber," she said happily. Luke smiled as he watched her browse the selection. She picked up one bear, hugged it then put it back before repeating the process with a different one. He waited patiently as she looked through; keeping his eyes on her to make sure she didn't wander off. Ten minutes later, she finally approached him with a bear hugged to her chest. "Dada," she pouted and Luke grinned.

"You know how to get what you want don't you?" he asked. He sighed before nodding his head. "You can have it." Rory didn't know what he said but she smiled anyway, matching Luke's expression.

When they got back to the inn, Luke carried all the bags into the potting shed with Rory hot on his heels. She copied him as he unpacked all their purchases but she put them all on the floor instead of the counter where Luke was putting them. He carefully stacked the food in the cupboards and in the fridge then looked at Rory who was sitting on the floor with her new bear.

"What should we do now?" he asked. Rory looked up at him then took her attention back to the bear as she mumbled to herself. "So I'm not interesting anymore huh?" he chuckled. There was a knock at the door and Luke made his way there, confused at who would be knocking. Rory followed him curiously. He opened the door to see Liz stood on the doorstep carrying a bag on her shoulder and Jess stood in front of her. "Liz, what are..."

"I need a break," she said, panic in her voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jess...I need a day off. Just take him for a couple of hours please." Liz looked so desperate and he felt that familiar pang in his heart. He looked down at Jess who looked up at Liz, a smile evident in his features. The boy had no idea what his mom was like and Luke was dreading the day he realised what a low life she was.

"You can't just leave him here," he protested.

"I need a day off Luke!" she shouted. "Anyway, it looks like Lorelai dumped her kid on you, why can't I?" she gestured to Rory who was now hiding behind Luke's leg.

"Lorelai didn't dump Rory on me; I offered to babysit today while she takes care of something. What's your excuse for leaving Jess here?"

"I've had it up to here with it, with it all. I can't handle it."

"So you're just gonna leave him with me till you can be bothered again?"

"Yeah I am, you're his uncle."

"You're his mother, he needs you Liz. Why can't you see that?" Luke's voice was quiet and sincere.

"I just need some time to myself."

"I think you're being selfish here. Jess is one of the most low maintenance kids I know. Stick some toys in front of him and he'll occupy himself for hours."

"He was whining and it was bugging me."

"Maybe he needed something. Did you give him breakfast?"

"I gave him some toast."

"What about a drink?"

"I err...."

"Jeez, you haven't given him a drink today?" Liz shook her head shamefully and Luke bent down to pick up Jess.

"Ucal Luk!" screeched Jess excitedly.

"Hey buddy, you want some juice?"

"Juice," he agreed. Luke looked down at Rory who was clutching Luke's leg while looking up at them curiously.

"Do you want juice too Rory?" Rory smiled and Luke took Jess to the kitchen with Rory following him. He set him on his feet and prepared two sippy cups. He gave them to the waiting toddlers and made his way over to the couch where Liz had made herself comfortable. "So what's going on Liz?" he asked. He wanted to know why his sister was acting so recklessly. He wanted to know the truth.

"It's Jimmy," she admitted quietly.

"What's he done now?" asked Luke sternly, immediately going into protective big brother mode. "Has he hurt you? Has he hurt Jess?" Liz stayed silent. "Liz?"

"He came back to Stars Hollow last night claiming he wanted to see his son. So I let him in and he played with Jess for a while."

"Go on," prompted Luke.

"So I left them to it for fifteen minutes or so, I went to Doose's to get some more diapers and when I got home, he was searching the cupboards and drawers."

"What was he looking for?"

"The stuff."

"You mean..." Liz nodded. Luke thought she'd stopped doing drugs when Jess was born but obviously he was wrong. "Did he find any?"

"No cause I don't have any," she admitted honestly. "I haven't smoked that stuff in a long time Luke, I promise."

"I believe you. What happened then?"

"Well when he couldn't find any he accused me of hiding it from him and he....."

"He what Liz? What did he do to you?" Liz bit her bottom lip as she looked Luke in the eye.

"He took me to my bedroom," she squeaked.

"What? Where is the bastard? I'm gonna kick his ass," Luke shouted causing Rory to look up at him, a scared look in her eye. Jess however didn't notice as he was used to raised voices in his life.

"He's gone."

"Gone where?"

"California."

"What?" Luke slumped back in his seat. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, he just....." Liz's eyes filled up with tears and Luke pulled her in for a hug as he brushed the stray tears from her cheeks.

"Just let it out ok?" he said as he rubbed her back. "Do you wanna press charges?" he asked.

"N-no, I don't ever wanna see him again."

"Ok, it's all ok." Luke suddenly realised something. "Did he err....use protection?" He sure as hell didn't want Liz to have another kid, she could barely take care of the one she already had.

"I'm on the pill," she said quietly.

"Good," he breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you ok?" She nodded as she sniffled.

"I'll be fine."

"So what happened today?" he asked softly. "Why did you turn up here all panicked?"

"Jess was moaning at me but every time I look at him, he reminds me of Jimmy. I couldn't handle it, those exact eyes were watching me last night and it freaked me out."

"It's ok Liz; you shouldn't let Jimmy ruin the relationship you have with Jess." Jess toddled over to them and rested his hands on Liz's knees.

"Moma," he said happily.

"Hey little man," she said as she lifted him onto her lap. "I'm sorry I yelled at you this morning buddy, mom's got a lot on her plate right now."

"Plate," repeated Jess. Rory stumbled over, sippy cup in hand, and smiled at Luke.

"Hey sweetie," he said as he lifted her the way Liz had with Jess. "I was gonna make you pancakes wasn't I?"

"Sorry, have I interrupted?" asked Liz.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Luke looked between Jess and Rory who were staring at each other, small smiles tracing their lips.

"So where's Lorelai today?"

"She had to go to the courthouse. She's getting a restraining order."

"Against who?"

"Rory's dad, surely you heard about what happened last week?" When Liz looked at him, confusion taking over her features, he realised she didn't have a clue. "Well Christopher, Rory's dad, showed up here asking if he could take her out for a walk. He hasn't seen her since she was born and all of a sudden he shows up wanting to play house. So Lorelai agreed to let him take her for an hour round Stars Hollow but they went missing. So the whole town went to Hartford to look for him."

"Oh my god," exclaimed Liz.

"I know. So seven hours later, Babette, Miss Patty and Morey found him in a public bathroom."

"Was she ok?" she asked, stroking Rory's cheek.

"She had hypothermia and was dehydrated. They kept her in hospital overnight."

"I can't believe I didn't know about this. Lorelai must have been out of her mind."

"She was terrified. That was such an awful day," he sighed.

"So you two seem close."

"We are."

"Are you like a couple?"

"As of yesterday we are official," he said happily.

"I'm so happy for you guys, she seems like a really nice girl."

"She is, and Rory's great too."

"So have the two of you...."

"What?" he asked, not following.

"You know...planted the seed."

"Planted the seed?" he asked, still lost.

"Erm....sealed the deal?"

"Sealed the.....Liz what the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh my god, have you slept together?" she asked, knowing the conversation could go on for hours.

"No we haven't," he replied, blushing a little.

"Why not?"

"I'm not talking to you about this Liz."

"Come on! Just tell me why."

"No, mind your own business. You're my sister it's too weird."

"Fine, I guess I'll just talk to Lorelai next time I see her."

"No you won't."

"Well tell me then."

"All you need to know is that we're waiting for the right time."

"Just get it over with already."

"Shut up Liz." She smiled and looked down at Rory.

"She's gorgeous," she commented. "Isn't Rory pretty Jess?"

"Wowy," said Jess, pointing to Rory.

"Say hi to Jess Rory," said Luke.

"Jesh," she said as she pointed back at him.

"I think they're gonna be friends," said Liz as they watched the two toddlers interacting. Luke nodded in agreement.

"I'm gonna make those pancakes, would you and Jess like some?" he asked.

"We should get going."

"You can stay if you like."

"It's ok I have some stuff to get on with anyway."

"Oh you can leave Jess here if you want. Lorelai's gonna be gone for a couple of hours and him and Rory seem to get on well."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Thanks big brother." She stood up and put Jess on the floor so she could give Luke a hug.

"Will you be at home all day?" he asked.

"Probably."

"I'll bring him back later ok?"

"Ok." She leant down and left a kiss on Jess' forehead. "I'll see you soon Jessie, love you." Jess smiled and watched as Liz left the potting shed. Luke put Rory on the floor and turned the TV on to The Muppet Show.

"Will you guys be ok watching this while I make you some pancakes?" he asked. He didn't get a response from either of them as they stared at the screen. He shook his head and went to prepare the pancakes. When he returned with three plates, he found Jess and Rory surrounded by toys. "What's going on here?" he asked. He saw the toy chest open and eyed the two suspiciously. "You two are sneaky." He put a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of each of them on the floor, cut up into small pieces so they didn't choke, and sat on the couch to eat his own. He watched as Rory picked up a piece and quickly stuffed it in her mouth while Jess studied it carefully. Jess was a little fussier than Rory and it took him a good ten seconds to decide that he wanted to eat it.

Luke washed the dishes when they had finished and put everything back where he found it. He sat on the floor with the kids and they looked at him expectantly.

"So what do you wanna do now guys?" he asked. Neither of them responded. "How about we go to the park?"

"Ark," said Rory.

"Come on then, let's get you ready to go outside." He put both the kid's coats on and put a hat on Rory's head. He put his own coat on and took Rory's diaper bag, putting the two cups of juice in with the stuff already in there. He opened the door to the shed and watched as Rory and Jess scurried off a little ahead of him. He made a stop in the lobby of the inn to tell Mia where they were in case Lorelai came back while they were out then went out of the front door. Three minutes into the walk to the centre of town, Rory stopped and held her arms out for Luke to carry her. He picked her up and carried her the rest of the way, holding Jess' hand as they made their way down the sidewalk.

When they reached the playground, Jess began to run towards the action. Rory watched eagerly as Jess ran away and squirmed in Luke's arms so he'd put her down.

"Jesh," shouted Rory. Jess stopped and turned around. Luke put Rory on her feet and she stumbled over to her new friend before they moved as fast as their short legs would carry them over to the playground.

"Wait up guys!" shouted Luke as he picked up his pace. Neither of the kids heard him as they continued to run away from him. Jess began to climb the ladder to get up onto the playground but Luke approached and lifted him off it. "No, no," he said as he put him back on the floor. Jess let out an unsatisfied cry and looked up at his uncle. "Don't start Jess," he warned with a point of his finger. Jess looked at the floor before walking away to go on something else, fully understanding Luke's demand.

They spent close to two hours at the park. Luke had pushed the kids on the swings, watched them go down the slide, pushed them on the roundabout and was currently watching them play in the sand box. Both toddlers were covered in sand, their once clean clothes taken over by the tiny granules. He planned to take Jess straight home to Liz after they had finished at the playground cause Rory was getting restless and he knew she was due a nap.

"You ready to go?" he asked from the edge of the box. Jess looked up at him and got to his feet. Luke lifted him out of the sand and set him on the concrete as he studied his appearance. "I hope your mom's not gonna be too mad with me about this mess," he said. "Come on Rory." Rory looked up at him then continued to play in the sand. "Rory," warned Luke. She ignored him again so he leant down and extracted her from the yellow grains. Rory began to whine and Luke knew part of the reason was because she was tired. "Time for you to go to bed," he said softly as he brushed the excess sand from Rory and Jess' bodies. He took their hands and they walked towards Liz's apartment. "Liz, you home?" he called as he walked through the front door, kids in tow.

"Hey big brother," she said as she rushed into the room. "Hey Jessie," she squealed excitedly as she scooped him up. "Yuck you're all covered in sand."

"Oh yeah, we were at the playground and they were in the sand box for a while," explained Luke. "You're not mad are you?"

"Not at all," she replied with a shake of her head. "As long as Jess had a good time. Did you have fun Jessie?"

"Yes!" shouted Jess happily.

"Were you a good boy for Uncle Luke?"

"Jess good boy," he replied.

"Jess is a good boy," cooed Liz in agreement. "Anyway little man we'd better get you washed hadn't we? It's bath time."

"Bath," said Jess, obviously loving the idea of bath time.

"Bath," joined Rory.

"Don't worry I'm sure Luke will bath you too," assured Liz.

"Dada," said Rory, pointing to Luke while keeping her gaze on Liz. Liz looked at Luke, eyebrows raised.

"Dada?" she asked.

"Uh....." he hesitated. "She calls me that."

"Does Lorelai know?"

"Yeah she knows, Rory says it all the time."

"And she's ok with it?"

"She wasn't at first but she got through it and now she accepts it."

"Well it's quite the family you're building here isn't it?"

"I guess..."

"Are you happy?" Luke looked at her, a smile tugging the corners of his lips.

"I'm really happy," he replied confidently.

"That's all that matters. Rory's a great kid."

"She really is." Rory looked up at Luke as she clutched his leg and whimpered at him. "Are you tired sweetie?" he asked softly as he picked her up. She put her head on his shoulder; her face turned into his neck and she sighed heavily.

"Night, night," she said sleepily. Liz watched as Rory's eyelids went lower and lower until she was in the land of nod.

"Wow she's out already. I wish Jess was that easy to put to bed." Luke chuckled.

"She's not used to exercise; I must have worn her out." Luke looked at Liz, his face turning serious for a second. "Are you ok?" he asked, concerned for her after last night's events.

"I'm fine, I will be anyway. I have Jess."

"Ok, I'll come and check on you in the morning."

"Thanks Luke."

"You're my little sister; I'd do anything for you." Liz smiled warmly as she watched Luke leave her apartment. Liz stayed glued to the spot a second; Jess sat on her hip as he stared at her.

"You've got a great uncle Jessie," she whispered.

"Ucal Luk," replied Jess, his voice quiet and soft this time.

"Yeah Uncle Luke," she said with a smile. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Luke arrived back at the potting shed within ten minutes. He unlocked the door and carefully lay Rory down on Lorelai's bed as he began to remove her sandy clothes. Rory began to stir from her sleep and opened her eyes slightly.

"Welcome back," he whispered. She rolled onto her side and put her arms up by her head. "I just need to give you a quick bath to get all the sand off you; it won't take a minute I promise." He lifted Rory who was now in just her diaper and took her to the bathtub. He filled it with a small amount of water and ran his hand around in it. He put his elbow in to check the temperature; he only knew to do that because Mia had shown him when Jess was a newborn. "Ok, bath time." He removed Rory's diaper and sat her in the warm water. She became alert as she felt the liquid splashing against her skin as he lowered her into it and she grinned at him. She got comfortable in the tub and ran her hands around in the water, making tiny splashes that reached Luke's wrists.

"Toy," she pointed to a tub of water toys on the shelf nearby. He picked out a couple and dropped them into the water. Rory picked them up and made noises as she flew them through the air then crashed them into the water. Luke took a cup from the side of the tub and put his hand on Rory's forehead as he poured water over her dark hair. He took the baby shampoo and massaged a dollop into her short curls before he rinsed it off. He made sure every inch of her body was sand free then lifted her from the tub, wrapping her in a baby towel with a hood.

"Was that fun?" he asked as Rory clung onto the bath toy she had been playing with. He went over to her dresser and pulled out an all-in-one sleeping suit with a cute pink bunny on it. He got a fresh diaper and a onesie then sat her on the bed so he could dry her off. He found some baby lotion on Lorelai's nightstand and assumed it was for Rory then applied it evenly to her dry skin.

"Col," shivered Rory.

"Sorry, I won't take a second," he said as he finished applying the lotion and quickly dressed her. He lifted her and she let out a big yawn. "I think it's time for a nap," he said. He checked his watch and saw it was nearing three pm, Rory's usual nap time. He laid her in the crib and pulled the blankets over her. "Sleep tight Rory, I'll have your dinner ready for when you wake up." Rory stared up at him, not making any attempts to close her eyes. She reached out her hand to him. "What's up? You want me to read you a story?"

"Sory," she agreed. He searched the room for a book of some kind but came up empty.

"Err....ok I'll make one up," he hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful young woman. She had brown curly hair and amazing blue eyes and she was the fairest in the land," he began, taking some material from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. "The beautiful girl was not a princess, but she was close. She lived in a big mansion with a huge front door. She lived with her parents but the girl wasn't happy, she wanted out. One day, in the October of 1984, something wonderful happened to the girl, she had a beautiful baby." Rory looked up at him, her eyelids starting to give in to sleep. "The girl loved her baby more than anything else in the world but her mom wouldn't let her take care of her. So the girl made a big decision, she left the mansion and moved to a place she didn't know of. It was a nice town, a little weird but it was a good place to live. She met some lovely people; they helped her out when things were tough and when she needed a favour. The girl fell in love with the town, it felt like home to her and she couldn't wait to see her baby grow up there. One fateful day, while a friend was taking care of her daughter, she entered a diner. A grumpy man worked there and he hardly ever talked to anybody. At first he was rude to the girl, he told her to shut up and wait her turn when she begged for coffee. When he looked up at her and he saw those beautiful eyes, he felt his heart melt." He noticed Rory was sleeping so he leant down and left a light kiss on her cheek. "There's more to the story but it's not important. All you need to know is that they will all live happily ever after," he whispered with a smile. He sighed and went to sort out Rory's sandy clothes and the towel he had used. After everything was done, he relaxed on the couch and waited for Lorelai to get back.

A quarter of an hour later, the door opened and he stood up from the couch to greet Lorelai. They didn't say anything at first; he approached her with a smile and leaned in for a kiss hello. Their lips brushed, the need they both had expressing itself in their contact. They had been apart for so long and they had missed each other.

"Hey," she said as she pulled back a little.

"Hi, I missed you today," he said, his voice low and sexy.

"Isn't that sweet?" she teased.

"Are you saying you didn't miss me too?" he challenged. She pretended to think for a second.

"Of course I missed you," she gushed, running her fingers down his arms. "Where's Rory?" she asked.

"Over there asleep," he said as he pointed to the crib. Lorelai walked over and braced her hands on the side of it as she stared down at her baby. "You didn't have to dress her in PJs."

"Oh well we went to the playground with Jess and they played in the sand box for a while so I had to give Rory a bath to clean her up. I just thought it'd make sense for me to put her in pyjamas rather than another outfit."

"Good thinking, sounds like you did a good job today," she complimented as she went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to get a can of coke. Her mouth dropped open at the sight. "What is all this?"

"Oh Rory and I took a trip to Walmart this morning cause there wasn't anything for breakfast and I thought I'd better stock your kitchen up a bit."

"But I can't cook."

"Ah I can."

"You mean you're gonna cook dinner?" He nodded. "Tonight?"

"Yep, you're in for a treat."

"Mmm can't wait," she said and Luke couldn't tell if she meant for dinner or for something else.

"I was gonna make Rory some sweet potato when she wakes up, is that ok?"

"Yeah, she'll eat anything."

"I'll throw some carrots in there too," he promised.

"Sounds.....delightful. I hope we're not having sweet potato and carrots."

"Don't worry, I've got something much more special planned."

"Ooh sounds fancy," she said as she walked over to him. He planted his hands on her hips and smiled at her. "What is it?"

"I'm not telling, you have to wait and see."

"Aww man I hate surprises."

"Makes it more fun." He leant in for another kiss before he pulled away completely and Lorelai groaned at the loss of contact. "So how was the courthouse?" he asked as he planted himself on the couch, pulling Lorelai down with him.

"It went well, we got the order."

"That's great."

"The hearing's in two weeks. They're contacting Christopher to let him know."

"Are you ok about seeing him again?"

"I don't really have a choice. If I want this restraining order, I have to come face to face with him in court."

"I'll be there, don't worry," he soothed as he rubbed her thigh reassuringly.

"Hmm that's just what I need after today," she relaxed as she revelled in Luke's touch.

"I'm barely touching you."

"You could be."

"Do you want me to be?"

"Definitely," she whispered seductively. He granted her wish and moved his hand up higher on her thigh. He moved it to the inside and went higher still until his fingers came into contact with the button on her black pants. She moaned quietly at the sensation of Luke's fingers through the cotton and she closed her eyes. "More Luke," she urged, her breathing ragged.

"I don't know Lorelai; don't you wanna have dinner first?"

"Just do this first," she pleaded. He nodded and slowly unzipped her trousers. She raised her hips so he could pull them down her hips and stopped when they reached her knees, taking his attention to her red panties. She took his hand and placed it over the red fabric, pushing him to go further. He moved his hand slightly, causing her breathing to change speed. "Underneath," she ordered.

"What?"

"Go underneath," she repeated.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure, just do it," she said desperately. He moved his fingers over the wet cotton covering her before slipping his finger inside them. She gasped then they turned into moans as he did as she told him. A short seven minutes later, Lorelai had her head rested on the back of the couch, trying to regain the oxygen in her lungs as she pulled her pants up.

"You ok?" he asked. He had enjoyed watching her hit her peak and was amazed that he was the one making her feel that way.

"More than ok," she answered, regaining her breath.

"Good."

"You're good at that," she said blissfully.

"Thank you."

"Have you had a lot of practise?" Luke blushed.

"No," he replied shortly.

"You must have, to be that talented."

"It just comes naturally with you."

"Dirty," she said as she eyed his jeans that looked like they were about to burst at any second. "Do you want me to do something about that?" she asked as she ran her fingers lightly over the bulge.

"No, it's ok," he replied. "It'll go away."

"You sure? Cause I've never actually done that before but I'm sure I can test the waters," she asked, a hint of longing in her voice. "Dirty," she added. Luke rolled his eyes as he turned his head to look at her.

"Don't worry about it; I don't want the first time I...you know..."

"Come?"

"Yeah I don't want it to happen like that. I want to do it with you, at the same time."

"Well it's a little late for that seeing as we passed that boundary about four minutes ago," she chuckled.

"It's different for you, just forget about this situation."

"Ok," she said as she stood up. He made a move to stand up too but fell back onto the couch.

"I'm just gonna sit here for a second," he said, trying not to make it too obvious.

"Ok big guy, I'm gonna take a shower, are you ok out here?"

"I'll be fine," he replied as he tried to erase the thought of Lorelai in the shower from his mind. He heard the water start up and tried to relax, clearing his head of all things dirty. He knew it wouldn't be much longer until they took their relationship to the next level and he couldn't wait.

**So...? I know everybody wants them to just do it already but I'm dragging this out a little longer.....not much longer though! I hope you liked and please leave me a review, I love reviews!**

**Emily.**


	14. Happy First Birthday

**I'm soooo sooooo sorry....I really wanted to update sooner but college stuff has been getting in the way and then I tried to update the other night and it wouldn't let me. Anyway, here's chapter 14. Big shout out to all my reviewers!! You're all really, really great and helpful =D and thanks to people who are still reading! Enjoy the chapter.**

"Rory," whispered Lorelai as she gently shook her daughter to wake her up. She lifted her slowly from the crib and laid her in her arms as the baby began to stir. She climbed back into bed, holding Rory close as she looked down into her sleepy blue eyes. "Hey angel," she said quietly. Rory looked up at her, confusion in her eyes as she wondered why she was awake when it was dark outside. It had just turned midnight and it was officially October 8th. "Happy birthday baby." She smiled down at her one year old, the intense shade of blue in her eyes making her melt inside.

"Sorry for waking you, it was payback for when you woke me last year when you were ready to make your entrance into the world. You put me through a lot that day; the pain was unbelievable. I felt like I was doing the splits on a crate of dynamite, it hurt that much. You were totally worth it though and I'd do it all over again, just for you." She looked down into Rory's big blue eyes. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me sweets. I can't believe you're one already, you're so big and you can walk and talk. It doesn't seem like two minutes since I was holding you, exactly the way I am now, bonding with you for the first time. I know I missed a lot of the first year of your life and I am so sorry honey. You know that I wanted to be there with you the whole time but I wasn't allowed, they stopped me. But I hope the last couple of months have made up for that and I hope you're happy here. I know it's not the most ideal living situation but it works right?" She sighed as Rory stared up at her, sleep beckoning her. "Today is gonna be the best day of your life, you're gonna have a party later and you get presents!" she exclaimed excitedly. Rory perked up at Lorelai's excitement and grinned. "I think you're gonna love what I bought you but I'll give you it when you wake up later cause you're probably tired right now."

She settled Rory on the bed next to her and lay down beside her, playing with the buttons on her sleeping suit. "Do you wanna stay up and talk for a little while longer?" asked Lorelai as Rory lay smiling at her. "Ok, things have changed a lot for us since we moved here haven't they? Do you remember the first day we arrived? I was terrified. I had all my suitcases and you sat in my lap as we were on the bus. I had no idea where we were gonna go. I felt like a failure cause I hadn't planned things better for us, for you. But look at us now. We found a place to stay, I have a job, we finally have a proper relationship and we met a great guy that's gonna take care of us no matter what. I know you love Luke, or dada as you like to call him. You have no idea how much I wish Luke was your real dad sweetie, he's a thousand times better than your father. I'm gonna tell you a secret but you have to promise me that you won't tell Luke ok?"

Rory smiled again and Lorelai took it as a yes. "I'm pretty sure I love Luke just as much as you do, if not more. Ever since we went to that hearing for the restraining order, I've fallen for him even further. You should have seen him in the courtroom; he sat next to me holding my hand the whole time. He even did a speech, telling the judge how he's never known anyone like us. We're very lucky to have him and I'm gonna try my very hardest not to let him slip through my fingers. I do such a good job at screwing things up sometimes but I'm not gonna screw things up with Luke," she chuckled a little and Rory looked at her, wanting to know what was funny. "There's a dirty innuendo in that last part but it's not suitable for your ears for another twenty years." Rory shuffled on the bed so she was closer to Lorelai. "I think we should go to the diner for breakfast today honey, what do you think? We can go see dada."

"Dada," said Rory quietly.

"That's right, I'm gonna make your first birthday one you'll never forget. Your party's not till the late afternoon after your nap so I thought we could go some place special with Jess."

"Jesh!" Rory and Jess had become inseparable. They would play together for hours and they even had their own secret language that nobody else could understand. Most of it was baby babble but they seemed to understand each other. Lorelai and Liz had become pretty good friends too and would have play dates with the kids so they could talk, they mainly gossiped about Luke, and Liz told Lorelai embarrassing stories about his childhood.

"Ok sweets, sleepy time." She dug her head into her pillow and put her arm around Rory. "Happy first birthday," she whispered as Rory drifted back to sleep.

"Oh Duuuuke!" called Lorelai as she entered the diner with Rory holding her hand.

"Hey," he greeted as he appeared from the kitchen, a smile on his face. "There's the birthday girl," he exclaimed as he bent down to scoop up Rory. She giggled as she looked at him. He leant over to kiss Lorelai hello then looked back to Rory. "I saved a special table for you," he said as he walked over to the table by the window. There was a high chair already set up with balloons tied to it with 'Happy 1st Birthday Rory' written on them. There was a party hat on Rory's chair and a cake sitting in the middle of the table.

"Luke you didn't have to do all this," said Lorelai in awe.

"I wanted to," he replied as he sat Rory in her seat and put the hat on her.

"You made a cake and everything."

"Yes I did, it's a special cake. It has less sugar in than regular birthday cake so it's not too bad for her teeth."

"I can't believe you did this," she gushed as she wrapped her arms around his middle.

"It's not every day you turn one is it?"

"Get a room you two," shouted Babette from her table causing Luke to blush and pull away slightly. She got up and approached them, pushing past to get to Rory.

"Hey sugar!" she greeted and Rory grinned. "Happy birthday, I've got a gift for ya but I'll give you it at your party later."

"Thanks Babette," said Lorelai. Miss Patty came over as Babette moved back to her table.

"Happy birthday sweet girl," she cooed. "Aren't you the cutest thing? I just wanna eat you up."

"Well don't cause I kinda like her," joked Lorelai.

"Aww Rory honey your birthday is gonna be so special. I'm gonna bring some of my founder's day punch to your party."

"No you're not," protested Luke.

"But it wouldn't be a party without it."

"It's a one year olds birthday party, no alcohol!"

"What's founder's day punch?" asked Lorelai.

"You drink that stuff it'll kill you."

"Hmm like coffee?" she mocked.

"Worse. It's like 75% alcohol, it should be banned."

"Fine I will not bring any to Rory's birthday party."

"Thank god. Last thing we need is for everyone to be wasted."

"I agree," interjected Lorelai.

"Ok I'm sure I can find another way to have fun," she grumbled as she made her way back to her table.

"This town is crazy," said Luke once Patty was out of ear shot.

"They're just excited, that's all." Luke pulled out her chair for her and watched as she sat down.

"So what can I get you for breakfast?"

"Hmm I'll have waffles with lots of maple syrup, bacon, eggs, sausage, coffee and a side of Luke, please," she grinned cheekily.

"A side of me huh?"

"Yup."

"Well I could sit next to you if you want but I don't think I'll fit on a plate."

"Ooh do sit next to me! Eat breakfast with us, please?" she pouted.

"Ok I'll sit with you as soon as your food's done."

"Yay."

"What do you want Rory?" he asked softly.

"Ther," she said as she pointed to the food in front of the man at the next table.

"Pancakes it is."

"Nana!"

"Ok how about I make you banana pancakes?" he suggested.

"Mmm," she hummed as she licked her lips.

"Does she need a drink too?"

"Erm..." Lorelai checked her bag. "Yep I forgot to put one in."

"Ok I've got banana milk if she wants that?"

"Sounds great." She watched as he walked away, checking out his ass as he went. He turned around and caught her staring.

"We're you checking me out?"

"Always."

"Don't blame ya hon," called Miss Patty. "Have you seen that ass?" Luke went bright red.

"It's so firm isn't it?" asked Lorelai, she loved to tease Luke.

"Oh definitely, if only I could cop a feel," she said cheekily.

"Hands off, he's all mine," replied Lorelai as Luke came over with their drinks. He put the hot coffee in front of Lorelai and a sippy cup filled with banana milk in front of Rory. Lorelai reached round the back of him and gave his butt a squeeze.

"Lorelai," he warned as he jumped away from her.

"You go girl," said Patty from her table.

"Don't do that ok?"

"Do what?"

"Touch me like that," he whispered.

"Ever?"

"Not ever, just not in public."

"Oh I see, you're embarrassed."

"Will you stop?"

"Come on Luke, I'm just having a bit of fun."

"Well don't."

"Ok I won't, I'm sorry." He walked towards her again and left a tender kiss on her lips. He pulled away and they smiled at each other. "I thought you didn't like PDA."

"I don't mind kissing," he whispered huskily. "Your lips are too damn irresistible."

"It's the lip gloss," she replied, licking her lips. They stared at each other for a moment before Luke walked away to deliver someone's food. He returned to their table five minutes later with three plates, one for Rory and two for Lorelai. He cut Rory's pancakes up and put the plate in front of her before turning to Lorelai.

"So what have you got planned for today, before the party I mean."

"Well I was wondering if you knew what Jess was doing this morning."

"I'm not sure, why?"

"I thought I could take the kids to Chuck E Cheese."

"You mean that pizza place?"

"Yup, it's so fun! And I have an excuse to go in the ball pool," she said happily, gesturing to Rory.

"You're such a kid."

"I know." Luke heard the bells ring and looked up to see Liz walk in with Jess following her.

"Hey Liz," greeted Luke, standing up to give his sister a hug. "Hey Jess," he said as he bent down to his nephew.

"Wowy!" shouted Jess as he ran away from Luke towards Rory's high chair.

"I guess I've been replaced," said Luke, pretending to be sad.

"Jess, come here," requested Lorelai. He walked round to her and she lifted him onto her lap. "You wanna go somewhere fun today?"

"Fun!"

"You wanna go to Chuck E Cheese with me and Rory?"

"Go wiv Wowy."

"Is that ok Liz?"

"Absolutely," she replied.

"Jess, ask mommy if she wants to come too."

"Moma cum to!"

"Aww I would Jessie but I have a ton of things to do today. I'll be there at the party though, Lorelai."

"It's fine. Do you want me to look after Jess till the party?"

"Are you sure?"

"No she's not," replied Luke. "Lorelai you don't have to take care of Jess all day."

"I don't mind, Rory would love to spend the day with Jess."

"If that's what you wanna do then it's ok by me," said Liz.

"Ok then it's settled."

"Here's his diaper bag."

"Thanks," said Lorelai as she took it. "Well I'll see you at four thirty."

"Thank you Lorelai. Happy Birthday Rory," she said as she ran her hand through Rory's hair. "I'll give you your gift later," she promised. She kissed Jess then left the diner, completely forgetting to order what she came in for. Luke sat back in his seat and smiled at Jess.

"Buddy you have no idea where you're going today," he said sympathetically.

"Jess don't you think it would be such a good idea for Uncle Luke to come to Chuck E Cheese with us?"

"Ucal Luk cum!"

"Uncle Luke come where?" asked Luke.

"Chuck E Cheese," whispered Lorelai to Jess.

"Cuk eese!"

"You want me to go to Chuck E Cheese?" he asked Jess.

"Ucal Luke Cuk Eese!"

"Alright, alright."

"What about you Rory, do you think I should go to Chuck E Cheese with you guys?"

"Eese," said Rory.

"Cheese what Rory?" asked Lorelai.

"Eese dada!"

"That's right," exclaimed Lorelai. "Looks like you're coming to Chuck E Cheese," she said as she poked Luke's arm with her forefinger. Jess copied her, laughing as Lorelai did it harder.

"Stop that Jess," complained Luke. "Lorelai don't encourage him."

"But he's adorable," she replied with her pout. He looked at Rory who was copying Lorelai.

"And don't encourage Rory to pout like that."

"I'm her role model; she'll do whatever I do."

"Not if I've got anything to do with it." He stood up and walked over to a table to take an order.

"Jess, say happy birthday to Rory," said Lorelai. He looked at her confused. "Say Rory."

"Wowy."

"Happy," she coached.

"Appy."

"Birthday."

"Birday."

"Good boy, now say it to Rory. Say Rory happy birthday."

"Wowy appy birday," he said excitedly.

"Well done," she praised and Jess smiled proudly. "Rory say thank you."

"Taku," replied Rory who was still munching on her pancakes.

"Ah close enough." She replied as she put Jess on the floor. He toddled behind the counter, following his Uncle. Luke picked up a spoon and gave it to Jess.

"Buddy could you go put that on the table over there?" he asked as he pointed to a table occupied by an old couple.

"Shpoon," said Jess.

"Yeah it is. Now go put the spoon on that table." Jess took it and walked over to the requested table.

"Shpoon," said Jess again as he held it out to the elderly woman.

"Thank you young man," she replied, smiling at the little boy. "What's your name?"

"Jess," he replied shyly.

"Well Jess, it was nice to meet you."

"Ice met you," he replied.

"You're very polite," she said. "Here." She went into her purse and pulled out a dime. "Spend it wisely." Jess' eyes lit up as he took the money.

"Tank you," he said timidly. Jess ran over to Luke who was stood behind the counter. "Ucal Luk! Ucal Luk!" he called.

"What's up buddy?" he asked as he lifted him to sit on the counter.

"Jess rich!" he said as he held up the dime to Luke.

"Wow Jess is rich," said Luke humorously.

"Down," demanded Jess, pointing to the floor. Luke set him down again and he ran towards Lorelai's table. "Lolai, I rich!" he said happily. Lorelai smiled at him.

"Wow, where did you get that?" she asked curiously.

"There," he replied pointing to the couple. The couple smiled at them as they watched Jess. Lorelai returned the smile. "Wowy," said Jess as he jumped up and down.

"You wanna come out Rory?" asked Lorelai.

"Jesh," she replied. Lorelai got up and lifted Rory from the high chair before putting her on her feet. Lorelai passed her the sippy cup so she could have a drink and Rory went to the counter to see Luke. "Mor!" she shouted, holding the cup up to him. He peered over the counter to see her stood there, like a real customer would.

"You got money?" he asked. Rory stared at him as Jess shouted.

"I rich!"

"Ah that's right. Jess are you gonna buy Rory a milkshake?"

"No, Jess dime."

"Selfish."

"Mor," repeated Rory. He took the cup, filled it and gave it back to her.

"What do you say?"

"Taku dada," she replied as she ran back to Lorelai, clinging onto her leg.

"Is it time to go to Chuck E Cheese yet birthday girl?" she asked. Rory grinned and Lorelai stood up, lifting Rory up with her. "Luke you ready to go?"

"Go where?" he asked.

"Cuk eese!" said Jess.

"Remember you promised the kids you'd go with us," pleaded Lorelai. "Pout Rory," she ordered. Rory copied Lorelai's pout as she saw Luke give in before her.

"Ok come on, let's go." He went behind the curtain and grabbed his jacket. "Caesar I'm going out for a couple of hours, call Ben if you need any help."

"Will do boss. Have a good day at...where did you say you were going again?" he teased.

"Chuck E Cheese," replied Lorelai.

"Oh yeah Chuck E Cheese," he mocked.

"Shut it Caesar."

"Ok boss, have fun Lorelai."

"Oh I will, thank you."

"See ya." They made their way to the door; Lorelai holding Rory, her free hand connected with Luke's and Jess trudging beside them.

"Bye bye," called Jess to the elderly couple with a slight wave of his hand. The couple smiled and waved back as the foursome piled out of the door, heading for Chuck E Cheese.

"I can't believe I'm here," complained Luke as they were greeted by Chuck E Cheese himself.

"Look at their faces," said Lorelai quietly as she smiled at the two toddlers in front of them. Jess and Rory were staring up at the giant mouse in front of them, their jaws on the floor and their fingers pointing. Luke found himself smiling too.

"I guess it's good to see them enjoying themselves."

"I've only been here once," admitted Lorelai.

"Really? I thought you lived here."

"Nope, one time and one time only."

"Did your parents bring you?" he asked, knowing what the answer was.

"God no, my mom wouldn't step foot in this place if her life depended on it."

"Did your nanny bring you?"

"No she would have been fired if she did."

"So...."

"I had this friend, her parents weren't as.....stuck up as everybody else's and it was her birthday. So her mom and dad let her invite six friends over for a slumber party. Anyway, they had this surprise planned and we found out that they were taking us all to Chuck E Cheese for dinner."

"Did anybody's parents find out?"

"Oh yeah, we were never allowed to her house again but it was totally worth it," she finished, smiling at the memory. She looked down to see Rory clinging onto her leg. "What's the matter sweets?" she asked as she picked her up. Rory nuzzled her face into Lorelai's shoulder and threw her arms around her neck. "What's up?" Rory looked at the giant mouse in front of them, a scared expression on her face, as she held onto Lorelai tighter. "Hon it's ok, it's just Chuck E Cheese!"

"Cuk eese!" shouted Jess. Chuck E Cheese patted Jess on the head then patted Rory's back. She looked round at him, tears filling her eyes before she let out a loud cry.

"Uh oh," said Luke.

"Don't cry Ror," soothed Lorelai as she rubbed her back. The giant mouse walked away to talk to the other kids but Rory continued to cry. "Come on, it's your birthday. We came to have fun!" Rory looked at her as she wiped her eye with the back of her hand, small sobs escaping her lips. Luke stepped closer to them and Rory turned to look at him.

"What's going on sweetie?" he asked as he took her into his arms.

"Maybe if we go to the ball pool she'll calm down a bit," suggested Lorelai. She grabbed Jess' hand and guided him over to the massive pool.

"Ball!" screeched Jess as he dove head first into the pool.

"Whoa wait for me!" called Lorelai, crawling in after him. She picked up a ball and threw it at Jess, causing him to squeal in delight. He picked up another and threw it back at her. "So you wanna play it like that eh?" She picked him up and threw him forwards, watching as his smile grew when he landed in the balls. His laughter gained volume when Lorelai began burying him and he tossed the balls away with his hands. Luke and Rory watched from the sidelines. Luke was grinning widely at Lorelai's childish behaviour and Rory was looking curiously at them.

"Do you wanna go in Ror?" he asked softly.

"Ther," she said quietly, her episode from earlier evident in her tear stained cheeks.

"Go on then." He placed her in the pool and Jess went over to her.

"Wowy!" he squealed, throwing a ball at her.

"No Jesh," she replied, gathering some in her arms and throwing them in his direction the best she could.

"Hey guys," interrupted Lorelai. "Don't you think Luke should come in the ball pool too?" she teased, her eyes on Luke the whole time.

"Ucal Luk ball," called Jess.

"I'll stay here thanks," replied Luke dryly.

"Come on Luke," pleaded Lorelai. "It's Rory's birthday and I want everything to be perfect."

"Don't use that against me."

"But I know it'll work," she grinned. "Come on, come and have some fun."

"No, I'll watch."

"Nah ah, get your butt in here," she demanded.

"Make me."

"Alright but you asked for it." She crawled over to where Luke was stood and got up to meet his height. She leaned in to kiss him and snaked her arms around his neck. As they kissed, Lorelai stepped towards the pool, causing Luke to move with her. Before they knew it, they were falling backwards and Luke landed on top of Lorelai in the giant pool. Jess and Rory laughed as Lorelai looked up at Luke. "I knew I'd get you in."

"That was cheating."

"Like you care, you got a game of tonsil tennis out of it."

"Don't call it tonsil tennis."

"It is what it is," she said, smiling up at him. "So err....are you gonna get off me any time soon?" she joked.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry, was I squashing you?" he asked as he rolled off of her.

"No not at all, it was good actually. It's just that this is a family place and they kinda frown upon stuff like that."

"Right."

"Slide!" shouted Rory as she pointed to the twisty tunnel slide.

"Hey shall we ride the slide Rory?" asked Luke.

"Ha you rhymed!" said Lorelai grinning.

"I sometimes wonder how old you really are," he teased.

"You're the one that wants to go on the slide."

"Rory was the one that asked to go on it," he defended.

"And you were like, 'oh I'll go on the slide with you!' Any excuse to go on it without looking like a total dork."

"I don't sound like that," he growled.

"Who cares? You wanna go on the slide," she teased.

"If I'm going you're going."

"Fine, I'll go with Jess."

"Fine."

"Come on guys, we're going on the slide," said Lorelai enthusiastically.

"Slide!" shouted Jess and Rory simultaneously. They waded out of the pool of balls and helped Jess and Rory up the steps. When they reached the top of the slide, there was a short queue and Jess rushed to the front.

"Jess," called Luke as he went after him. He grabbed him and put him on his hip, apologising to the parents in front of him that were waiting. "You have to wait your turn."

"Jess wanna slide!" he protested.

"You can slide in a sec ok? Be patient."

"Jess do you wanna slide with Uncle Luke?" asked Lorelai. Jess shook his head. "Do you wanna go with me?"

"No Jess slide with Jess!"

"You wanna go by yourself?"

"Self."

"Ok then. I'll go down first so I can catch him at the bottom," she said to Luke. "You go down with Rory."

"Ok, sounds good to me." They reached the front of the queue and Lorelai positioned herself at the top of the slide. She looked over her shoulder at Luke's amused expression and pulled a funny face.

"Give me a push," she ordered. Luke gave her back a firm shove with his free hand as he watched her disappear into the tunnel. He waited till he saw her reach the bottom and sat Jess at the top.

"See ya at the bottom buddy," he said as he pushed Jess, softer than he had Lorelai. He heard Jess' delighted squeals as he got further down. Jess flew off the bottom of the slide and landed softly in the ball pool, laughing loudly. Lorelai plucked him from the pool and held him up.

"Did you enjoy that mister?"

"Again!"

"Ok let's wait for Luke and Rory to come down first." She turned towards the slide just in time to see Luke and Rory come hurtling towards them. He flew into her and the four of them ended up on top of each other, buried in the ball pool. Luckily, Jess and Rory ended up on top and were giggling loudly. "Ow!" complained Lorelai as Luke climbed off her.

"Sorry, are you hurt?" he asked in concern.

"I'm ok, warn me next time!" she said, playfully hitting his arm.

"I will, I'm sorry."

"We'd better move before someone else comes outta there." They moved the kids over to a safe place. "Did you enjoy that Rory?"

"Mmm," she hummed.

"Are you having a good birthday?" Rory smiled up at her brightly. "Again!" she shouted, pointing towards the slide.

Three whole hours later, they left finally left Chuck E Cheese. As they climbed into the car, Lorelai smiled at Luke.

"What?" he asked.

"You had fun today," she stated.

"Ah it was ok I suppose."

"Admit it; you were having the time of your life."

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he admitted.

"Ha I knew it! Caesar is so hearing about this."

"You tell him anything and I'll cut off your coffee supply," he threatened.

"You wouldn't," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You wanna try?"

"Fine, Caesar will think you had a crappy time and didn't ride the slide twelve times."

"Rory wanted to go on the slide," he defended.

"I know but she could have gone by herself."

"It's not safe."

"Ok Mr Protective."

"She could have gotten stuck in there or something."

"Ok, ok, I believe you. You rode the slide cause you wanted to protect Rory."

"That's correct."

"Ok now we have to go, I need to set up for Rory's party before she has her nap."

When they reached Stars Hollow, Luke pulled up outside the inn and held the door open for Lorelai. Luke took Jess and Lorelai took Rory as they ascended the steps up to the front door. Luke held it open for her then they walked over to Mia who was stood at the front desk.

"Hello," she greeted warmly.

"Hi Mia," said Lorelai jollily.

"Happy Birthday Rory," she cooed as she took her from Lorelai. "Where did you go? I didn't see you this morning."

"Oh we went to the diner for breakfast then to Chuck E Cheese."

"Lucas, you went to Chuck E Cheese?" asked Mia, surprised.

"Yeah uh, Lorelai forced me into it."

"Nah ah, Jess did!"

"Jess can't even speak in sentences never mind force me to do something I don't wanna do."

"Well he did."

"He was under your influence."

"And what a good influence I am. Luke had a really great time today," she told Mia with a grin.

"Did not."

"Did too! You should have seen him. He went on the slide with Rory twelve times."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Well it seems like you had fun," she smiled, looking at Luke's bowed head.

"It was fine," he shrugged.

"Is it okay for me to start setting things up for the party?" asked Lorelai.

"Well actually, I've already had the dining room staff do that."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, take a look." Mia led them into the dining room and Lorelai's mouth dropped open.

"Oh my," she gasped. There were banners all the way around the room, balloons tied to everything possible, a long table with a pink tablecloth on waiting to be filled with food and drinks, party poppers scattered around the room and a princess bouncy castle set up in the corner of the room. "Mia it's wonderful," said Lorelai in awe.

"If you go in the kitchen, Sookie should be just about finished with the cake."

"Sookie's making it?"

"Yup, she insisted. When I told the kitchen staff I needed a cake for Rory, she volunteered."

"I'll go see her. Will you be ok out here for a while?" she asked Luke.

"Yeah, we'll go to the potting shed in a little while."

"Ok." She disappeared into the kitchen and stopped when she saw Sookie. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed.

"Do you like it?" asked Sookie hopefully.

"Sook it's amazing!"

"Really?"

"Yeah you should enter some kind of cake decorating contest or something."

"So it's alright?"

"It's perfect, Rory's gonna love it," she beamed. "How did you do this?"

"This is my seventh attempt and hopefully my last."

"It's great," sighed Lorelai. The cake was a Cinderella's castle, the one you see at Disney World. Sookie had made individual Disney characters such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and the characters from Winnie the Pooh and put them so they surrounded the castle. She had made individual letters reading 'Happy Birthday Rory' and decorated them with pink frosting; they sat in front of the rest of the cake. "I can't believe you made this!"

"It's one of my better cakes. I wanted this day to be really special for you and Rory and I thought by making this cake, it'd help."

"It has helped, big time. It seems a shame to cut into it."

"I know."

"Where does the candle go?"

"Got it covered," answered Sookie as she stuck a single candle in the roof of the cake. "Perfect."

"It really is, thanks Sook," she said gratefully as she leant in to hug her.

"You're welcome." Lorelai smiled then made her way back out to the front desk.

"Have you seen that cake?" asked Lorelai as she approached Mia.

"It's quite something isn't it?"

"It's amazing!"

"Sookie is an excellent chef; I'm considering offering her a proper job here."

"Really?"

"Yes, Mark is leaving in a month, he handed his notice in this morning."

"What?"

"And Sookie is the only person I trust to do the job."

"You're gonna offer Sookie the job as head chef?" asked Lorelai, her mouth agape.

"I'm definitely thinking about it, she'd be perfect for the job."

"Oh my god this is so great!"

"Don't tell her though; I want it to be a surprise."

"Ok," agreed Lorelai. "I'm gonna go find Luke," she said as she began to walk away.

"Lorelai, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Let's talk in my office," she said as she gestured for Lorelai to go in. Lorelai immediately panicked. Had she done something wrong? Was Mia gonna fire her and kick her out of the potting shed? No she wouldn't do that would she? Thoughts and fears raced through Lorelai's head as she sat in the chair opposite Mia. She flashed her a nervous smile.

"So what's going on?"

"Relax Lorelai, you're not in trouble."

"Ok," she replied, taking a deep breath and loosening her shoulders a little.

"I want to talk to you about your performance at work." Lorelai swallowed thickly. "You are one of my hardest workers Lorelai, you work harder than most of the desk staff," she chuckled. "Now I know you like working afternoons because you get to spend the rest of the day with Rory but I want to propose something to you. My head maid is going on maternity leave next week, you know Marie?"

"Err yeah I know her."

"Right well she'll be gone for a year, meaning there'll be nobody in charge. I know you have only worked here couple of months but I trust that you'll handle the job adequately."

"You're giving me a promotion?" asked Lorelai in shock.

"Yes I am. There are some things I need to go over with you though, working hours, duties, pay, etc."

"Ok," replied Lorelai, unable to contain her excitement.

"At the moment you work twelve through till four, Monday to Thursday. This new job title will bring more hours. You will be expected to work from ten till four."

"Which days?"

"Well I understand Luke has Friday's off and you spend the day together."

"Yeah we do."

"Ok so you could work every day except Friday and Sunday if that's possible?"

"That's perfect," said Lorelai, amazed at the new opportunity.

"On Saturdays you can start at eleven and finish at three, meaning a little more time with Rory. As for pay, you will get a significant pay rise. Your current earnings of $9 per hour will increase to $18 and you will get bonuses during holidays etc. How is this sounding to you?" she asked, noticing Lorelai's astounded face.

"Err....I can't believe it."

"Are you going to accept my offer?"

"Of course I am!" she practically yelled, throwing herself at Mia and capturing her in a tight hug. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome dear. I know you have a baby to take care of and you need all the money you can get. This job will relieve some of the money worries you have. I know it's longer days and you're probably worried about leaving Rory for such a substantial amount of time every day but I won't mind if you want to take her with you while you work."

"Would that be ok?"

"Yes definitely. The job description doesn't change much; you're just in charge of the other maid's as well as going about your own duties."

"Ok."

"I will get Marie to train you up a bit on Thursday. That's the last day you will both be working together so she'll show you the ropes. Of course I would still like to take care of Rory on some afternoons while you work."

"Oh yeah, I know you love taking care of her."

"Ok so that's settled, as of next week, you are the head maid."

"I really can't believe how quickly this is all happening."

"Get used to it."

"Thanks Mia," she said as she hugged the older woman once again.

"You're welcome dear; I'll see you at the party."

"See ya." She left Mia's office wearing one of the biggest smiles in history and rushed to tell Luke the news.

**So there you have it. In the part where they were discussing her new pay rate, I had no idea how much American maids get paid seeing as I use English Pounds so sorry if it's inaccurate!! I hope you liked all the Luke/Lorelai/Jess/Rory stuff =D I've figured that you readers like it when they seem like a proper family so I decided to add in a little fun! The next chapter will be the party....maybe a little more, I haven't decided yet but I hope you forgive me if I take a while to update. Hopefully it shouldn't be too long! Don't forget to review, PLEASE! Who doesn't love reviews? =D**


	15. Love Is In The Air

**Chapter 15 is here!! I have the next two weeks off college so hopefully there should be some regular updates coming in :D Thanks to all the people who reviewed the last chapter, there were a lot of you and I really appreciate it!! Anyway, here's part two of Rory's birthday!**

By five o clock that evening, the party was in full swing. Music was playing, people were chatting, kids were bouncing and Lorelai was ecstatic. She was stood near the bouncy castle watching her daughter tackle Luke who was joining in with the fun.

"They look like they're having fun." Lorelai turned to see her mother standing next to her, gesturing to Rory and Luke.

"Mom, you came," she exclaimed as she threw her arms around her awkwardly.

"Of course we did," she replied, a little thrown off by Lorelai's act of affection. "We wouldn't miss our granddaughter's first birthday." Lorelai grinned widely.

"I can't believe she's a year old."

"I know, it doesn't seem two minutes since I found that note informing me you were in labour."

"Mom," said Lorelai softly.

"No Lorelai, it's in the past and that's where it should stay. All that matters is the here and now." Lorelai offered a half smile.

"Where's dad?" she asked, cutting through the silence that had fallen upon them.

"He's getting Rory's gift from the car."

"Ok." The silence washed over them again and Lorelai focussed on Luke and Rory. She glanced at Emily to see that she too was watching her boyfriend and daughter with interest.

"They look like they're having a good time," said Emily, her gaze never leaving her granddaughter.

"They are," replied Lorelai.

"Is Rory having a good day then?"

"Yeah she's having a blast. This morning Luke made us a special breakfast at the diner. He put balloons on Rory's high chair and made her a cake."

"Really?" Emily's curiosity peaked as she listened to Lorelai describe their day.

"Yeah then we took Rory and Jess to Chuck E Cheese."

"Jess?"

"Luke's nephew, he's a few months older than Rory," she explained.

"Well it sounds like you've all had a good day."

"We have, I have something else to tell you but I'll wait till dad's here too."

"Oh is it something important?"

"Yeah but it can wait till dad comes in."

"Very well." Luke strode over to the two, panting heavily.

"Hey are you ok?" asked Lorelai, laughing slightly.

"That daughter of yours has a lot of energy," he said between breaths. "Hey Emily," he greeted.

"Hello Luke, are you having fun?"

"Yeah, Rory seems to be too."

"I saw the two of you," she informed, a small smile pursing her lips.

"Where is Rory?" asked Lorelai.

"Patty took her, poor kid," said Luke with a shake of his head.

"Oh I'll get her in a minute so you can see her," she said to Emily. Richard approached carrying a large box and a smaller one. "Hey dad," greeted Lorelai as he set the gifts on the floor.

"Hello Lorelai. Luke, my boy!" he greeted as he put his hand on Luke's shoulder and pulled him away from the girls.

"I think dad likes Luke better than me," she pouted.

"Oh he likes having a man to talk to," dismissed Emily. "Now what's this news you have to tell us?"

"Get dad back over here," she demanded. "Dad," she shouted as Richard turned to look at her.

"What?" he asked as him and Luke approached.

"I have some news for you guys," started Lorelai as she put her arm around Luke's back and he did the same.

"Oh my god, you're pregnant," said Emily in complete shock. Lorelai narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

"No mom, I'm not pregnant." Emily visibly relaxed. "It's good to know you have such a high opinion of me."

"Well what am I supposed to think?"

"You could let me finish," suggested Lorelai.

"Right well go ahead."

"I had a chat with Mia today and she gave me a promotion," she exclaimed excitedly.

"A promotion?" asked Richard, intrigued.

"Yeah, I am now the head maid!"

"That's fantastic Lorelai; you've only been working here a couple of months."

"I know, Mia said I was her hardest worker and she needed someone to take over when her current head maid goes on maternity leave."

"I'm so proud of you," said Richard as he stepped forward to wrap his arms around Lorelai.

"Thanks dad," she said gratefully. She looked over at Emily who hadn't said a word since she revealed her news. "Mom?" she asked sheepishly.

"Emily, our daughter has been promoted," said Richard happily.

"Yes I heard," said Emily simply.

"Well ok then," mumbled Lorelai.

"Err....can I get you two a drink?" asked Luke.

"I'll have a martini please," requested Emily quickly.

"Oh we're not serving alcohol with it being a party for one year old," informed Luke. "We have apple cider or coke? Or if you want a hot drink there's coffee, tea or hot chocolate?"

"Coffee then please."

"Ok, Richard?"

"Coke for me please."

"Ok one coke and Emily, do you want milk and sugar in your coffee?"

"Just milk please," she said bluntly. Luke nodded.

"Lorelai do you want another drink?"

"No I'm fine thanks," she said with a smile. He scurried off to the drinks table as Richard looked at his surroundings.

"Where's Rory?"

"Oh the town gossips have her, I'll go get her," said Lorelai as she scampered away from her parents. "Patty," called Lorelai as she approached her.

"Hi Lorelai, this is a great party," she complimented as she bounced Rory in her lap, surrounded by a bunch of women from the town.

"Thanks."

"And this girl is so sweet," she cooed. "I never wanna put her down!"

"Well could I borrow her for just a second? My parents wanna say happy birthday."

"Oh sure, if you don't bring her back we'll hunt you down," she joked.

"Ok I'll have her back in a half an hour tops," she said as she lifted Rory from Patty's lap.

"Mama!" said Rory hyperactively.

"Looks like someone's been feeding you sugar," she teased as she approached her parents and Luke. "Here's the birthday girl," said Lorelai as she passed her over to Emily.

"Hello Rory," she said softly. "Happy birthday."

"Emily can I hold her?" asked Richard as he held his arms out. Rory leant into his arms and grinned when her grandfather lifted her up to him. "Hello sweetheart," he said as he left a light kiss on her forehead. "Happy first birthday." Lorelai smiled at Luke who was gazing affectionately at Rory.

"We'll leave her with you for a while," said Lorelai as she took Luke's hand and pulled him away.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," called Mia over the crowd. "Can I have your attention please?" Everyone turned to look at her. "Sookie St. James presents to you; Rory's birthday cake." Everyone watched as Sookie led the way out of the kitchen followed by three waiters carrying the cake between them. Loud gasps could be heard throughout the room as they admired it and Sookie beamed proudly. Lorelai bounced over to Sookie and hugged her tightly, squealing loudly.

"It's soooo amazing Sook, I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, it's Rory's birthday. Where is Rory? I wanna show her."

"My parents have her; I'll get them to bring her over." She reappeared a couple of minutes later with her mother who was gaping at the cake before her.

"Wow that is quite something, Sookie did you make this?"

"Yes Mrs Gilmore," admitted Sookie, unable to contain her proud smile.

"It's absolutely wonderful; I might have to hire you for some of our functions at the DAR."

"Oh that sounds...." They were cut off by Rory.

"Ookie!" she squealed excitedly as she held her arms out to her. Sookie took her from Emily and smiled at her. Emily walked away from the girls to find Richard.

"Hey sweetie," she cooed. "Do you like your cake?" she asked as she held Rory closer to it. She reached her small hand out to it.

"Mmm," she hummed.

"I'll take that as a yes, I made it especially for you."

"Rory say thank you Sookie," said Lorelai.

"Taku Ookie," she said happily.

"Aww you're just so cute! Can I keep her?" Sookie asked Lorelai.

"Well not forever, she's mine!" she teased. "You can babysit if you like."

"Really, when?"

"How's Thursday night?"

"Sounds perfect, we'll have so much fun won't we Ror?"

"Mmm," she agreed.

"Where are you going on Thursday then?"

"I don't know yet. I'll ask Luke if he wants to hang out."

"Ooh you guys are gonna 'hang out'," she said excitedly.

"Not in front of Rory," she scolded. "I'll give her to Patty and we'll talk ok?"

"Can't wait, meet me in the kitchen," she called as Lorelai walked off with Rory in tow. She made her way to the kitchen after she had made sure Rory was ok with Miss Patty, Babette, Mia and Gypsy and sat down next to Sookie who was waiting for her.

"So Thursday night," said Lorelai.

"Yup, are you gonna...." Sookie trailed off.

"I wanna," she admitted quietly.

"Does Luke not want to?"

"I don't know Sook. There's something I didn't tell you," began Lorelai.

"You remember the night before I went to the courthouse with my dad to apply for a restraining order?"

"Yeah, Luke stayed over didn't he?"

"Yeah he did. Anyway, he came out of the bathroom and I practically jumped him. We ended up on my bed and just as I was about to take it further, he stopped me."

"Really?" Lorelai nodded. "Wow, I thought guys were all for it."

"Luke's different, he respects me. Sometimes I think he's too respectful. That night I was ready, I wanted to go all the way with him but when he stopped it, it kinda threw me off."

"Has anything else happened since?"

"Well the night after that, when I got home after he babysat for me, there was a pretty heated moment."

"Spill," said Sookie excitedly.

"I was on the couch; he was sat next to me and he started rubbing my...."

"Oh my god!" shouted Sookie.

"Thigh Sookie, he started rubbing my thigh," she corrected.

"Oh, carry on."

"So I seemed to be getting really, um, turned on by it and I asked him to touch me, you know..."

"Did he?" asked Sookie, sitting on the edge of her seat. Lorelai just nodded. "Oh my god, was it good?"

"So good," she said, emphasising the 'so'.

"Wow, why didn't you tell me? This happened weeks ago!"

"Sorry," she apologised.

"So have you guys done anything since?"

"Nothing like that, we've made out and stuff but we haven't been to that level since that night."

"Have you talked to Luke about it?" Lorelai shook her head. "You should."

"It's kind of a touchy subject."

"Ha, that's ironic," joked Sookie. "Do you want to go to that level again?"

"Definitely," she said confidently.

"And on Thursday night can you see yourself having sex with Luke?"

"Sookie!" scolded Lorelai. "There are other people in this kitchen besides us!"

"Sorry. Can you though; are you really ready for that?"

"I really, really am."

"Then talk to Luke, or just jump him randomly. Either way, you'll probably have positive results."

"I think I'll talk to him, the jumping thing didn't go so well last time."

"Ok, talk to him tonight, after the party."

"Right, after the party," Lorelai sighed. "My girl's growing up."

"She's only one," said Sookie.

"But she's out of the month stages now, she's in the years."

"She's so clever," said Sookie.

"I have no idea where she got those genes."

"Probably from your dad," Sookie shrugged.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about him. Anyway, let's go see my baby; I wanna go on the bouncy castle!" The girls made their way back out to the party and scoped the room for the whereabouts of Rory. They approached the group of townspeople Lorelai had left Rory with but saw she wasn't there. "Hey guys," she greeted.

"Hey Lorelai, hey Sookie. That cake is amazing by the way," complimented Patty.

"Thanks Patty," beamed Sookie.

"Where's Rory?" asked Lorelai as her eyes scoped the room.

"She had a diaper situation so Luke went to take care of it," informed Mia.

"Luke did?"

"Yeah, that's a good man you've got there," said Babette. "You make sure you hold onto him, there aren't many like that."

"I will, thanks guys." Lorelai turned to Sookie. "I'll be back in a bit ok?" Sookie nodded as Lorelai made her way out to the potting shed. She pushed the handle and stepped into the room to find Luke redressing Rory. "Hey," she said quietly. "You didn't have to do that."

"No big deal," he shrugged. "I didn't know where you were so I took care of it."

"Well thanks." She walked over to him as he picked up Rory and put her on his hip. "Are you having a good birthday sweets?"

"My biday!"

"Yes it is your birthday," cooed Lorelai. "Do you know how old you are today?" Rory looked at her in confusion. "You're one!"

"On."

"Are you having a good time?" Luke asked Lorelai

"Yeah, are you?"

"So, so."

"Don't act all nonchalant, I saw you on the bouncy castle," she teased. "You were having fun."

"Ok, I was having fun."

"Like you were at Chuck E Cheese earlier."

"Can we stop talking about that please?"

"What? Nobody else is around."

"It's just embarrassing."

"No it's not."

"Well don't mention it to Babette or Patty; I'll never hear the end of it."

"Ok," she agreed with a roll of her eyes. "Should we get back to the party?"

"Just stay in here for a little while," he said as he put Rory on the floor. He pulled Lorelai into his arms and kissed her softly before pulling back to look at her. "I've been wanting to do that all afternoon," he said quietly.

"I'm glad you got the chance," she replied before leaning in again.

"Dada!" shouted Rory, interrupting them. They pulled away from each other and looked down at her.

"I forgot she was here," he said as he pulled his arms away from their place on Lorelai's back.

"Come on Mrs," said Lorelai as she lifted her daughter up. "We'd better get you back to the party or else Miss Patty's gonna be mad at mommy." They left the potting shed and Luke locked the door before they walked back up to the inn.

Later in the afternoon, Luke and Lorelai were sat in the corner of the dining room on the couch. They were completely lost in each other, forgetting about their surroundings as they talked and laughed together.

"Do you think Rory's having a good day?" asked Lorelai as she toyed with the buttons on Luke's shirt, her legs draped over his lap.

"Of course she is," he replied, running his hand through her hair softly. "What made you think she wasn't?"

"I don't know, I just want everything to be perfect today."

"It is, I mean look at the place, it's amazing. And Rory seems to really love that cake; I've had to stop her from reaching for it three times already."

"It's a really great cake."

"I know, Sookie's a brilliant chef."

"Could give you a run for your money," she commented.

"I don't think pancakes, burgers and fries match up to Disney birthday cakes."

"You're a great cook too though; those lamb chops you make are so good."

"Thank you," he said as he kissed her cheek. "I'll have to make them for you again."

"Yes you will," she replied, turning her head so her lips touched his. She pulled back a few seconds later and smiled at him sweetly. "You're good at that too."

"Oh I know," he said smugly. "You're not too bad yourself."

"Together we could set fireworks off."

"We're good, but we're not that good," he chuckled.

"Oh I don't know, we're pretty talented."

"Ok crazy lady, are you sure you haven't been drinking?" he joked.

"Not one drop."

"Maybe it's all those chocolate cakes you've been eating all afternoon."

"What chocolate cakes?" she asked innocently.

"Oh gee I don't know, maybe the ones you've been sneaking in the kitchen for all afternoon."

She gasped, "For your information, I've been going in the kitchen to see Sookie!"

"Well that's weird, Sookie's been sat over there with Babette and Gypsy all afternoon."

"What?" she asked, still trying to keep up the innocent act. "Oh I give in; I was sneaking into the kitchen for chocolate cake. There are you happy now I've confessed."

"I was happy before crazy lady."

"Good, so was I burger boy," she replied as she kissed him again. He pulled away and raised his eyebrow at her.

"Don't start with the burger boy thing again."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"I'm not gonna be one of those women who let's their man tell them what to do."

"Why can't you just call me Luke?"

"Because burger boy is so much better."

"For you maybe."

"You know you're my burger boy," she said quietly, leaning in to kiss him.

Emily watched the two from the other side of the room. She was in a world of her own, the wheels turning in her head and she watched her daughter and Luke all over each other. She didn't even realise that Miss Patty had come to stand next to her, looking in the direction she was. Emily finally snapped out of her day dream when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hi, you must be Lorelai's mother," greeted Patty.

"Yes I am and you are?"

"I'm Patricia, but I go by Miss Patty. I own the dance studio in town."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you," said Emily shortly before she turned her gaze back to Lorelai and Luke. "So you live in Stars Hollow?" she asked.

"Yes, have done for a long time," replied Patty.

"So do you know things, about townspeople?"

"I know all there is to know."

"What can you tell me about Luke?" asked Emily eagerly.

"Well I know a fair bit about Luke, what do you want to know?"

"What's his reputation like?"

"He's reserved, doesn't open up to people a lot. I think that started in his senior year of high school."

"Really, what was he like before?"

"He was so happy, strong and he was good at everything he did."

"What caused him to close up?" she asked curiously.

"Well Luke had this girlfriend, Rachel. They were really close, spent almost every hour of the day together. They were gonna get married," said Patty dreamily.

"Married?" asked Emily in shock. Did Lorelai know about this? "What happened?"

"Rachel left, Luke didn't even know she was leaving."

"Really?"

"He was heartbroken, I've never seen him so down."

"When was this?"

"Rachel left about a year ago."

"Wow."

"I know and then his dad died. It was awful. Luke was so crushed, he'd lost both his parents by then and he didn't know what to do. He kept to himself, hardly ever talked to anyone, put on a strong front when he did and lived alone."

"That's awful, that can't have been a good year for him."

"It was the worst. The anniversary of his dad's death is coming up next month too, it's gonna be hard."

"I can't even begin to imagine." Emily thought for a second before she turned to Patty again. "So is there anything else about Luke I should know? Like bad things?"

"Bad things?"

"Does he have a bad temper; is he reckless, things like that?"

"Luke is one of the nicest teens I know, I admit he has a temper on him but he wouldn't hurt a fly." She looked over at Luke and Lorelai in the corner again. "If you're worried about Lorelai and Rory, you have absolutely nothing to fret about. Luke would never hurt them, he cares for them."

"They seem happy," commented Emily.

"I think they're in love." Emily's head snapped up.

"You think they love each other?" she asked in disbelief.

"I think so. The way they look at each other, they have that gleam in their eyes. The one that shows how happy they are together."

"Do you think they've said it to each other?"

"I'm not sure."

"Do you think they've slept together?"

"I have no idea; they're very secretive about their relationship."

"Surely you must know something."

"I know they've had sleepovers, Luke has stayed at Lorelai's and Lorelai at Luke's."

"Really, are you sure?" asked Emily, determined to get to the bottom of this thing with her daughter and the diner owner.

"I saw Lorelai leave Luke's apartment one morning."

"Oh no," said Emily frantically. "They're having sex," she whispered.

"Now you don't know that."

"It's blindingly obvious," said Emily is exasperation. "They've been staying at each other's homes, which indicates that something has happened."

"I know for a fact that Luke respects Lorelai, he wouldn't do anything she didn't want to. Have you talked to her about this?"

"The day after we found Rory, she told me she wasn't sleeping with him."

"Did you believe her?"

"I don't know, I didn't know what to believe. But that was weeks ago, anything could have happened since then."

"Maybe you should talk to her again."

"It'd be too awkward."

"Then you'll never know." Emily let out a huge sigh as she watched Luke and Lorelai. "Luke is one of the best guys Lorelai could have chosen, you don't have anything to worry about. He loves her and he loves Rory." Emily watched as Patty walked off.

"He loves Rory," she whispered to herself.

Lorelai looked into Luke's eyes affectionately as he stared back into hers. Neither of them said anything, they were just enjoying being together. Finally, Lorelai broke the silence.

"What are you doing Thursday evening?"

"Nothing that I know of, why?"

"Wanna hang out?"

"Sure, will Rory be there?" Lorelai shook her head.

"Sookie wants to babysit so it's just you and me."

"Sounds good, what did you have in mind?"

"My place, cheesy movie, popcorn....sound ok?"

"I don't care what we do, as long as we're together."

"You just know when to say the right things don't you?" she asked, leaning in to peck his lips.

"We should go talk to people, we've kinda isolated ourselves over here," he said as he shifted her legs so he could stand.

"But I like being with you like this," she pouted.

"Let's find Rory, I'm sure she wants to open her presents."

"Ooh presents!" squealed Lorelai. "I'll give you three guesses at where she is."

"Bouncy castle," he said automatically. "I'll go get her, you round people up."

"Ok everyone can I have your attention please?" called Lorelai. The crowd quietened and all the attention was on Lorelai. "It's time for presents!" she exclaimed. Luke brought Rory over and sat her on the floor in between him and Lorelai as other townies sat around them. "Ok sweets, here's your first present."

"That's from us," said Emily as she watched Rory admire the wrapping paper covering the large box. Lorelai helped Rory rip it open the tossed the paper aside. They found a plain cardboard box. "Look inside," said Emily. Lorelai stood Rory up then opened the box to reveal the contents.

"Oh mom," she said quietly.

"What's in the box?" shouted one of the townspeople.

"I want Rory to have it; I know you loved that dollhouse."

"It's great, thank you."

"Rory are you gonna say thank you to grandma and grandpa?"

"Taku!" said Rory happily.

"You're welcome sweetheart," said Emily softly. "Obviously she won't be able to play with it yet, some of the parts are quite small but at least you know you have it."

"It's really great mom, thanks." She smiled then picked up the next present.

"That's from just me," said Richard as Rory tugged at the wrapping paper. Lorelai pushed it aside and Rory held it up in the air.

"Book," she said knowingly.

"Do you like it Rory?" asked Richard.

"Mmm."

"That means yes," informed Lorelai. "She hasn't quite gotten to grips with the word 'yes' yet."

"Well I'm glad she likes it."

"She'll make me read it to her tonight."

"At least it'll get some use."

"Thanks dad." They moved onto the other presents. Rory opened Mia's, Sookie's, Miss Patty's, Babette's, Gypsy's, Andrew's, Kirk's and Taylor's as well as other people's from the party. Most of them were clothes and toys and Rory seemed very happy with them all. Finally, there was one present left. Lorelai looked at the tag and saw 'Love Luke' written in Luke's scrawl.

"That's from me," he said as Rory began to rip the paper off, having gotten used to the process.

"I can see that," she said with a smile. Rory threw the paper away to reveal a small box. Lorelai opened it and pulled out a piece of paper folded into quarters. "What is this?" she asked.

"Open it," he ordered. She began to unfold it as Rory watched curiously, trying to peek at what was inside. She opened it fully to find blue prints for the potting shed.

"Luke, what's going on?"

"You see this here?" he asked, as he pointed to a room on the page.

"Yeah."

"That's gonna be Rory's room."

"You mean..."

"I'm building Rory her own bedroom," he finished, smiling at her. She sat for half a minute or so processing the information.

"Luke this is....it's too much," she said.

"No it's not. Rory's getting older now and soon she's gonna want some privacy. I just thought this would be a good idea," he shrugged.

"It's a great idea."

"I'm glad."

"Say thank you, Rory."

"Taku dada!" she exclaimed as she toddled to him and fell into him, wrapping his arms around her. Luke chuckled as he eyes found his.

"You're welcome sweetie."

"Ok that's it for presents!" said Lorelai as people began to spread out around the room again. She began to gather the discarded wrapping paper and put it into a bag.

"So do you like it?" asked Luke as she stood up to meet his height.

"It's really, really great," she said sincerely. "You don't have to build Rory a room though."

"I want to, this was my idea remember?"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive, she needs her own space. I'll probably hire some experts to make sure everything's ok anyway."

"Thank you," she said, leaning in to kiss him lightly.

"No problem."

Shortly after the presents were opened, Sookie lit the candle on the cake and everyone gathered round. Mia took pictures, as requested by Lorelai. The crowd burst into 'Happy Birthday', all singing at the tops of their voices then Rory blew out her candles, with some help from Lorelai. Rory was swimming in attention and she was loving it. Lorelai had never seen her so happy and that on it's own made the day special. The cake was cut and distributed to the guests. Everyone shut their eyes when Sookie was about to cut into the cake but she stopped and exclaimed that she couldn't bring herself to do it. One of the kitchen staff successfully demolished it and handed a piece to everyone before the party got back into swing again.

By nine o clock, most people had left and there were just a few townies scattered around the room. There was Babette and Patty still sat gossiping, Kirk was on the bouncy castle with Rory, Emily and Richard were getting ready to leave and Luke, Lorelai and Mia were tidying up a bit.

"Lorelai we're leaving," said Richard. She turned to look at her mother and father and smiled.

"Thanks for coming," she replied as she kissed her dad's cheek and gave Emily a hug.

"It was quite a party."

"Wasn't it? I'm exhausted," sighed Lorelai.

"Well we'll see you on Friday," said Emily. "Bye Lorelai, Bye Luke."

"Do you wanna say bye to Rory?" asked Luke.

"It's ok, she looks like she's having fun," she said, gesturing to her and Kirk. "See you Friday." Emily and Richard left the inn.

"You should go to bed," said Luke as he saw how restless Lorelai looked.

"I'm ok, I wanna help tidy up."

"It's ok dear, if you wanna go to bed you can," interrupted Mia.

"No it's fine."

"I'm going to leave most of this till the morning anyway. My cleaning staff can help, that's what I'm paying them for."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. You can go too Luke."

"Don't worry about me," he said.

"Nonsense, you should get some sleep as well."

"Thanks Mia."

"Lorelai?" She turned around to see Kirk stood behind her.

"What's up Kirk?"

"Rory's fallen asleep on the bouncy castle," he said, pointing to Rory.

"Oh," said Lorelai with a laugh when she saw her daughter sprawled out. "Thanks Kirk, you should go home."

"I will, thanks for inviting me."

"You're welcome."

"I'll get her," offered Luke as he went to retrieve Rory.

"Come on ladies, time to go home," said Lorelai to Miss Patty and Babette.

"Oh it was a great party doll, really enjoyed it," said Babette.

"Thanks, I'm glad you had a good time." Luke came over with Rory laid in his arms.

"Aww look at her," said Patty in awe. "She must be worn out."

"It's past her bedtime," said Lorelai.

"Anyway, goodnight." They watched as the two women left the inn then turned to each other.

"Come on, time for you to go to bed," said Luke as he followed her out to the potting shed. "Shall I change Rory?" he asked once they were inside.

"Nah you'll wake her up, just put her in the crib."

"Do you want me to stay over tonight?" he asked as he finished tucking Rory in.

"If you want to, you don't have to," she said tiredly.

"I will," he replied. He watched as she flung herself down on the bed and closed her eyes. "Hey, you need to change," he said as he pulled her up by her arm.

"Hmm," she groaned.

"Come on, it won't take a second." Luke gave her her pyjamas and stripped off his flannel, leaving just his t shirt underneath. He took his jeans off and sat on the bed in his t shirt and boxers. As she changed in front of him, he reached for his jeans and pulled out an envelope. "I have something else for Rory," he said as she sat down next to him.

"What is it?"

"Another present for her," he said, handing her the envelope.

"You didn't have to get her anything else Luke, you've done enough already."

"This is important," he said quietly. "I didn't wanna give you it in front of everybody else so I thought I'd wait till after the party." She looked down at the envelope in her hands and ran her finger over the seal.

"Is it money?" she asked.

"Kind of," he replied. "Open it." She slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the small book that read 'Bank of America' on the front.

"What is this?" she asked.

"I've set up a trust fund for Rory," informed Luke. "I know you really want her to go to Harvard so I did a little research and I'll tell you, college isn't cheap. And there's another seventeen years till Rory goes to college so the tuition will have gone up by then. This is a college fund for her. Each month I'm gonna put $50 into this account for her to use for college."

"Luke," said Lorelai softly.

"Let me finish," he requested. "I don't want the opportunity of going to college to pass her by. We know she's gonna be smart enough to go so we have no problem there but by having this money, it means she's sorted out. She'll have the chance to get a proper education. By the time she's eighteen there'll be $10,000 in that fund, plus interest."

"I can't believe this," said Lorelai, tears running down her cheeks. She leant forward to hug him tightly. "You really love Rory."

"Of course I do," he replied. He pulled the sheets over them and lay back against the pillows, pulling Lorelai down with him. She lay there looking at him, wondering how she got so lucky. "I really love you too," he said quietly. Her expression changed into shock and Luke immediately regretted saying anything.

"You do?" she asked, stunned.

"Err...it doesn't matter, just forget I said anything."

"I love you too," she finally said. The words had been waiting to be said for weeks but neither of them had the guts to say anything in case the other didn't feel the same way.

"Really?" he stuttered.

"Yeah, really." He smiled at her and kissed her lingeringly.

"Go to sleep," he said as he slipped his arm around her. Silence fell over the room until Lorelai cut through it.

"Luke can I talk to you about something?" she asked, remembering the conversation she had with Sookie earlier in the day. When she got no reply she looked at him to see that he was sleeping. She sighed and whispered, "Another time then," before she fell asleep herself.

**Haaahaa, a little love at the end there :D I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it was just really fun!! I was at work today planning out what I wanted to write in it but when I got to the computer, all the thoughts disappeared....but I salvaged them! I hope you enjoyed it and please review.**

**Emily.**


	16. Kirk's Crush

**Oh look!! Another update. What's that....the second in three days?? I'm getting better haha. So there's really no point to this chapter, not that I can see anyway. It's just a lot of random conversations all put together to make a chapter really....I hope it's not too boring and I promise to think of something better for the next one :D **

Luke woke up blissfully happy the next morning; Lorelai was snuggled close to him exactly the way she was when they fell asleep, her head on his shoulder, her hair tickling his cheek. He breathed in the smell of her hair, the scent of her shampoo lingering. He didn't want to move. He was so peaceful, so relaxed, but he had to open the diner. He glanced at the clock to see it was five thirty; he had to open the diner at six. He looked down at Lorelai's sleeping form and tried to figure out a way of getting out of bed without waking her. He shuffled carefully, supporting her with his arms as he slid out from under her and laid her on the bed. He breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't stir then stood up and put the sheets over her. He turned around to pick up his clothes from the day before that he had left in a pile on the floor and shrugged into his flannel.

"Luke?" he heard as he was buttoning it up.

"Hey," he said softly. "Go back to sleep."

"Come back to bed," pleaded Lorelai.

"I have to open the diner."

"Can't Caesar or Ben open?"

"It's my turn; I'd feel bad if I made them do it."

"But wouldn't you feel bad about leaving me alone in this bed?"

"I'm sure you'll survive."

"But it feels cold without you."

"Put a jumper on."

"Luke!" she whined. He rolled his eyes and went to sit on the bed next to her. She attempted to pull the sheets over him but her stopped her.

"I'm sorry, I've gotta do my job," he said as he brushed her hair away from her pouting face.

"I know, I just wanna lay here with you for a while, no distractions."

"We can on Friday," he promised.

"Really?"

"Well I have the day off, you have the day off, we can sleep in."

"I can't wait."

"Me either, now go back to sleep," he said, leaving a light kiss on her forehead.

"Is that the best you've got?" she joked. He smirked and leant closer to her.

"I've got a lot more than that," he said gruffly.

"Really, care to share it with me?"

"Hmm," he thought for a second. "Nope," he grinned as he kissed her forehead again. She pouted when he got up and pulled his jeans on. "Come in the diner for breakfast ok?"

"That depends, will there be coffee?"

"When isn't there coffee?"

"Then I'll be there."

"So you're only coming for the coffee, the fact that I'm there doesn't bother you?"

"Nope, I'll be there purely for the coffee."

"I'm hurt," he joked as he held a hand to his heart.

"Now you know how I feel."

"What did I do?"

"You won't give me a proper goodbye kiss."

"I'm saving it."

"For when?"

"Breakfast at the diner. Will you be there?"

"I will now," she grinned.

"Good, I'll see you about nine."

"Nine thirty," she corrected.

"Right, bye," he said, stepping out of the door.

"Luke?" she called, not quite loud enough to wake Rory.

"Yeah?" he asked, poking his head back in.

"I love you," she said sheepishly. A wide smile spread across his face.

"Love you too," he replied. He smiled one last time before he left the potting shed and headed for the diner.

When he reached the diner, he saw Kirk stood outside knocking on the door. He parked his truck and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"What are you doing Kirk?" he growled.

"Luke there you are," replied Kirk, his voice jumping a little at Luke's annoyed tone.

"What are you doing?" he repeated.

"Well the diner wasn't open."

"So you thought you'd bang on the door till someone came out?"

"Yes, I want some eggs."

"Kirk, did you not realise when nobody responded to your constant knocking that there was nobody to respond to it?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kirk, genuine confusion taking over him.

"Kirk damn it."

"I want my eggs!"

"I was out ok?"

"Really? You never go out."

"Why do you think I'm stood out here?" asked Luke in annoyance. "Obviously I'm not home cause I'm stood right in front of you!"

"I want my eggs," repeated Kirk.

"For god's sake," complained Luke. "Move." He pushed his way to the door and began to unlock the door.

"Why are you in a bad mood Luke?"

"I'm annoyed."

"If anyone should be in a bad mood it's me. The diner was supposed to open at six."

"It's two minutes past!" shouted Luke in exasperation.

"I should have had my eggs two minutes ago."

"Sit down and shut up."

"Some of us have to go to school you know."

"Yes in two damn hours! Now sit down and wait for me to make your eggs." Luke stalked into the kitchen leaving Kirk speechless. When he returned, he found Kirk was sat at the counter. He put his eggs in front of him and Kirk gave him an appreciative smile.

"Thank you Luke." Luke just nodded before he turned to make a pot of coffee. "Luke?"

"What Kirk?" he snapped.

"You know Lorelai?"

"Yes, I know Lorelai."

"She's nice."

"Yes she is," agreed Luke.

"Pretty," said Kirk quietly.

"Yes she is," said Luke again, a smug smile on his face that went unnoticed by Kirk.

"Luke?" asked Kirk.

"Yes Kirk."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Ok..."

"Do you think Lorelai would go out with me?" Luke tried his best to stifle his laughter, Kirk obviously didn't know about Luke and Lorelai's relationship.

"I don't know Kirk," he replied, trying to keep a straight face.

"Do you think she's outta my league?"

"I don't know Kirk."

"I know she has a kid but I was playing with it yesterday and it seemed ok," he shrugged.

"It?" asked Luke.

"The kid," Kirk confirmed.

"You mean she?"

"Ah it, she, what's the difference?"

"Kirk, if you want a girl to go out with you, don't refer to her kid as 'it'."

"Why not?"

"You've got a lot of learning to do," he said as he shook his head.

"What's her kid's name anyway?"

"Rory."

"And how old is this Rory?"

"You were at her first birthday party yesterday Kirk."

"And?"

"Oh my god," breathed Luke. "She's one."

"Right, I wonder what mother would say."

"Say about what?"

"Me going out with Lorelai." Luke tried not to laugh again at the idea of Kirk and Lorelai together.

"Are you going to ask her out?" he asked.

"Who mother?"

"Lorelai," corrected Luke, his patience wearing thin.

"I'm planning on it. Does she come in the diner?"

"Usually for breakfast."

"What time?"

"About nine thirty."

"Oh I have school."

"She'll probably be in at six for dinner."

"Ok I'll be in at six," he said as he stood up. "Thanks for breakfast and the advice."

"You're welcome Kirk."

"Bye." Luke chuckled as Kirk left the diner. It was gonna be fun watching Lorelai's reaction later that day.

At exactly nine thirty, Lorelai breezed into the diner and took a seat at the counter. She looked around for Luke but he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Hey Caesar," she called.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Luke?"

"Store room."

"Thanks." She stood from her stool and snuck behind the curtain. "Hey," she said as she entered.

"Jeez you scared me," jumped Luke.

"Sorry."

"What are you doing back here?"

"Caesar said you were back here so I thought I'd come see you."

"Well hi."

"Hi," she smiled as she stepped towards him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "Do I get my kiss now?" she asked.

"God yes." He crushed his lips against hers and kissed her greedily. He heard a satisfied moan come from Lorelai and pulled away to look her in the eye.

"Wow, that was so worth the wait."

"Thanks," he grinned. "Where's Rory?"

"With Mia, she said she didn't get to see her much yesterday so she asked if she could take care of her for a few hours."

"So are you gonna stay here for a while?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Definitely, the mid morning lull's about to start."

"Just on time."

"I'd say so," he agreed as he went to kiss her again.

"Can I talk to you about something?" she asked before he could reach her lips.

"Err yeah sure, is everything ok?"

"Yeah I just wanna talk. Can we go upstairs?"

"Yeah, I'll just tell Caesar. You go up, the doors unlocked."

"Ok." When Luke reached the door to his apartment, he took a deep breath. He was really curious about what Lorelai wanted to talk to him about but part of him didn't want to know. What if she was gonna break up with him? He didn't want that to happen and he doubted it would, especially after they confessed their love to each other for the first time the night before. He stepped into the apartment and saw her sat at the table in the kitchen. He sat next to her and turned to look at her.

"So what's up?" he asked shakily.

"Well....." She had been planning this conversation out in her head all morning but now it had come to telling him, she couldn't for the life of her remember what she was going to say.

"Well...." he repeated.

"Erm...."

"What's going on?"

"Sorry, I'm just kinda nervous."

"Why? What do you have to be nervous about?"

"Talking about this, it's a little awkward."

"Talking about what?" asked Luke, completely confused. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye.

"Luke...I...." she stammered.

"Are you breaking up with me?" he asked abruptly.

"What?" she asked, taken aback.

"Is that what's going on here?"

"Luke no, I'm not breaking up with you ok? I would never do that!"

"Then what's this about?"

"I can't believe you thought I was breaking up with you. What I want to talk to you about is the total opposite to breaking up," she said softly.

"Just tell me," he pleaded.

"Ok, erm....do you remember the night before I went to the courthouse with dad?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember what we did when we got home from dinner?"

"Yeah."

"But you stopped us even though I told you I was ready?"

"Lorelai what's this about?" he asked.

"God men are so clueless," she said with a shake of her head. "I want to have sex with you Luke," she revealed bluntly.

"Wow that was a little forward."

"It was the only way to get it into your thick skull," she joked. He looked into her eyes seriously and her smile faded slightly. "We've known each other for almost two months and I think things are going well."

"They are, they're going so well," he assured.

"Ok then, I just thought that maybe it was time we took the next step."

"Are you sure cause I don't wanna rush you."

"You're not rushing me, I'm rushing you."

"No you're not."

"Well it seems that way. Every time I give you the opportunity you turn it down. Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, Lorelai it's not you."

"So what's going on?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I really want to....you know, too but every time we get close I just can't."

"You mean you can't um..." she gestured to his jeans.

"No believe me, I can do that fine," he chuckled. "I don't know what it is; I think I'm just scared you know?"

"Scared of what?"

"Of hurting you, I guess."

"You could never hurt me."

"I could," he said firmly. "It's not just that. I'm scared that I won't be very good and you won't wanna be with me anymore," he admitted quietly.

"Luke," she said softly. "You know I'm not shallow, I'd never dump you because of sex."

"Rachel left didn't she?"

"You think that's why she left?"

"I don't know, there had to be some reason."

"I doubt it was that Luke," she said as she ran her hand up and down his arm. "I have no doubt that you'll be good at it, have you seen you?" she said light-heartedly. Anyway, you don't know until you try right?"

"Are you positive you wanna do it?" he asked.

"Absolutely," she confirmed with a nod.

"If that's what you want, we can."

"Thank you," she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Are you free now?"

"It has to be more special than this; I don't want our first time to be a quickie while I'm on my break," he said. "Why don't we just do it when happens?"

"What do you mean?"

"When the opportunity comes up again, we'll take it."

"And you won't back out?"

"No," he assured.

"Ok, thanks for um...understanding," she said as she stood up. He stood to meet her and pulled her towards him for a hug.

"You're welcome. Let's go downstairs; I'll get your breakfast."

"Great, I'm starving."

"Come on then." He took her hand and guided her downstairs. She reclaimed her seat at the counter and rested her chin in her palms. "Coffee?" he asked.

"Like you have to ask." He poured the dark liquid into a mug and shook his head when she immediately grabbed it and gulped it down.

"Good?" he asked.

"Always," she answered. "More please?"

"It's your last cup."

"What? That is so unfair!"

"I know for a fact that's not your first cup of coffee today."

"It is too!"

"How many cups have you had?"

"None."

"Plus...."

"Zero."

"Pluuuus..." he dragged.

"Four," she sighed in defeat. "How did you know?"

"This is you we're talking about."

"Right, you know me too well."

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"I'm really hungry," she stated.

"So...."

"Can I have a menu please?"

"A menu?"

"Yeah you know the big square thing with the writing in? It tells you what you can order."

"I know what a menu is," he said dryly. "You never look at the menu."

"So?"

"Never in the whole time you have been in the diner have you looked at the menu."

"Your point?"

"You know what food I have."

"I just wanna look at the menu Luke."

"Fine." He pulled a menu out from under the counter and handed it to her.

"Aw pretty," she teased as she examined the front cover. She opened it and scanned the selection. "Can I borrow your pen?"

"Why?"

"Just say yes." He sighed and handed it to her. She removed the lid and began to write in the top corner of the main meal page.

"What are you doing? Stop drawing in my menu!"

"I'm marking my territory, this way people know I'm here and I'm staying."

"I think they know that regardless of whether your name is in the menu or not."

"Take a look," she said as she gave him the menu back. He hesitated before he took it and opened it. He smirked a little when he saw 'L&L' written in her block handwriting. "You like?" she asked.

"I can't believe you wrote in my menu."

"I plan to mark each and every menu you have in this place."

"Over my dead body."

"If it takes me till your dead then so be it," she joked.

"This conversation is crazy, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes and eggs, sunny side up."

"Ok, you want a side of hash browns?"

"Oh yeah, good idea," she complimented.

"I've been hanging out with you too much," he replied as he stepped over to the kitchen. "I'll be right back ok?"

"Don't be too long."

"Why will you miss me?"

"No I'm hungry," she laughed. He rolled his eyes and stepped into the kitchen, leaving her at the counter. Lorelai stared after him but was brought from her daydream by Miss Patty.

"Hi honey."

"Hey Patty, you're in late."

"Yeah, Babette and I went back to my studio after the party for some punch," she said drearily.

"Ah, a little hung-over are we?"

"Nothing Luke's fluffy pancakes won't cure." She looked around the diner. "Where's baby Rory?"

"Mia's watching her back at the inn."

"Did she have a good time yesterday?"

"Yeah she seemed to. I think she had too much sugar, she was still a bit excited this morning."

"Aww bless her, they're great when they're at that age."

"Yeah they are," she agreed.

"Wait till she turns sixteen; she won't seem like such an angel then."

"Hopefully she won't turn out like I did."

"With your parenting skills I doubt that'll happen. You're like supermom."

"Hardly, I'm seventeen, working as a maid and living in a potting shed with my one year old daughter."

"Everything you're doing is amazing honey, you should be proud of yourself." Lorelai smiled appreciatively as Luke came out of the kitchen carrying a plate. He put it in front of her and she stared at it blankly.

"I can't eat this."

"Why not?" he asked.

"You put my eggs on top of my pancakes."

"So?"

"Well it looks like two eyes staring at me. I can't eat it."

"For god's sake," he sighed. "If I take it back into the kitchen, move the eggs to the side of the plate and give it back to you, will you eat it then?"

"Yeah."

"It's the same food."

"But it won't be staring at me."

"But the eggs are exactly the same."

"I know, just change it please?" He took a deep breath and took the plate back into the kitchen.

"You could get him to do anything," whispered Patty.

"I know, isn't it great?" she giggled. They stopped when Luke reappeared and put the plate in front of her again. "Thank you," she smiled sweetly.

"You're welcome, weirdo," he muttered as he looked at Patty. "What can I get you Patty?"

"A hangover cure."

"Pancakes it is, you want syrup?"

"Just sugar thanks sexy."

"Patty!" growled Luke.

"Aww did I embarrass you?" she asked innocently.

"Pancakes coming up," he mumbled as he walked into the kitchen.

"He's so cute," cooed Patty.

"I know," she said dreamily.

"Oh that reminds me; I had a conversation with your mother yesterday."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she was watching the two of you together."

"What did she say?"

"She's worried about you."

"Why?"

"She thinks you and Luke are sleeping together."

"Well that's really none of her business. Did she send you to get information about it?"

"No she doesn't know I'm talking to you. But I think you should talk to her about this, she was really worried."

"She always has to stick her nose in."

"She's your mother."

"But I moved out."

"No matter where you live, she's still your mother. I think you should talk to her sweetie, it'll help."

"Ok, I guess."

"Good."

"Did she sound mad?"

"She's was more worried, she doesn't want you to get pregnant again."

"That's not gonna happen, not for a long time."

"You should tell her that."

"Thanks Patty, you're really good at the whole advice thing."

"That's what they say," she smiled. "Man I could use some coffee."

"I'll get you some," offered Lorelai as she rose from her stool and went behind the counter. She put an empty mug in front of Patty and poured her coffee for her. "Might as well fill mine up while I have it," she shrugged.

"What are you doing?" asked Luke, appearing from the kitchen with Patty's pancakes. "Get out from behind my counter," he ordered. "And give me that," he said as he forced the coffee pot from her grasp. "I told you no more coffee this morning."

"But Luke," she pouted.

"Sit down," he growled. "I'll get you some orange juice." He poured some juice into a cup and handed it to her.

"You're mean."

"You love me really," he said with a grin.

"You caught me," she grinned back. Patty's head shot up from her plate.

"You love each other?" she gasped.

"Oh err..." stuttered Luke.

"That's so wonderful, you two were made for each other," she said clapping her hands together.

"Ok Patty that's enough," said Luke gruffly. "We love each other, whoopee, now finish your breakfast," he ordered as he stepped behind the curtain.

"I'll be right back," Lorelai told Patty as she followed him.

"No funny business," called Patty. Lorelai smiled back at her suggestively and moved swiftly behind the curtain.

"Luke?" she called.

"In here," he replied. She followed his voice into the storeroom and found him rearranging the shelves.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked softly.

"Hiding from Patty, come and get me when she's gone."

"She's not that bad."

"I can't even say I love you without her getting all nosy."

"Just ignore her," she said as she wrapped her arms around his middle. He kissed her lightly on the lips before she pulled away slightly. "I've gotta go get Rory."

"Oh ok," he said, failing to hide his disappointment.

"I'll come in for dinner later though," she promised. "Six ok?"

"Yeah that's great," he said, a slight smile taking over his lips when he remembered Kirk's confession earlier. She leant forward to kiss him, deeper this time and pulled away from him completely.

"Love you Duke," she said as she backed out of the door.

"Love you crazy lady."

Lorelai took Rory to work with her that day. She expertly cleaned room after room with Rory stumbling along after her with a duster. She looked back to her daughter to see her carefully running the dusting along the carpet of the room they were currently in.

"Sweets you don't have to dust the carpet," she said with a chuckle. "Here do it like this," she demonstrated as she dusted the trim. Rory walked over and mimicked Lorelai's movements.

"This!" said Rory happily as she dusted contentedly.

"Yeah like that, well done hon," she praised, ruffling Rory's hair with her fingers before she got back to work. "Mia should be paying you too shouldn't she?" Rory grinned as she dusted.

"Lorelai?" She turned to see Marie stood in the doorway.

"Oh hi Marie," she greeted. "Rory was just helping me, I hope you don't mind."

"It's fine," she dismissed. "I just came to ask you about tomorrow. Are you still on for a bit of training to get you used to how things work?"

"Yeah that sounds perfect, thanks."

"You're welcome." Lorelai saw Marie staring at Rory who was still dusting happily. She eyed Marie's pregnant belly and smiled to herself.

"So are you excited?" she asked.

"About tomorrow?"

"No, I meant about the baby."

"Oh yeah, I can't wait," she said happily. "I'm nervous though."

"Is this your first?" she asked.

"Yup, I really have no idea of how to take care of a baby."

"Well I didn't either."

"Can I talk to you actually? It's just you've been through all of this and your advice will really help me."

"Oh what about work?" she asked.

"Looks like Rory has it under control," she said with a smile. Lorelai sat down on the bed next to where Marie had perched herself. The woman looked at least ten years older than Lorelai and she found it strange that she was giving a woman so much older than her advice about babies.

"What are you having?" she asked.

"It's a girl," she exclaimed.

"Oh well from my experience, girl's are pretty low maintenance."

"Good to know. So labour...." began Marie.

"I'm not gonna lie to you Marie, it hurts like hell."

"Oh god."

"You've just gotta get on with it," she shrugged. "Anyway, I'm sure your husband will be there to hold your hand."

"Was your man there?" Lorelai thought of Christopher and immediate anger took over her. She shook it off and smiled weakly at Marie.

"Nope," she replied.

"So you did it alone?"

"Pretty much," she nodded.

"You must have been so terrified, being so young and all."

"Yeah well, you have to do what you have to do." Marie sensed that Lorelai didn't like talking about Rory's father so she changed the subject.

"So back to the labour."

"Right well it is very painful and I advise you get the drugs. When it's finally over though and you see your baby, it's like the pain didn't matter anymore." Marie smiled at her. "When Rory looked into my eyes for the first time, I melted inside. I couldn't believe she was mine, she was so beautiful."

"She still is." Lorelai looked over at Rory.

"Yeah she is," she agreed. "Sweets, come here." Rory looked over then went back to dusting. "Rory, mommy wants you," she said softly.

"Mama!" exclaimed Rory as she walked over to them, still carrying the duster. Lorelai lifted her up and sat her on her lap.

"She was one yesterday," said Lorelai quietly.

"I know, I heard."

"Time flies by, savour every moment," she advised.

"I will." They looked at Rory who was dusting Marie's uniform.

"Rory, Marie doesn't need dusting."

"Dussin!"

"How do you do it all by yourself?" asked Marie.

"I admit it's hard sometimes, trying to earn money but still spend time with her. But it's totally worth it and there hasn't been one minute in Rory's life that I've regretted having her. She's my world," she admitted as she left a kiss on Rory's forehead.

"Iss!" said Rory, reaching up to kiss Lorelai's cheek.

"Thanks baby."

"She's adorable," complimented Marie.

"Thank you, she's something special." Lorelai saw the doubt in Marie's face. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about you know, you're gonna do fine."

"I hope so."

"I know so. You have your husband to help too remember, you're not alone."

"Thank you Lorelai. I know you'll do a really good job at being the head maid, they may not need me by the time my maternity leave is over," she joked.

"Oh I doubt that very much." She looked at Marie with a tender smile. "Good luck. Oh and I wanna see this little girl of yours."

"I'll bring her in to visit don't worry."

"Good. How long do you have to go?"

"Eight weeks."

"Not long then."

"Long enough."

"I know how you feel; you just wanna be skinny again right?"

"Yup, I can hardly even stand up by myself now," she complained.

"It's all part of the process. Anyway I should get back to work."

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you only have an hour or two until the end of your shift anyway."

"Oh great, thanks Marie."

"Call it a thank you; now go spend some time with that cutie."

"I will thanks again. See ya tomorrow."

At three o clock, Lorelai had just put Rory down for her nap and was reading a magazine aimlessly. She put the magazine down and sighed. She didn't like Rory's naptime, she liked her awake so they could hang out together and she found it boring when Rory was sleeping. She peeked into the crib and smiled at her daughter before she went to the kitchen to prepare some food for Rory. She put the heated baby food in a tub and stashed it in the diaper bag along with a bib, a sippy cup, a few diapers and a new pack of baby wipes. She unfolded Rory's stroller and set the seat so it was lying down. She carefully lifted Rory from the crib and laid her in the stroller, covering her with a few blankets and stuffing her coat, hat, gloves and shoes under the stroller for when she was awake.

She walked into town slowly, enjoying the mild fall weather. The leaves falling from the trees, a light breeze blowing through her hair, she knew it was only a matter of time before the snow was due again. As she approached Doose's, she remembered she needed a few essentials so she steered the stroller to the entrance and thanked the guy that had held the door open for her. She manoeuvred her way to the baby aisle and picked up a new pack of diapers and a couple of baby food jars. She went to the health and beauty aisle and got some cleanser, she was still a teen after all, and some Tylenol for Rory. She picked up a bunch of bananas from the produce section to make Luke happy then went to the cashier. When she reached the diner, Luke came to the door and helped her.

"Hey, you're early," he said.

"I was bored, Rory's sleeping and I had nothing to do."

"Aww poor you," he teased.

"I know," she said dramatically. Lorelai parked the stroller at a table and dropped into a chair. Luke peeked into the stroller and smiled when he saw Rory bundled under the blankets sound asleep.

"Do you want coffee?" he asked.

"Yes! Yes!" she called.

"Ok don't get too excited," he joked.

"I haven't had coffee since this morning I'll have you know."

"Wow, I'm impressed. That was like five hours ago."

"I know, right? That is some kind of record." Luke gave her a sarcastic look and poured her a cup of coffee. "I missed you my faithful friend," she said as she inhaled the aroma and took a large gulp.

"You are very strange," said Luke as he walked back to the counter. He looked out of the window and saw Kirk heading towards the diner for his after school snack. He pushed the door open and took his usual seat at his favourite table. Luke smirked as he made his way over to Kirk's table. "Hey Kirk," he greeted.

"Good afternoon Luke."

"Blueberry muffin?" he asked, handing him a plate.

"Thank you."

"So err.....Lorelai's over there," he said, gesturing to Lorelai's table.

"Oh, I...erm..." stammered Kirk.

"Go talk to her, everything will be fine," he assured, trying not to laugh. Kirk nodded and slowly stood from the table. He stalked over to Lorelai's table as Luke watched with interest.

"Erm....hi Lorelai," said Kirk nervously.

"Hey Kirk," she replied, smiling brightly at him.

"How are you?" he asked formally.

"I'm ok thanks, yourself?"

"Yeah I'm...ok too," he replied hesitantly.

"Ok then." Kirk turned to catch Luke's eye and saw him nodding his head.

"Lorelai?"

"Yes Kirk?"

"Would you maybe.....want to erm....have dinner with me sometime?" Lorelai nearly choked on her coffee as she looked up to see his expression was deadly serious.

"Oh erm.....on a date?" she asked.

"Yes, or we could go see a movie....if you like that better," he offered. Lorelai stole a glance in Luke's direction and saw him wiping down the counter with a smug smile on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him then turned back to Kirk.

"Kirk, I don't think I can," she said carefully.

"Oh," he said, his face falling.

"It's not that I don't think you're a nice guy or anything....." she trailed off.

"It's ok Lorelai, I understand," said Kirk defeated. "I'm not your type right? That's what all the girls say to me," he said sadly.

"Kirk it's not that, really."

"You don't have to explain."

"Just hear me out. I can't go out with you cause I'm seeing somebody else," she told him.

"You are, who?"

"Luke," she replied as if it were obvious.

"Luke Danes?"

"Yes, Luke who's standing right over there."

"No, that's impossible. Are you sure?"

"Yes Kirk I'm pretty sure."

"How sure?" he pushed.

"Kirk we've been together for almost two months. Everybody knows we're a couple, I'm surprised you didn't."

"Hang on. Luke!" he called.

"Yeah Kirk?" he asked from the counter.

"Can you come over here for a second?" Luke sighed and dropped the rag on the counter. He sauntered over to their table, smirking slightly.

"What's going on?"

"Are you going out with Lorelai?" he asked abruptly.

"What?" asked Luke.

"Are you going out with Lorelai?" he repeated.

"Yes Kirk, I'm going out with Lorelai," he confirmed as he draped his arm over the back of Lorelai's chair.

"But.....but..." Kirk said in disbelief. "I'm gonna need proof," he demanded.

"Oh I'll give you proof," said Luke as he bent down to kiss Lorelai passionately. Kirk watched in astonishment. Luke pulled back and smiled at Kirk. "Is that proof enough for ya?" he asked smugly.

"I can't believe this Luke, you told me to ask Lorelai out," he shouted. "I'm never coming in here again!" he stood up and ran out of the door. Lorelai watched after him in complete shock at his outburst. Kirk walked back through the door, grabbed his blueberry muffin from the table and left again, slamming the door behind him. Lorelai looked at Luke with narrowed eyes.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Ah Kirk came in this morning and told me he liked you so I told him to ask you out."

"Why did you do that?"

"I thought it'd be funny watching your reaction, it was by the way."

"You're evil," she countered. "Poor Kirk, I think you should go apologise."

"He'll get over it, he's Kirk."

"He just said he's never coming in here again."

"He'll be back in the morning for breakfast, believe me."

"It still wasn't a nice thing to do."

"Ok when Kirk comes in the diner tomorrow, I'll apologise," he promised.

"You'd better. You know I'll never be able to look at Kirk the same again."

"Such a shame," he teased. She swatted his chest and tried to hide her smile. "You see, you can't stay mad at me for long."

"You're still not forgiven."

"I'll give it ten minutes," he judged.

"Leave me alone."

"No, you're stuck with me."

"You're cruel."

"What can I do to make you forgive me?"

"Get me another cup of coffee."

"That's all it'll take?"

"Yup, I'm easy," she shrugged.

"Dirty," he said, quoting her.

"Ha ha," she said lamely. "Coffee now," she demanded.

"Coming right up," he called as he walked away.

"Dirty!" she shouted to his retreating form, a smile playing at her lips. He was right; she couldn't stay mad at him for long.

**So do you see what I mean? Or did you like it? Either way....please review!! I've been getting a lot of reviews lately and I thank all of you who bother to leave a comment :D It's good to know there are people out there enjoying this, it would be pretty pointless writing it if it wasn't enjoyed by you readers!! The next chapter should be out soon...probably Friday.**

**Emily.**


	17. 101 Dalmatians and Banana Splits

**Okay so I kept my promise! I said I'd update today and I have :D I've been working on this since 2pm and it's now 9:30pm....that's what I call dedication! Okay so looooong chapter, longer than usual but I know for a fact you'll like it, especially the last part!! But I won't reveal anymore, please enjoy and thank you to the reviewers!!**

On Thursday evening, Lorelai was adding the finishing touches to her outfit. She fastened her necklace around her neck and brushed a lock of hair away from her face as she looked in the mirror. Seeing as they were just staying in and watching a movie together, she had opted for the casual look. She was wearing her favourite jeans and a top she had bought recently with a floral pattern on it. She smiled at her reflection and looked down at Rory who was sat at her feet playing with the bear Luke had bought for her at Walmart.

"Hey sweets, what do you think?" she asked as she twirled.

"Mama," said Rory happily.

"Are you excited to spend the evening with Aunt Sookie?" she cooed, picking up her daughter. Rory grinned at Lorelai then took her attention back to her bear. "Shall we put your PJs on?" she asked as she carried Rory over to the dresser. She opened the drawer and searched for a new pair of pyjamas, picking out a pair of pink ones with bunnies on. "How about these?" Rory looked at Lorelai before she coughed and threw up all over Lorelai's new top. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed as Rory began to cry loudly. She grabbed a towel and wiped her top and Rory's face. "Sweets are you ok?" she asked in concern.

Rory hardly ever got sick anymore, she had gone past the vomiting baby stage. No sooner had Lorelai cleaned Rory's face when more came hurtling out and landing on Lorelai's top again. "Aww hon, looks like you can't go to Aunt Sookie's tonight, you're sick," she said softly as she felt how hot Rory's forehead was. She was disappointed. She was looking forward to the evening so much, she wanted tonight to be the night her and Luke finally slept together but it looked like that had gone out of the window. She picked up the phone on the nightstand and dialled Sookie's house.

"Hello?" she heard an older woman's voice and assumed it was Sookie's mom.

"Hi it's Lorelai, is Sookie there please?" she asked politely.

"I'll just get her for you Lorelai."

"Thank you." She waited patiently for Sookie's voice to come on the line.

"Lorelai?" asked Sookie.

"Hey Sook."

"What's up?" she asked.

"Well, there's a slight change in plans for tonight," she began. She knew Sookie was looking forward to taking care of Rory that evening and now she had to be the bearer of bad news.

"What's happened?"

"Rory's sick," she answered. "She just threw up all over me. I'm sorry Sook; I know you were looking forward to tonight."

"Don't worry about it; I can take care of her another time. Just focus on getting her better," she said sincerely.

"I will, I'm sorry again."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, bye." The two girls hung up and Lorelai looked down at Rory, a frown creasing her brow. Rory looked up at Lorelai with watery eyes and Lorelai hugged her closer, rubbing her back in soothing circles. "We'd better call Luke hadn't we?" She took the phone again and listened to it ring. On the third ring, Luke picked up.

"Hello?"

"It's Lorelai."

"Hey, is everything alright?"

"Not really, Rory's sick."

"Is she ok?" he asked in concern.

"She's been sick twice and her temperature's high. Sorry, I'm gonna have to cancel tonight."

"Ok," he said, trying to brush it off but Lorelai could hear the disappointment in his voice. She hated it and felt her heart ache.

"I'm really sorry," she said again.

"Hey it's not your fault ok? Rory comes first."

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Bye Lorelai," he said as he hung up. Lorelai sighed and put the phone back in it's cradle before looking down at Rory again.

"Come on sweetie, we'd better give you a bath hadn't we?" She sat Rory on her bed while she quickly changed herself into a t shirt and sweats then turned the tap on in the tub. She added a small amount of bubble bath, hoping it would make Rory feel better. While the tub was filling up, she undressed Rory and wrapped her in a clean towel, carrying her over and sitting her on the floor next to the tub. She shut off the water and tested the temperature of the water.

She lowered Rory into it and watched as she splashed around in the water a little. "Are you starting to feel a little better?" she asked, pouring some water through Rory's hair. She shampooed her hair and rinsed it carefully then lathered her body with soap, determined to get rid of the smell that was lingering on her skin. She rinsed remaining soap off Rory then laid her on the towel she had next to the tub. She wrapped her up and lifted her to her body, rubbing her back slowly as she let the tub drain. "There we go, all clean again," she soothed. She heard a knock at the door and curiously went to answer it, still clutching onto Rory. "Luke," she greeted in surprise.

"Hey, I thought I'd come over and see that everything's ok."

"You didn't have to come over here."

"I didn't want you to have to deal with this by yourself," he shrugged as he stepped into the room and closed the door. "Is she ok?" he asked, running his hand down Rory's towel covered back.

"For now, I just gave her a bath."

"Here I'll take her," he offered. Lorelai transferred Rory to his arms and watched him comfort her. "Hey Ror, what's going on?" he asked quietly. Rory nuzzled her face into his neck and Luke left a light kiss in her hair. Lorelai smiled to herself then went to pick up the PJs she was gonna put Rory in before the vomiting incident. She watched Luke sit on the bed and lay Rory down his arms as she picked a fresh diaper from the pack and made her way over to them. Luke dried Rory off then Lorelai put the new diaper on her followed by the bunny pyjamas.

"There we go honey," she said softly.

"She's a lot quieter when she's sick," noticed Luke.

"I know, she's usually so upbeat and happy. I'm gonna give her some Tylenol," she said as she reached towards drawer in the nightstand and pulled out the bottle she had in there. She retrieved one of Rory's baby spoons from the kitchen and poured the medicine into it. She held it to Rory's mouth but the baby kept it clamped shut in protest. "Come on baby, you need to have some medicine, it'll make you feel better," she promised. She pushed the spoon closer to Rory's lips but she shook her head. "Here take this," she said to Luke, handing him the Tylenol filled spoon. "I'll hold her mouth open, you stick the spoon in there," she ordered. Luke chuckled and shook his head as Lorelai pried Rory's lips apart. Luke quickly emptied the medicine into Rory's mouth and Lorelai smiled in accomplishment. Rory pouted at Lorelai but she just kept smiling at her. "That wasn't so bad was it?"

"You are cruel," said Luke, shaking his head but unable to keep his smile at bay.

"She needed Tylenol Luke, it'll make her all better," she assured. He smiled at her then felt Rory hugging him close so he wrapped his arms around her. "Are you staying?" she asked.

"Yeah sure, wanna watch that movie?"

"What a great idea, do you wanna watch too Rory?" she asked, knowing full well they wouldn't be able to get her to sleep just yet. "Do you mind?" she asked Luke.

"Not at all," he assured her. "What were we gonna watch?" he asked.

"Well I chose a few. There's Endless Love, Fame or Back to the Future," she listed. "Back to the Future just got released this year and I haven't seen it yet."

"Me either," he agreed. "Would Rory enjoy those movies?" he asked.

"Probably not, she's into Disney movies at the moment."

"We could watch one of those," he suggested.

"Are you sure? I don't think it's your kinda thing."

"I don't mind, if Rory wants to watch a Disney movie that's what we'll watch."

"Did you hear that Rory?" she asked. "We're gonna watch a Disney movie!" she said excitedly. Rory smiled weakly and Lorelai sighed.

"She'll come round," he assured her. "Now let's get this movie started."

"Ok," she said as she walked over to the TV and crouched down in front of it. "Which movie do you wanna watch?" she asked as Luke dropped onto the couch and settled Rory next to him. "I have Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 101 Dalmatians, Sleeping Beauty or The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh."

"Erm...let Rory choose," he answered, completely clueless.

"Ok." She crawled over to the couch and held the movies up for Rory to see. She admired each of them slowly then finally pointed to 101 Dalmatians."

"Dog!" she squealed.

"You wanna watch this one?" asked Lorelai, happy her daughter was starting to feel a little better. She slipped the tape into the video player and fast forwarded to the beginning of the movie, skipping through all the trailers. She settled against the back of the couch and looked over at Luke as Rory sat between them staring at the TV in interest. "This probably isn't what you were expecting tonight was it?" she asked doubtfully. He looked over at her and reached around the back of Rory to put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's perfect," he said. She smiled at him then realised something.

"I forgot the snacks!" she exclaimed, her hand flying to cover her mouth.

"I've got it covered," said Luke, pulling a brown Luke's bag from the floor and opened it. "Cheeseburger and fries," he offered, passing her a container.

"Ooh thanks, you're just too perfect," she smiled as she kissed his cheek then dug into her food.

"I got you some coffee too," he revealed, taking the takeout cup out from inside the bag.

"You are a god," she replied, gulping her coffee down quickly.

"Shhhhh!" hushed Rory as she put her finger over her lips the way she'd seen her mom do before. Luke and Lorelai giggled at her behaviour.

"Sorry hon," said Lorelai guiltily. "I guess we should be quiet now," whispered Lorelai to Luke.

"Yeah or Miss Bossy Boots here will kick us out," he joked as they settled down into a comfortable silence. When Cruella de Vil appeared on the screen, Rory let out a small squeal then crawled into Luke's lap, holding onto him tightly.

"Aww are you frightened sweets?" cooed Lorelai as she moved into the spot Rory had just vacated, getting closer Luke.

"Mean," said Rory, pointing to the TV where Cruella was trying to take the puppies.

"She is mean," agreed Lorelai in a fake huffy voice. "We don't like Cruella de Vil do we Rory?" Rory squealed again and dug her face into Luke's t shirt.

"Maybe we should turn it off," said Luke, worried Rory would have some kind of nightmare if they carried on watching.

"She'll be fine once the scene changes," she said, resting her head against his shoulder. "If you weren't here, she'd be freaking out right now. You're her protector," she said with a smile.

"Protector against a cartoon character," he sneered. "I'm surprised she even understands it."

"She's a smart one," she replied proudly. "She was the same when we watched Snow White and the queen turned into that horrible old woman with the big nose. She cried when we watched that," she revealed.

"Really?"

"Yup, if only you'd have been here when we watched that. She wouldn't sleep by herself for three days."

"Poor Rory," he said stroking her hair. Rory peeked at the TV and uncovered her eyes when she saw that Cruella was no longer on the screen.

"Are you enjoying the movie?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"It's ok I guess," he shrugged.

"Rory will probably fall asleep before it ends so we don't have to watch it all," she said quietly. "We can do something else," she said suggestively.

"Really?" Luke asked, intrigued. "What did you have in mind?"

"I'll tell you later," she whispered before turning her attention back to the movie. Luke sat through the movie in anticipation, waiting for Rory to fall asleep. Both Lorelai and Luke subconsciously glanced at her now and again to see if she had given in to sleep yet but both frowned when they saw she was still awake. The credits rolled, signifying the end of the movie and both teens were surprised to see that Rory was still awake and happy. "Are you not tired Rory?" asked Lorelai, beginning to get sleepy herself.

"Hey don't you fall asleep," ordered Luke.

"Why not?" asked Lorelai, waggling her eyebrows at him.

"Just don't ok?" he asked, a little embarrassed.

"Come on Ror, don't you wanna go to bed?" she asked. Luke checked his watch.

"It's ten fifteen," he said.

"We're never gonna get her to sleep," complained Lorelai. "I'd give her some milk but I don't know if she'll be able to keep it down," she said with a frown.

"Don't risk it; we don't want her to get sick again. She seems to be doing better," he observed.

"So I guess we wait," said Lorelai.

"We could read her a story," suggested Luke.

"Oh yeah, I have that book dad bought her for her birthday. I'll get it." She settled back on the couch and opened the book to the first page, putting it on her lap so all three of them could see it. Rory looked curiously at it as Lorelai began reading softly. Luke laughed at some of her pronunciation and she glared at him. "What are you laughing at?" she asked.

"You," he replied bluntly.

"There are some big words in here ok? Obviously my dad forgot he was buying a book for a one year old and bought one for himself. Maybe he has some kid's book in his bookcase and this one was a mistake." Luke laughed at her conclusions and began to read himself. He stuttered on some of the words and Lorelai chuckled in return.

"Ok there are some big words," he agreed. He continued reading and three pages in Lorelai yawned.

"This book's enough to make anyone fall asleep," she complained.

"Obviously not Rory," said Luke, glancing at a still wide awake Rory. Lorelai sighed.

"I'll put her in the crib and see if she'll fall asleep in there," she said as she lifted Rory from Luke's lap.

"Mama!" said Rory happily.

"Ok Little Miss Happy, are you gonna sleep now?" she asked as she covered her with the blankets. Rory smiled at her. "Night babe," she whispered. She kissed her cheek and walked back over to the couch where Luke was waiting. "Hopefully she should drift off now," she said, smiling up at him. He leant towards her and captured her lips in his tenderly. Just as he ran his tongue along her lip, seeking entrance, Rory let out a loud scream and the two pulled away from each other abruptly. Lorelai groaned and stood up to see to her.

"I'll get her," offered Luke.

"Thanks," she sighed, making her way over to her bed and climbing under the sheets. Luke stood over the crib and looked down at Rory. She smiled up at him and he shook his head.

"You have to go to sleep Rory," he said softly.

"Dada," she squealed. Luke exhaled loudly and lifted her up, much to Rory's delight.

"She's stubborn," complained Luke. "Must get it from you."

"I am not stubborn!" Lorelai protested.

"Pfft, yeah right."

"Fine I'm a little stubborn but Rory's just taking it too far."

"She's not gonna sleep," said Luke disappointedly.

"I know," she sighed. "Just bring her over here; she can sleep with us tonight."

"Seriously?" asked Luke

"It's the only thing I can think of. Do you mind?" Luke just shook his head and carried Rory over to the bed. He put her next to Lorelai and climbed under the sheets himself, adjusting the pillows to get comfortable. Lorelai laid Rory down put her arm over her, resting her hand on Luke's taut stomach.

"I guess tonight's not the night then," he said quietly, turning on his side and stretching his arm out over Rory and grazing Lorelai's side.

"I guess not," she said disappointed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, you have nothing to be sorry for," he said sincerely.

"I had tonight planned out though, we were gonna watch a movie, eat junk food, make out a little and then....." she drifted off.

"You weren't to know Rory was gonna get sick, stop beating yourself up about it."

"I ruined your evening."

"No you didn't, I had a great time with you guys tonight," he told her truthfully. "We can try this again next week when Rory's feeling better ok?"

"Ok," she agreed as she snuggled closer to him, being careful not to squash Rory. "Night."

"Night Lorelai, I love you." Lorelai smiled to herself.

"I love you too," she replied.

Friday morning arrived and Lorelai opened her eyes to see Rory fast asleep next to her. She sat up a bit and saw that Luke was still sleeping too. She checked the clock and saw it was only seven thirty. She pulled the sheets back a little and carefully lifted Rory, trying her hardest not to wake her. She laid her in the crib and put the blankets over her then climbed back into bed and cuddled close to Luke. His arm instinctively went around her shoulders and his hand went to her stomach. He opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"Hey," he said groggily. "Where's Rory?" he whispered.

"I put her in the crib, she's still sleeping."

"Ok, what time is it?"

"Seven thirty," she answered. "Remember the other day, you promised me that today we could sleep in?"

"I did didn't I?"

"Yep," she agreed. He turned onto his side and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She moved her hand up to touch his scruffy cheek and felt the stubble tickling her fingertips.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered, giving her a light kiss on the lips. She settled against him and fell back to sleep, neither of them realising they had just passed up an opportunity.

Luke and Lorelai stood outside the Gilmore's front door waiting for somebody to answer. Lorelai gripped the handle of the stroller tightly as she thought about what Miss Patty had told her in the diner. She couldn't decide if she should talk to her mom about it or not, after all they weren't close and have never had a heart to heart. Finally, Emily swung the door open and gestured for them to come in.

"Alexandra I'm assuming you're hard of hearing?" she called to her maid.

"Excuse me, Mrs Gilmore?" she asked, appearing in the hallway.

"Oh never mind," she dismissed. "So how are the two of you?"

"Fine," answered Lorelai.

"And you Luke?"

"I'm good too thanks," he replied. "How are you?"

"I'm wonderful thank you Luke," she said, smiling widely at them both.

"She's medicated," whispered Lorelai.

"Lorelai why is Rory in the stroller?" asked Emily.

"Cause she's sleeping," she replied, as if it were obvious.

"She's sleeping at six thirty? What's going on?"

"She was sick last night and she didn't sleep to well so she's tired," she explained.

"Oh I was looking forward to seeing her," said Emily, disappointed.

"She'll probably wake up before we leave."

"Well alright then, come through for drinks," she ordered as they followed her into the living room. Lorelai parked the stroller next to the couch and sat down next to Luke. He moved closer to her and she smiled cheekily at him.

"Luke would you like sparkling water to drink?" asked Emily from the drinks cart.

"Nonsense," said Richard's booming voice as he entered the room. "He'll have a beer," he insisted.

"Richard he's eighteen," protested Emily.

"He's a man and a man should have a man's drink," informed Richard. Lorelai nudged Luke and smiled at him.

"Ok, one beer and then it's onto the sparkling water."

"Very well," said Richard in triumph. Emily gave Luke his beer and turned to Lorelai.

"I assume you would like something alcoholic too Lorelai," she said.

"No I'm good thanks, coke's fine."

"Oh well....good," said Emily, surprised by her daughter turning down alcohol. Over a year ago she would have taken it without a doubt. She handed Lorelai her drink then sat in her armchair opposite them.

"So how is everyone?" asked Richard.

"We're good dad, thanks," replied Lorelai.

"Good and how's Rory?" he asked, peeking into the stroller.

"She's sick," said Emily before Luke or Lorelai could answer.

"She is?" asked Richard.

"She was," corrected Lorelai. "Last night and her sleeping patterns all messed up. She'll get back into it."

"Oh well let her sleep it off," said Richard as he took his place in his chair. "So how has your week been?"

"It's been ok," replied Lorelai. "I had my training for my new job yesterday," she said proudly.

"Ah yes, do you like it then?"

"Yeah it's great, I get a pay rise too so it works out for everyone," she smiled.

"Maybe you'll be able to afford some new clothes," commented Emily, gesturing to Lorelai's stained top. "Or maybe a washing machine."

"I haven't had time to do any laundry," said Lorelai, feeling under pressure by her mother's criticism. "I was gonna wear this top I had on last night but Rory got sick all over it so I couldn't, sorry," she mumbled.

"It doesn't matter Lorelai," said Emily calmly. Lorelai took a deep breath and Luke put his hand on her knee. She smiled gratefully at him. Silence took over the room and Luke glanced around nervously, trying to think of something to say. Finally the silence was broken by the maid announcing dinner. The four of them made their way through to the dining room and took their seats, leaving Rory to sleep in the living room.

"So what are we having mom?" asked Lorelai.

"Lasagne," replied Emily shortly.

"Oh I love lasagne," said Lorelai. "You know Luke makes a really good lasagne."

"Does he?" asked Richard. "I didn't know you were much of a cook Luke," he said in interest.

"Well I have the diner so I make the basic burgers and stuff there," he shrugged.

"But when he's not at work he makes some amazing food," complimented Lorelai.

"They're not that good Lorelai," said Luke, feeling uncomfortable that all the attention was on him.

"Tell us Luke, what else can you make?" asked Emily, deciding to join the conversation.

"You know, lasagne, stuff like that," he shrugged.

"I think the fact you can make lasagne has already been established," said Emily snidely.

"He makes these stuffed lamb chops, they are delicious," said Lorelai. "It's like you've died and gone to heaven," she gushed.

"Well we'll have to try these lamb chops won't we Richard?" asked Emily.

"Of course!" Richard replied. "How about next week, instead of you coming here for dinner, we'll come to you?" he asked.

"Oh Richard, I don't know if that's necessary," protested Emily.

"Yeah dad, we like coming here," said Lorelai. Her parents hadn't seen where she was living yet and she didn't want them to find out.

"Yeah Richard, I can make the lamb chops and bring them here. You don't need to come to Stars Hollow."

"We don't mind," insisted Richard. Lorelai looked at Luke helplessly and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Ok then, we'll have dinner at my place," agreed Luke. "It's not much but I've got a table big enough for all of us."

"Good it's settled. Friday night dinner will take place in Stars Hollow next week," confirmed Richard with a nod. "Where is your home Luke?" he asked.

"I live in the apartment above the diner," he revealed. "It used to be my dad's office when it was a hardware store but I moved into it."

"Ok so shall we be at the diner for six thirty?"

"Yeah that's fine. The diner will be open so just go straight in."

"Ok then," said Richard. When they finished their main meal, Lorelai stood from her seat.

"Lorelai where are you going?" asked Emily. "We haven't had dessert yet."

"I was just gonna check on Rory," she replied, pointing to the living room.

"Oh, go ahead." Lorelai smiled then hurried into the living room. She looked down at Rory and saw she was still sleeping. She was worried that if she let her sleep too long now she wouldn't be able to get her to sleep tonight. She straightened the blankets and walked back into the dining room to see dessert had already been served.

"Wow," gawped Lorelai when she saw what they were having.

"I know," said Luke. "I was just saying how amazing it looks." She sat down and admired her food.

"It's the best banana split I've ever seen!"

"Lorelai I asked the maid to put some scoops of chocolate ice cream on yours, I know it's your favourite," said Emily.

"Thanks mom, it looks gorgeous."

"Well dig in," she exclaimed as everyone tucked into their ice cream. After dinner, everyone piled into the living room and Richard looked at Luke.

"Luke and I are going to my study Emily," he announced.

"Oh ok, don't keep him too long Richard," she replied.

"I won't," he called as they entered the study. Emily watched after them then took her seat. Lorelai was just about to speak when they heard Rory gurgling from the stroller.

"Is it ok if I see to her?" asked Emily.

"Yeah, you don't have to ask mom." Emily just smiled and got up and leant over the stroller.

"Hello sweetheart," she cooed. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Gama!" said Rory groggily.

"That's the first time she's called me that," said Emily in awe as she sat down next to Lorelai on the couch and settled Rory in her lap.

"She's getting good with words now, she can say a lot more," replied Lorelai, brushing her fingers down Rory's cheek. "Last night we were watching 101 Dalmatians and when Cruella de Vil came on, Rory pointed at the screen and said 'mean'. It was so cute."

"She's smart," commented Emily. "There aren't many one year olds that can understand a movie."

"She's really smart; I think she gets it from dad."

"You're smart too Lorelai, you underestimate yourself," said Emily softly.

"But Rory's gonna be a genius, she's gonna be like dad."

"I can imagine," said Emily dreamily.

"Mom," began Lorelai. "I talked to Miss Patty on Wednesday," she said quietly.

"Did you?" asked Emily, trying to act like she didn't know anything about it.

"Yeah, she said she talked to you at the party."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, you have nothing to worry about you know?"

"I believe I heard that somewhere," said Emily, trying to distract herself by focussing her attention on Rory.

"I wanna talk about this properly mom. You and I haven't had the best relationship and I wanna fix that. I want to be able to tell you things and get your advice," she admitted.

"This is none of my business Lorelai."

"It is though, you're my mom. When Rory get's older and get's a boyfriend, I know I'd wanna know about it. I'd want to know if my daughter was having sex and I know you do too."

"Are you?" asked Emily.

"Not yet," she said quietly. "We're planning on....doing it though."

"When?"

"I don't know, when we have the opportunity I guess." She looked at Emily squarely. "If I tell you something will you not freak out?"

"It depends what it is."

"Please just stay calm."

"Ok, I'll stay calm," said Emily, still a little unsure.

"Ok, good. So last night, Luke and I were supposed to have a date and Sookie was gonna babysit. But then Rory got sick so I called Luke to cancel. Anyway he came over and helped with Rory. We watched a movie then he read Rory a story..."

"Lorelai is there a point to this or is it just an account of what you did last night?" asked Emily impatiently.

"There's a point. So we couldn't get Rory to sleep and she ended up in my bed with Luke and I. The point is that last night I was planning on sleeping with Luke and if Rory hadn't been sick, it would have happened." Lorelai looked up at Emily to see her looking down at Rory. She appeared to be thinking. "Mom?" she asked cautiously.

"Do you feel ready? Not just physically, but do feel emotionally ready to take that step?" she asked seriously. Lorelai nodded.

"Yeah. I admit that I wasn't ready with Christopher. We rushed into it and didn't stop to think about what we were doing. I don't regret it though; I wouldn't have Rory if it hadn't have happened."

"Do you love Luke?"

"Yeah, I really love Luke."

"Does he love you?"

"Yep, after the party on Tuesday, he told me. He loves Rory too."

"Did he tell you that?"

"Yeah but he didn't have to, I could tell by the way he treats her."

"I've noticed something about the way he treats her, I think Rory loves Luke too," said Emily.

"She does, don't you Ror?" she asked the baby who was staring into space.

"Love!" said Rory, excited to be included in the conversation.

"Lorelai, if you're ready and you're sure, then you should take the next step but I want you to promise me you'll be careful. I don't need any more grandchildren just yet."

"So you do want more grandkids, eventually?" pushed Lorelai.

"Yes, it would be nice," she said with a smile. "Eventually," she added.

"I'm sure you will someday, right now Rory's enough," she said, smiling down at Rory.

"I agree," said Emily, they sat and watched Rory for a few minutes. "Thank you Lorelai."

"For what?"

"For confiding in me about this, for including me. All I've ever wanted to be is a good mother to you."

"You are."

"When you left, I thought I'd never see you or Rory again, I broke apart. I'm just relieved that I still have the chance to be part of your lives. I want Rory to grow up knowing who I am."

"She does know who you are; she just called you grandma didn't she?"

"Well, something that resembled the word 'grandma'," chuckled Emily. "She's a really special baby; you're doing a great job raising her."

"Thanks mom," said Lorelai, suddenly overcome with emotion. She had never heard her mother say such kind, genuine things to her. "You know if you wanna see Rory more, you could babysit a couple of days a week."

"Really?" asked Emily, excited at the prospect of spending some time with her grandchild.

"Of course. My new job means I have to work longer days so you could take her for the day, it would really help me."

"That would be wonderful, where does she go while you're working now?" she asked curiously.

"Well sometimes Mia takes her for the afternoon but usually I take her to work with me."

"You do?"

"Yeah, she's excellent at dusting aren't you sweets?"

"Dussin!" said Rory.

"Well it sounds like she has a good time with you," said Emily. "I wouldn't want to pry."

"You wouldn't be prying. I'm asking you to babysit," reminded Lorelai. "Plus I'm gonna be busier at this job and I can't give her as much attention as I usually would, you taking her would be perfect."

"I'd be happy to," said Emily.

"Great, I'll call you about details and stuff this weekend."

"That sounds perfect." Both women sat in contented silence for a few minutes, both thinking about how their relationship was just repaired. "Can I ask you something?" asked Emily.

"Yeah."

"Do you think you and Luke are meant for one another?" Lorelai looked at her hands clasped in her lap and thought for a second.

"I think we are," she said with a decisive nod.

"Can you see yourself marrying him?"

"I know I'm only seventeen but....yeah, I can see myself being Luke's wife," she said happily.

"Wow," said Emily as she sat back in her chair, stunned.

"I know it's a really big decision to make but Luke's a really great guy. Do you remember Luke's birthday present to Rory?"

"Yes he's building her a bedroom isn't he?"

"Yeah, our place only has one room, except for a little kitchen and a bathroom. He said she needs some privacy, especially when she gets a bit older."

"He's right, that's very nice of him."

"That wasn't the only thing he got her."

"It wasn't?"

"No, he gave me the other thing after the party."

"What was it?" Emily asked curiously.

"He's started a trust fund for Rory," she admitted.

"He has?"

"Yeah, he said she can use it for college cause he really wants her to go."

"Wow, a trust fund is a long term investment."

"I know, it proves how much he loves her. He said he's gonna put $50 a month into it and by the time she's eighteen there'll be more than $10,000 in there."

"Oh my," said Emily, shocked to her very core. "So he's here to stay?"

"Yeah, looks that way."

"Well good, I'm happy for you both," said Emily sincerely.

"Thanks mom."

"I have one request though."

"What?"

"When you decide to get married, will you let your father and I pay for the wedding?"

"We'll see mom, let's not get too ahead of ourselves here."

"Oh alright, Luke is a very good guy though."

"He is isn't he?" They shared a smile. "I wonder what they're doing in there," she said, gesturing towards Richard's study.

"Knowing your father he's probably giving Luke scotch."

"He already did that," she said knowingly.

"He did? I'll kill him," said Emily. "That boy is eighteen, he can't handle scotch!"

"Mom relax, Luke didn't like it. Dad gave him beer instead," she assured.

"Oh well that's not much better."

"Dad really seems to like Luke doesn't he?" Lorelai observed.

"I think he likes having a mature man to talk to."

"I guess he does. Do you think we should go get them?"

"There's no need, they're coming out now," said Emily as she saw the door to Richard's study open and the two men stepped out.

"What were you two talking about?" asked Lorelai.

"Nothing much," said Richard. "Guy stuff."

"Guy stuff," laughed Lorelai. She stood up next to Luke. "I was just telling mom that she can babysit a couple of days a week, with my new hours and all."

"That's a great idea," replied Luke, hoping that maybe they had talked and the kinks in their relationship had been ironed out.

"Anyway we should go," said Lorelai. "I didn't realise it was so late." Luke stepped over to the stroller and expertly folded it up, ready to put in the back of his truck. "I have to try and get Rory to sleep tonight. After that long nap she had earlier I don't think it'll be easy."

"She can stay here if she wants," blurted Emily.

"What?" asked Lorelai.

"Well it's late and you're obviously tired, especially after being up with her last night too. She can sleep here tonight and I'll bring her to the inn tomorrow."

"Are you sure? She probably won't sleep much," warned Lorelai.

"I don't mind, you go get some much needed sleep, we'll watch Rory."

"Well...." said Lorelai hesitantly.

"Lorelai it's ok. I know you're not used to leaving her overnight but she'll be fine."

"O...kay," she agreed. "Should I pick her up tomorrow?"

"No it's ok; I'll bring her over there."

"What time should I expect you?"

"Would one o clock be ok? I wouldn't mind spending a bit of time with her in the morning."

"Yeah that's fine, I'll see you then. Do you have everything you need?"

"I think we'll manage, food isn't a problem."

"There are some diapers in the bag over there and there's a bottle, a pacifier and a spare change of clothes."

"That's all we need."

"There's her favourite bear in there too, she usually needs it to sleep."

"Lorelai, go, we'll be fine here."

"Ok, thank you mom." She hugged Emily and took Rory from her. "I'll see you tomorrow honey ok? Be good for grandma and grandpa." She kissed Rory's forehead and gave her back to Emily. "Do you have a car seat?" she asked.

"We'll buy one in the morning won't be Richard? There's a cute little baby store ten minutes from here and I wouldn't mind looking around a little."

"Ok but don't spoil her too much," she warned. "Right, I guess we'll see you in the morning then." She grabbed her purse and looked at Luke.

"Bye Rory," he said softly as he stepped over and ruffled her hair with his fingers. "Bye Emily, Richard," he said as they all walked towards the door.

"Goodbye you two," said Richard as they put their jackets on and opened the door. Lorelai looked back one last time before turning and walking away from the house, towards Luke's truck.

When they reached Stars Hollow, Luke pulled to a stop outside the inn and turned the engine off. He looked at Lorelai and saw her staring out of the left window. He put his hand on her thigh and she turned to look at him.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"It's just weird," she said quietly.

"What is?"

"Not having Rory here, knowing that she's all the way in Hartford when we're here. She feels so far away."

"She'll be ok," he told her.

"I know."

"It was really nice of you to let your parents take her tonight."

"Mom and I talked; I think we've finally worked things out."

"Good," he said, pulling her towards him and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Are you staying over tonight?" she asked.

"Try and stop me," he growled.

"I wouldn't dare," she said, smiling blissfully at him. He kissed her lightly but it soon turned into something more. Luke's tongue parted her lips and her hands came up to cup his neck. She toyed with the hairs at the nape of his neck while his hands ran down her back, stopping when they reached the top of her ass. He broke the kiss and moved down to her neck, leaving wet kisses a long her jaw line then sucking on her neck hungrily. Lorelai reached for the hem of his sweater and he pulled his lips away from her. She groaned at the loss of contact and reached for him again.

"We can't do this in my truck," he said breathlessly.

"I know," she replied. "Hurry," she ordered as they both leapt from the truck. Luke quickly locked it then took her hand as they walked quickly to the potting shed, their twined hands swinging back and forth between them. Lorelai shakily attempted to shove the key into the lock but she was too worked up. Luke took over and unlocked the door; he pulled her in and locked it behind them before he turned to her. She pressed her body up against his as she kissed him greedily, thrusting her tongue into his mouth and duelling with his. She pulled his sweater over his head, breaking the kiss, and threw it on the floor. He reached for her top and pulled it over her head, revealing her lacy blue bra. He took a moment to look at her before his lips broke out into a smile.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. She smiled shyly at him before she launched herself at him again, trailing her hands down his back and playing with the waistband on his slacks.

"You are too," she said between kisses.

"This matches your eyes," he breathed, running his fingers over her bra slowly.

"Not for much longer," she replied, reaching round to unclasp it. She let it fall to the floor and Luke watched in awe as her breasts were revealed.

"Beautiful," he whispered before he walked her towards her bed.

Later, the two were laid next to each other catching their breath. Luke turned onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow.

"Are you ok?" he asked as he smoothed a loose curl away from her face.

"Wow," was all she could get out.

"Yeah, wow," he agreed, moving his hand to trace small circles on her stomach. When Lorelai didn't say anything else, Luke grew concerned. "Did I....hurt you?" he asked hesitantly. She turned onto her side so she was facing him and shook her head insistently.

"No, not at all," she replied. "Why did you think that?"

"You just weren't say anything," he shrugged.

"Trying to get my breath back," she said with a chuckle. "You're good," she complimented.

"Thanks, I try," he replied smugly.

"Why did we wait so long?" she asked, playing with the small amount of hair on his chest. "If I'd have known it was gonna be that good, I would have jumped you the first day we met," she joked.

"It was better this way," he said softly. He pulled the sheets over them and she settled in the crook of his arm, her head rested on his chest.

"I'm gonna wake up very happy tomorrow," she said blissfully.

"I'll second that," he agreed, running his hand through her tangled hair. "I love you Lorelai Gilmore," he said, leaving a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'll second that," she repeated as she draped her arm across his stomach and they fell asleep, both grinning like idiots.

**FINALLY!! That was the part you've all been waiting for, especially you Kali :D So I hope you really liked this, I really, really enjoyed writing it and it was worth giving my Friday night up for! Before you go, don't forget to review, PLEASE!! I think this was one of my best chapters and I'd like to hear your thoughts :D **

**Emily. **


	18. Mashed Banana On Toast

**I updated AGAIN!! This one took me two nights to write but it is a long one. So thank you to all my reviewers from the last chapter, all you regular reviewers are really great! Okay so somewhere in the story, there is a conversation between Lorelai and Sookie that may be a little.....graphic. It's not too bad in my opinion but it does have some sexual references. It's just a warning; I thought I'd better say something just in case. Please enjoy!**

Lorelai stretched the way she always did when she woke up on Saturday morning but it was cut short when her foot brushed against Luke's leg. She moved from laying on her front to her side and an instant smile curved her lips when she remembered the events of the night before. She sighed happily as she listened to Luke's soft snores and ran her hand down his exposed chest, revelling in the feel of his smooth skin. Luke turned a little and opened his eyes, smiling at her groggily.

"Good morning," he greeted huskily.

"Great morning," she corrected, shuffling closer to him. He turned fully onto his side and pulled her towards him, pulling her naked body against his.

"It's early," he stated. "You hate early."

"Not today I don't," she said as she kissed him.

"Let's sleep for a little longer," he suggested.

"But...." she protested, pouting at him

"We don't have Rory to think about, let's get some more sleep."

"Oh Rory," said Lorelai as she shot into a sitting position, the sheets cascading down her body. "I need to call to make sure they're ok." She reached for the phone but Luke grabbed her waist.

"No you don't, they're fine," he assured. "Now go back to sleep." He pulled her back towards him and pulled the covers up over them again.

"I miss her," she admitted quietly.

"She'll be back soon," he soothed, brushing his fingers through her hair.

"I wonder if she's awake yet."

"Nah, she'll be fast asleep, just like you should be."

"Fine, let's sleep," she gave in. "But we're spooning."

"Ok by me," he replied, grinning at her seductively. She flipped onto her left side and pushed herself backwards against his body. Luke buried his face in her hair and dropped his arm around her waist, his fingers splayed across her stomach.

"Do you have to go to work today?" asked Lorelai quietly.

"Yeah but not till later."

"How much later?"

"Eleven."

"Perfect," she said, pushing herself back some more before falling back to sleep. She was awoken two hours later by the aroma of her morning necessity. She opened her eyes to see Luke sat on the bed and a mug of coffee inches away from her face. She looked up at him and smiled.

"I knew that'd wake you," he chuckled.

"Bless you," she replied, greedily snatching the mug from him and taking an appreciative sip. He watched as she swallowed it with a moan, a moan he had also heard the night before.

"You hungry?" he asked, coming back to earth.

"Starving."

"Good, I made breakfast." He disappeared and came back with a tray full of food.

"Wow, breakfast in bed, very nice," she complimented. He set the tray the nightstand and retrieved his shirt from the night before off the floor.

"Here put this on," he said as he tossed it to her.

"Why?"

"So you don't get cold."

"If you're next to me I won't get cold."

"It's too distracting."

"So I definitely won't be cold."

"Lorelai please?" The pleading look in his eyes made her give in.

"Fine but I'm not putting on underwear," she warned.

"Ok." He climbed into bed and settled close to her then pulled the tray from the nightstand, resting it on their thighs.

"Wow, you've gone all out," she said as she eyed the various foods on the tray.

"I didn't know what you'd want so I made lots of different things. You can have bacon, eggs and sausage here, pancakes and waffles here or cereal and fruit here," he listed.

"Ooh can I have a bit of each?"

"Eat as much as you want."

"Are you having some?"

"Yeah, I put the fruit on here for me." They moved into silence as they chewed their food. After five minutes or so, Lorelai tapped Luke on the shoulder and he turned to see her holding a piece of bacon out to him. He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, waiting for her to put it in. She smiled in accomplishment then went back to her food. When he'd finished chewing, he took a piece of pineapple and tapped her on the shoulder, the way she had with him. He held it out to her but she shook her head. "I ate a piece of bacon," he reminded her. "You have to eat a piece of fruit now." She rolled her eyes then reluctantly opened her mouth and let him put it in. He smiled in return and went back to finishing his breakfast.

Emily had stayed up half the night with Rory; Lorelai was right about her not sleeping much. She had sat in the rocking chair in Rory's old nursery with her granddaughter rested against her, reading her a book for close to an hour but she refused to sleep just yet. She then tried singing to her; it had worked when Lorelai was a baby but Rory wasn't having any of it. Finally, at one thirty in the morning, she got into bed. But as soon as her head hit the pillow, she heard Rory squealing through the baby monitor on her nightstand. She listened to it, hoping Rory would fall asleep after a while but after forty five minutes, she was still wide awake and was starting to get worked up. Emily went into the nursery and saw Rory stood up in the crib, her eyes watery. She lifted her out and rocked her from side to side to calm her down.

Finally, she decided to let Rory sleep in bed with her and Richard, hoping that would make her go to sleep. She laid Rory on the mattress and slid in next to her, rubbing her tummy soothingly. Rory giggled and started mumbling to herself, excited by her new surroundings. Finally, the mumbling stopped and Emily breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Rory snoozing next to her. She immediately dozed off to sleep herself, hoping for no interruptions the rest of the night.

Rory woke up at her usual time of eight the next morning. She rolled over and inspected her surroundings, finding that she had no idea where she was.

"Mama!" she called loudly. When she didn't see Lorelai anywhere, she started to panic and tears sprung in her eyes. "Mama," she murmured through her sobs. Emily was woken by the sounds coming from Rory and opened her eyes to find her granddaughter sat up in bed, crying her eyes out.

"Rory sweetie, what's the matter?" she asked worriedly.

"Mama," murmured Rory again.

"Honey, mommy's not here this morning," she said softly as she picked up Rory and hugged her.

"Gama," Rory mumbled, her tears starting to subside.

"That's right, grandma's here." After ten minutes of rocking back and forth, Rory finally pulled back to look at Emily. "Are you ok now sweetheart?" she cooed.

"Bwekfas!" she shouted.

"Do you want breakfast? Shall we go get you some?" she asked, standing from the bed and shifting Rory onto her hip. She went into the dining room and found Richard sat at the table reading a newspaper.

"Ah you're awake!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, will you keep Rory entertained while I prepare her breakfast?" she asked.

"Can't the maid do that?"

"She could but I want to make it myself," she replied, sitting Rory in the high chair and pulling it towards Richard. "Ok, what do you want for breakfast Rory?" she asked, hoping to get an idea of what she liked to eat.

"Nana!"

"Banana?"

"Nana!" she shouted, drumming her hands on the table.

"Ok, I won't be long," she promised. Richard looked up from his paper and saw Rory watching him with interest. When she noticed he was looking at her, she grinned shyly and covered her face with her hands.

"Good morning Rory," he said softly. Rory uncovered her face a little, revealing her smile.

"Ganpa," she said, pointing at him.

"That's right, I'm your grandpa," he said with a smile. He was happy that they got to see their daughter and granddaughter on a regular basis and was glad their granddaughter knew who they were.

"Bwekfas!" Rory demanded.

"It's coming, don't worry," he chuckled. "You definitely inherited your mom's appetite." Rory smiled again and turned her head when Emily walked back into the room. She put the plate she was carrying on the high chair and Richard looked at it in disgust. "Emily what is that?"

"It's mashed banana on toast," she replied, like it was the most normal food on the planet. "I used to make it for Lorelai when she was little, she loved it."

"It looks inedible." Rory picked up a piece of toast and popped it in her mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing.

"Mmm," she hummed as she reached for more. Emily smiled and stroked Rory's hair then took her seat opposite Richard.

"I told you she'd like it."

"Let me try some of this," he mumbled as he reached over to Rory's plate.

"No ganpa!" scolded Rory, hitting his hand away. "My Bwekfas," she told him. Emily chuckled to herself.

"Rory can grandpa have some toast please?" he asked nicely.

"No," protested Rory.

"That's not very nice, come on, give your old grandpa some toast," he pushed. Rory shook her head and pulled her plate closer to her.

"She's not going to give you any Richard; you may as well give up now." Richard pretended to sulk, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking his bottom lip out. Rory smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

"She's adorable isn't she?" he asked.

"She is," agreed Emily. "I never realised how much she looks like Lorelai."

"She has those amazing blue eyes," said Richard in awe.

"Everything about her reminds me of Lorelai, the eyes, the pout, the personality," she listed. "She's the spitting image."

"I remember when Lorelai was that age," said Richard, casting his mind back. "We sat here, the way we're doing now, and Lorelai would eat her food like it was going to disappear," he chuckled at the memory. "Then when we gave her something she didn't like, she'd refuse to eat it and look at me the way Rory is right now." Rory turned to look at Emily, wondering what they were talking about.

"Have you finished you're breakfast already?" asked Emily, noticing Rory's empty plate. "Her appetite's like Lorelai's too." She stood up and found Rory's diaper bag. She pulled out a pack of baby wipes and cleaned Rory's face, wiping off all the mashed banana. "There we go," she said, lifting Rory from the high chair. "I'm just going to change her," she told Richard as she headed for the stairs. Once she was in the nursery, she laid Rory on the changing table and pulled out a fresh diaper and the clean clothes Lorelai told her were in there. She unsnapped Rory's sleeper and took it off, changing her diaper expertly then putting on a clean one. She put the pair of tights on Rory's legs, struggling as Rory kicked them and pulled them up to secure them. She then grabbed the dress to go with them and smiled when she unfolded it. "This is a pretty dress," she complimented, slipping it over Rory's head. "Did your mommy make this?"

"Mama!"

"Ok, there we go, nice and fresh." She took Rory back downstairs and went to Richard's study. "Richard?" she called from outside the door.

"I'm working Emily."

"It's Saturday." She heard him sigh.

"Come in," he called. She opened the door and stepped inside. "What can I do for you?"

"Can you watch Rory while I change?"

"I'm busy Emily," he replied.

"Richard please, just five minutes. When do we ever get the opportunity to take care of Rory?"

"Fine I will watch her while you change." He held his arms out and Emily transferred Rory into them.

"I won't be long," she said on her way to the door. "I'm going to take Rory to that baby store I was telling Lorelai about yesterday soon, I was wondering if you would like to join us?"

"I have work to do you know," he informed.

"Come on; take a couple of hours off to spend some time with your granddaughter." Richard sighed and nodded slowly.

"Ok, I'll come to the baby store with you. You heard what Lorelai said yesterday though; don't spoil her too much."

"She's our granddaughter; we're supposed to spoil her."

"I know but we aren't on the best terms with Lorelai at the moment and we should respect her wishes," he tried to explain.

"Last night when you and Luke were in here, she and I talked. I think we finally resolved our issues with one another and I'm glad. Now I know for a fact that Lorelai doesn't have much money at the moment and I am going to help out in any way I can."

"She's stubborn, she won't accept our money, she wants to do it all by herself."

"Well she's accepted $10,000 from Luke," revealed Emily.

"What?" asked Richard, checking he wasn't hearing things.

"Lorelai told me Luke has started a college fund for Rory."

"He has?" he asked, stunned.

"Yes and Lorelai has accepted it so I don't think she'll mind if I buy Rory a couple of new outfits. I'm going to change," she said, leaving his study. Richard looked down at Rory who was taking in her new surroundings.

"You're a very lucky girl you know," he said as he held her close to him.

An hour later, Emily and Richard were looking at the car seats on display in the baby store. They had been staring at the same thing for ten minutes but couldn't decide which one to buy.

"Emily can we just choose one please?" asked Richard.

"I need to pick the right one, we need the best for our granddaughter," she replied stubbornly. Rory was sat in the stroller staring towards the toy section. She had stopped trying to get their attention five minutes ago when she realised she wasn't going to get anywhere.

"Get this one, it has all the necessary safety features," pushed Richard.

"It has to be a good one," she replied. "Rory which do you like?" she asked. Rory turned her attention towards Emily and looked at her blankly.

"You see, even Rory's bored," Richard pointed out.

"Oh, no she's not," protested Emily as she looked down at her granddaughter. "Now Rory, which one of these is best?" she asked. Rory followed Emily's fingers and looked at the things Emily was showing her.

"Pink!" shouted Rory, pointing towards the only pink seat on the display.

"Is this one good?" she asked herself, reading the label for the third time.

"Yes Emily, it's perfect and Rory likes it so let's buy it."

"Oh alright," she agreed.

"Finally!" Emily called the saleswoman over and told them which she would like. She told her to hold it for them while they took a walk around the store.

"Toy!" called Rory in anticipation as they approached the section she had been eyeing the whole time. "Up," she said, holding her arms out to Emily.

"You can have a look around but don't pick out too much, you have enough toys." Rory smiled when her feet touched the ground and she waddled off to look at the displays. Emily and Richard watched closely as she made her way over to a giant stuffed toy. She stood and stared at it for a moment before throwing herself towards it and giggling loudly when she landed on it. Emily and Richard laughed too.

"Hey look at this," said Richard, walking away from the toy section towards a plastic baby swing for outside.

"Come on Rory," called Emily. Rory looked up from the bear she was admiring and walked over to Emily. Emily took her hand and guided her over to where Richard was stood.

"Ther," said Rory, pointing to what Richard had seen.

"You like swings don't you Rory?" he asked. Rory let go of Emily's hand and walked over to it.

"Up!" she demanded, trying to climb into the swing.

"No you can't go in it sweetheart," he said as he picked her up. "Do you think Lorelai would mind if I bought it for Rory?" asked Richard.

"It's almost winter!" said Emily.

"She can keep it until the summer," answered Richard. "I know Rory will love it." Emily looked at Rory; she was staring at the swing, her eyes shining with desire for it.

"Ok buy it," agreed Emily. "Now can we look at outfits?"

"Yes," allowed Richard, sitting Rory in the stroller and manoeuvring it to follow Emily.

"Oh look at this!" said Emily, picking up a white ruffled dress. Richard shook his head.

"Lorelai will never dress Rory in that," he said knowingly.

"I guess you're right," she agreed. "Ooh this one is adorable." She picked up a denim dress with multicoloured buttons down the back and a pocket in the front. "She'll definitely like this one," she decided, putting the outfit over her arm and heading to look around a bit more.

By the time they had finished, Emily had chosen eight outfits, nine individual garments and three pairs of shoes. She knew she had gone a little overboard but Rory deserved the best and she didn't care what Lorelai thought about it. The cashier scanned the car seat and the swing then put all the small items into carrier bags.

"Do you think Rory needs a new stroller?" asked Emily.

"No the one she has is fine," replied Richard, his patience wearing thin. This is the reason he never went shopping with her. "Besides, Lorelai will buy her a new one if she needs it."

"Mama," said Rory happily. She looked at the cashier and smiled timidly.

"You'll get to see mommy soon Rory don't worry," said Emily as she pulled out her credit card.

"Emily it's lunchtime, we've been in here for over two hours."

"It's a nice store," she shrugged.

"We have to get Rory home in an hour and she hasn't had lunch yet." Emily looked at Rory who was still watching the cashier closely.

"She's so cute," said the young woman, smiling at Rory.

"She is isn't she?"

"Is she your only grandchild?"

"Yes, our daughter's an only child," replied Emily politely. She was enjoying showing Rory off to people.

"How nice, how old is she?" she asked, gesturing to Rory.

"How old are you Rory?" asked Emily, hoping to show off how intelligent she was.

"One," replied Rory, holding up a single finger.

"Well done," she praised. "It was her birthday on Tuesday."

"Aww well she's adorable," she complimented.

"Thank you."

"Would you like some help getting this stuff to your car?"

"Erm....Richard, you stay here with Rory and I'll bring the car round to the entrance."

"Very well Emily." He watched as Emily left the store then turned to the cashier. "My daughter told us not to spoil her," he began. "I think we've passed that limit."

"I think so too," replied the cashier. She walked round the counter and bent down in front of the stroller. "Hey cutie," she cooed. Rory looked at her for a moment then her lips broke into a smile.

"Say hello Rory." Rory looked up at Richard then back at the cashier.

"Hi," she answered quietly then turned away from the cashier to hide.

"She's never usually this shy," he told her, knowing for a fact it was true.

"What's this you've bought?" she asked Rory, pointing to the swing.

"Ark!" replied Rory.

"Park?" she questioned.

"She's just learning to talk so she's not very easy to understand."

"I think she's really clever for her age."

"I think so too," revealed Richard. He looked out of the window and saw Emily park the car.

"Do you know how to install this?" asked the cashier, gesturing to the car seat.

"No, I was going to read the instructions," said Richard with a chuckle.

"Well I can show you if you like, that way it will already be in the car for you."

"Ok then, thank you very much."

"It's no problem," she shrugged. They loaded their items into the car, struggling to fit the swing into the trunk then they watched the woman install the car seat for them, memorising how to do it. "Do you know how to adjust these harnesses?" she asked, referring to the ones to strap Rory into.

"Not really," replied Emily.

"Ok, do you mind if I....." she gestured to Rory who was still sat in her stroller.

"Oh no, not at all," replied Richard. She lifted Rory and sat her in the seat, adjusting the harnesses to her size and reclining the seat so she was sat upright.

"There we go." She stepped back to allow Emily and Richard to see.

"Well that's perfect," said Emily. "Thank you for your help."

"Don't worry about it, thanks for shopping with us." She watched Emily and Richard admire the new car seat. "Bye," she called.

"Bye," they said simultaneously. "Ok let's go have some lunch before we have to take this one home," said Emily, getting in the car and driving towards the mansion.

Back in Stars Hollow, Luke and Lorelai were now fully clothed and were walking up to the inn, their joined hands swinging between them. They were walking in a comfortable silence as they savoured their last few minutes together before Luke left for the diner. He stopped just outside the door and pulled her up to his body, wrapping his arms around her waist. She clung onto his neck and looked up into his deep blue eyes.

"Do you really have to go?" she asked, a hint of desperation seeping into her tone.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," he sighed, wishing he could spend more time with her.

"I want you to stay," she pouted.

"I want me to stay too but I have to work. Why don't you bring Rory over to the diner about six and I'll make you dinner?"

"I wanna eat dinner with you."

"Well I'll finish my shift at six and we'll go up to my apartment where I will make you dinner."

"Hmm, sounds great."

"So six o clock?" he checked.

"Yep," she agreed. "Should I bring an overnight bag?"

"Definitely," he whispered in her ear. "But you won't need pyjamas." Lorelai pulled back to look at him, her mouth open in shock.

"I like the way you think."

"I like the way you look," he replied.

"You play it well," she complimented.

"Dirty," he said huskily. She grinned goofily then leant forward to kiss him heatedly. The kiss went up a few notches after the first twenty seconds and Lorelai found herself melting into him. She quickly regained her self control and pulled away from him.

"I'll see you at six," she said breathlessly.

"Love you," he said as he left one last kiss on her lips.

"Ditto," she replied. He smiled and pulled away from her completely. She watched as he walked towards his truck and put it in gear before driving away, giving her one last wave. She sighed happily to herself then made her way into the lobby and to where Mia was stood behind the desk.

"Good morning Lorelai," she greeted. "Did you just wake up?"

"No I've been awake for a while," she replied.

"Oh, where's Rory?"

"At my parents, my mom offered to take her last night so I could get a good night's sleep."

"Is she feeling better now?" asked Mia worriedly. "Sookie told me what happened on Thursday."

"She seemed ok when I left her last night. Mom's bringing her back here at one so you can see her for yourself."

"Wonderful, I'll look forward to it."

"Cool, is Sookie in today?"

"Yes she's in the kitchen, I was just about to go in there and offer her the job as head chef."

"Really? Wow this is so exciting! Can I watch when you tell her?"

"Of course, come on." Mia led the way into the kitchen and the two women gathered near Sookie.

"Oh hey Mia, hey Lorelai," she greeted.

"Hey Sook," replied Lorelai, trying to contain her excitement.

"What's going on?" asked Sookie confusedly.

"I'd like to talk to you, can we sit down for a minute?" asked Mia.

"Uh...sure," replied Sookie as she went to sit on one of the stools. Mia sat next to her while Lorelai stood awkwardly.

"I know you are wanting to start Culinary School soon, but I want to talk to you about something," began Mia.

"Okaaaay," drew Sookie.

"As you may have heard, Mark is leaving next week."

"Yeah I knew that."

"Well I would like to offer you a proper job here," said Mia. "How would you like to be the new head chef?" Lorelai smiled widely and looked at Sookie for her reaction.

"Oh.....oh my god!" she said in disbelief. "You want me to be your head chef?"

"Yes I do," exclaimed Mia.

"But I have no qualifications," frowned Sookie.

"Who needs qualifications when you're such a perfect cook?"

"This can't be happening!"

"It is Sook," interrupted Lorelai. "Are you gonna accept?"

"Of course!" said Sookie happily. "Thank you so much Mia," she said sincerely.

"You're welcome dear; you can start a week on Monday when Mark's left."

"Oh wow, my parents are gonna be so happy about this!" she said excitedly.

"I'll leave you to it," said Mia, leaving the Lorelai and Sookie together.

"Did you know about this?" Sookie asked Lorelai.

"Yeah, Mia told me on Rory's birthday," she admitted. "I'm so happy for you Sook!"

"Thanks, I'm happy for me too." She looked at Lorelai for a moment before asking, "Where's Rory?"

"She's at my parent's house," she replied. "My mom insisted that she stay there after dinner."

"So she's been there the whole night?" asked Sookie to confirm.

"Yes," replied Lorelai happily, hoping that Sookie would figure it out soon. "She's bringing her home at one."

"And you're ok with that?"

"Yeah, after staying up half the night with her on Thursday, I needed to catch up on some sleep so mom offered to babysit," she shrugged.

"So are you and your mom ok?"

"Yeah we talked last night after dinner and I think we worked out our differences."

"That's great!"

"I know, so I said goodbye to Rory then Luke and I came back to Stars Hollow," she said, hoping she would give the game away.

"It's so good of Luke to go to dinner with the two of you every week," she gushed. "He's a really great guy."

"He is, he's an amazing guy."

"So did you manage to get a good night's sleep last night?"

"Oh yeah," Lorelai replied. "I slept like a baby."

"That's great," said Sookie as she went over to the pot she had abandoned and stirred the contents. Lorelai was fed up of playing the game, Sookie obviously wasn't going to catch the hints she was throwing at her.

"So do you remember on Rory's birthday when we talked in here?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"And you told me I should talk to Luke about the possibility of us sleeping together?"

"Yeah."

"I talked to him."

"You did? When?"

"On Wednesday. I know I said I'd talk to him after the party but when I mentioned it to him, he'd already fallen asleep."

"Oh, so what did he say?"

"He said that we should let it happen when it happens. You know we always stopped before when we had the opportunity?" Sookie nodded. "Well he said that next time we get the opportunity, we should keep going."

"Really?"

"Yep, I was planning it for Thursday but Rory got sick so...."

"Oh my god that must have been so disappointing for you."

"It was, but Rory comes first," she shrugged.

"I guess. So when are you seeing Luke again?"

"I'm going over to his for dinner tonight," she replied.

"Ah, perfect opportunity," she said knowingly. Lorelai smiled at Sookie.

"About that, you know I told you Rory stayed with my parents last night?"

"Yeah."

"And then Luke and I came back to Stars Hollow."

"Yeah."

"And he brought me home."

"Where is this story going?" asked Sookie, still not understanding.

"Ok, I'll spell it out for you. Last night, I had the place to myself and Luke came in and...."

"And......" asked Sookie before realisation hit her. "Oh my god you did it last night!"

"Finally, god you're slow."

"Oh my god this is so great! How was it?"

"It was perfect," she gushed. "Luke's really good," she revealed in a loud whisper.

"Wow, tell me about it, how did it happen?"

"How, you mean like how...." she asked.

"No I know how it happened, I'm not stupid. Just, you know like how it led to you doing it," she explained.

"Ok well Luke parked his truck outside the inn and I was staring into space, thinking about Rory back in Hartford. So he comforted me, being the great guy he is, and I asked him if he was staying over. I knew it was the perfect opportunity for us to go all the way. He agreed then we starting making out in his truck."

"Oh my god, you did it in his truck?" asked a shocked Sookie.

"Let me finish," scolded Lorelai. "I got really carried away and tried to take his sweater off then he stopped and told me we couldn't do it in the truck. So we went to the potting shed and once we were inside, it happened," she finished.

"This is so great!" squealed Sookie. "Was it painful for you?"

"Not at all," she answered. "I thought it would be cause it's been so long since I last did it. I also wasn't sure if it'd be uncomfortable cause of the whole childbirth thing. Obviously I haven't been with a guy since Rory was born and I wasn't sure if it would be a little sore, but it wasn't."

"Well it has been a year," concluded Sookie.

"I suppose, I just didn't know if it'd affect me."

"So were you comfortable throughout?" asked Sookie, eager for information.

"More than comfortable," she assured. "It was amazing Sook," she sighed.

"Was Luke nice to you?"

"Of course he was. He paused before he was about to, you know, enter...." she trailed off. When Sookie nodded, she carried on. "He asked me if I was sure I wanted to, he said he didn't wanna do it if I wasn't completely comfortable with the idea."

"Aww he's so sweet!"

"I know."

"So what did you say to him?"

"I practically begged him to carry on," she chuckled. "Then at first he kept asking me if I was alright so I had to tell him to shut up and relax. He wanted to make sure I was all good."

"You're so lucky to have a guy like Luke; he cares for you a lot."

"I know he does," she replied. "You know, he's really good at foreplay too," she revealed.

"Really, like what?"

"Like touching and teasing," she said then leant forward and said in a whisper, "He's really good with his mouth too." The girls giggled and sat back.

"So you're happy you finally slept together?"

"I'm ecstatic. You know with Chris, that one time we slept together, he didn't do much for me."

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't make me....you know.....come," she whispered.

"Oh," said Sookie in realisation.

"Yeah, I realised last night. I mean I always assumed that that was as good as sex got and this whole orgasm thing wasn't all it was made out to be, but after last night I know I was wrong."

"So Luke took you there?"

"Yup, twice," she said as she held up two fingers.

"Wow," she breathed.

"My thoughts exactly," she smiled.

"You're so lucky," she gushed. "So tonight, you're going to his place?"

"Yeah, Rory's coming too though."

"So?"

"I don't know if I'd feel comfortable doing it with Rory there. I don't know if you've ever been in Luke's apartment but it's small and the crib isn't that far away from the bed. It'd be weird."

"I could babysit," offered Sookie.

"No it's fine," she brushed off. "I wanna spend some time with her cause I haven't seen her since last night. Don't worry about it, we don't have to have sex every night right?"

"No you don't but it would be nice wouldn't it?"

"Yeah but sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to."

"I guess." They were interrupted by the back door swinging open and a boy a couple of years older than them walked in carrying a box of fruit. "Hi Jackson," said Sookie nervously, jumping from her seat. Lorelai noticed the red seep into her cheeks and smiled to herself knowingly.

"Hi Sookie, is Mark here?" asked Jackson awkwardly.

"Erm no he erm..." Sookie tried to get a hold of herself but failed miserably.

"He had to go out," replied Lorelai.

"Oh, who are you?"

"I'm Lorelai, I'm Sookie's friend. I'm the head maid."

"Oh nice to meet you Lorelai, I'm Jackson the produce guy."

"Nice to meet you too."

"So what have you brought today?" asked Sookie, finding her words again.

"I've got leeks and potatoes today," he replied. Lorelai watched them chat to one another and noticed Jackson was glancing nervously at Sookie. Sookie was twirling a strand of hair around her finger and looked like she was about to yank it out of her head.

"Oh good, good," she replied. "I love potatoes," she said but regretted it immediately.

"Well that's....nice," said Jackson. "Anyway I should get going, can you make sure Mark gets these?"

"Sure," replied Sookie.

"Great thanks, bye then."

"Yeah bye Jackson." Lorelai looked at Sookie with a huge grin on her face.

"You like him!" she exclaimed.

"I do not," she protested. "That's just Jackson, the produce guy and.....was I really that obvious," she sighed.

"To me it was, not to Jackson though. He likes you too you know."

"How can you tell?"

"The way he was looking at you. He seemed really nervous talking to you too."

"I thought he was quite laid back."

"Not from where I was standing."

"So he likes me?"

"Oh yeah definitely. You should ask him out."

"I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"What if he says no? Then I've made a complete idiot out of myself and I'll never be able to look at him again. I'm gonna be head chef soon, I'll have to deal with him all the time and it'd be way too weird."

"Do you want me to talk to him for you?"

"I don't know, I'm so confused," she complained.

"How long have you been feeling like this?"

"About three months."

"Three months! Sweetie you need to talk to him, you can't go on like this."

"Fine, but not today."

"Yes seeing as he has already gone."

"I'll talk to him next time he's here."

"When's that?"

"I have no idea," she said panicked.

"Hey it's ok; just go with your instincts. If it's meant to be, it'll happen."

"Thank you Lorelai."

"You're welcome. I think you two would make a really cute couple."

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah, definitely." Sookie smiled confidently. "Anyway I have to go look out for Rory coming back, thanks for the talk."

"You're welcome hon."

"You're the best, best friend a girl could hope for," she called from the doorway.

"Right back atcha!" Lorelai walked into the lobby and paced around in front of window, looking for her mother's upmarket car. When she saw it pull up, she smiled and ran outside to greet them. She swung Rory's door open and began unbuckling her as Rory grinned widely.

"Mama!" she squealed, happy to see her mother after so long apart.

"Hey baby, I missed you so much," she said, leaving tiny kisses all over Rory's cheeks causing the girl to giggle. "Did you miss me?"

"Mama," she repeated. Lorelai turned to Emily and smiled her appreciation.

"Thanks for babysitting mom; it was really nice of you."

"It was no problem; I enjoyed taking care of this little one. Did you get some sleep?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm all caught up," she grinned, not letting on about what she did last night.

"Good, Rory is too. She woke up at eight this morning," she informed.

"Right on time," said Lorelai.

"Good, it wasn't easy getting her to sleep."

"What time were you up till?" she asked with a wince.

"Two thirty," she replied.

"I'm sorry mom; she usually goes to sleep really easily."

"It wasn't your fault Lorelai, she was just mixed up that's all. Everything seems back on track now. She woke up this morning crying for you," she said quietly.

"She did?" asked Lorelai worriedly.

"I think she was worried because she didn't know where she was and you weren't there. She's used to you being there in the mornings."

"Aww honey did you cry for mommy?" she cooed to Rory who was sat on Lorelai's hip resting her head against her shoulder.

"Mama," she said.

"You like that word today don't you?" she asked as she smoothed her hair back.

"Then after I calmed her down she demanded breakfast."

"That sounds about right," nodded Lorelai.

"So I asked her what she wanted, hoping that I would get an answer."

"Let me guess, she asked for a banana right?"

"Got it in one," replied Emily, a smile curving her lips.

"Rory likes her bananas don't you?" she cooed.

"Nana!"

"That's right, that's why she's so intelligent."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well I found out that bananas are really good for brain power," she informed. "So that must be why Rory's so smart all the time."

"What a strange theory."

"It's scientifically proven."

"Oh well, ok." She stepped round the trunk of the car and opened it, revealing her shopping bags and the box containing the swing.

"What's all this?"

"It's what your father and I bought at the baby store earlier. I got her some adorable clothes," she gushed.

"I told you not spoil her."

"I'm her grandmother; I'm supposed to spoil her. Anyway I'm making up for the last year," she shrugged.

"You bought Rory a swing?" she asked incredulously.

"Your father chose that, Rory seemed to like it in the store so he purchased it."

"It's October."

"She can use it in summer."

"Ok, do you wanna come through to our place and sort through this stuff with me?" she asked, gesturing towards the carrier bags.

"Really? Do you mind?"

"Not at all." She put Rory on her feet and reached for the swing. "I'll take this, you bring the bags," she ordered.

"Who's going to get Rory?" asked Emily.

"She can walk you know, she'll follow us won't you Ror?" Rory stopped wandering around and stood close to Lorelai. "See," she told Emily.

"Alright let's go." They walked round the side of the inn and down to the lake, Rory walking a bit ahead of them knowing exactly where she was going. "My it's beautiful out here," breathed Emily.

"Isn't it?" She stopped near the potting shed and took a deep breath before saying, "Ok here we are."

"Here we are where?"

"At my place." Emily looked at the old potting shed in disgust.

"You live here?"

"Yes, it's really cool, come in and take a look." She put the swing outside the door and unlocked it, gesturing for Emily to enter. She went in cautiously and looked at the small room distastefully.

"You live here," she stated rather than questioned.

"We really love it here mom, I know it's not much but it's cosy," she said happily, sitting Rory on her bed. "Let's see these clothes then." Emily continued to look around the room. "Mom?"

"What?" asked Emily, snapping out of her daze.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," she shrugged.

"Ok....so shall we look at the new clothes?" she asked. Emily nodded and began to lay the garments on the bed surrounding Rory. When they had looked at everything, Emily went silent again and Lorelai wondered what was going on.

"Mom is there a problem?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been quiet ever since you came in here," she pointed out. Emily said nothing. Instead she sighed and fell back on to Lorelai's bed.

"I can't believe it," she said quietly.

"Can't believe what?" she asked, taking a seat next to her.

"You left home to live here, was it really that bad there?" she asked, her emotions taking over.

"Oh mom," said Lorelai, saddened by her seeing her mother weak.

"Did I treat you that terribly that you had to move into an old shed?"

"Mom it's not like that. I left because I wanted to raise Rory properly, by myself and I couldn't do that at home. Everyone was watching over me all the time and it didn't feel right. You have to understand that I didn't leave because of you, I left because of Rory. I just wanted to take care of her," she said, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye.

"Why did you have to move here?"

"It was the only place that was available," she shrugged. "Plus it's not that bad at all, Rory loves it here, it's home for her."

"It doesn't seem safe."

"We have locks on the door, a portable heater over there for the cold nights, a bathroom, a kitchen; we have everything we could need."

"You're too far away from everyone else."

"Mom, Luke stays here most nights; you have nothing to worry about. Anyway, Stars Hollow is a pretty safe community."

"Are you sure you're ok here? You can come home if you want, we won't stop you."

"This is home," she said. "I can't sponge off my parents all my life, Rory and I need to make it on our own."

"You have no trouble accepting things from Luke."

"That's different; Luke's like a dad to Rory. To be completely honest with you, I wish he were her father and as far as I'm concerned, he is."

"You want that?"

"Luke's great mom, he's so good with Rory and Rory loves him, don't you?" she asked the toddler.

"Dada!" she said happily.

"She calls him dad?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised she hasn't said it while we've been at dinner actually. She says it all the time."

"Wow, this is quite a shock."

"Look, we have a really good life going on here, we're happy."

"That's all I want."

"Have you seen how smiley Rory is all the time, anybody could tell she was happy."

"She's a very happy baby. She's great by the way, I had such fun today."

"I'm glad. Rory did you have fun with grandma?"

"Mmm," she agreed.

"Well I should get going," she said, standing up to leave.

"Thanks for all this stuff, I really appreciate it."

"I thought you'd be mad at me for buying her so much."

"Are you kidding me? I'm fed up of looking at that sewing machine," she joked.

"Thank you again for letting me be a part of your lives, I know I don't say this often but I do love you Lorelai," she said sincerely. Lorelai's heart jumped and she instinctively leant in to hug Emily.

"I love you too mom, I promise to be a better daughter from now on." She pulled back to look at Emily.

"You already are," she smiled then turned to Rory. "I love you too Rory." Rory looked at her with a goofy grin on her face then looked at Lorelai.

"Say bye to grandma sweets."

"Bye bye," said Rory, waving her hand around randomly.

"Bye sweetheart," she replied. "Goodbye Lorelai."

"Bye Mom, I'll call you tomorrow about when to come and get Rory next week."

"Ok, I'll look forward to your call." Lorelai watched Emily leave the potting shed and smiled to herself. Things could only get better from now on.

**So Emily and Lorelai are finally okay. There may still be some ups and downs in their relationship, I haven't decided yet. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this, there wasn't much L/L in it because I was focussing on other things but I might focus the next chapter on them some more....they are my favourite part to write about :D Please review.....I want to see if I can make it up to 200 reviews with this chapter, it means I have to get 13 reviews which is possible :D**

**Emily.**


	19. Three To Four Days

**Sorry it took me so long! I've been working this week so haven't had a chance to update. Anyway I finally finished this one....I know I said I was gonna focus it more on Luke and Lorelai but I had a request from Chloe2007 to do some Rory/Luke bonding so it's mostly about them. There is some L/L in there too :P I wouldn't leave them out!! Thanks to the people who reviewed the last chapter and helped me reach 200 reviews!! Please enjoy.**

"Hi Sookie," greeted Jackson as he entered the kitchen. Sookie had been the head chef for a whole week and every time Jackson arrived, the speech she had been preparing for him flew out of her mind, along with her confidence.

"....Hi," she said hesitantly with a shy smile.

"So I brought those aubergines you wanted," he told her, setting the box on the counter.

"Ok..." she replied.

"Are you gonna check them?" he asked.

"Err...yeah of course." She approached the box and became fully aware of how close she was standing to her crush. She picked an aubergine out from the selection and inspected it briefly before throwing it back in. "Great, thanks," she said shortly.

"That's it?" he asked incredulously.

"Well...yeah."

"Usually Mark would look through them all and have at least two faults with them."

"Yeah well I'm not Mark, these are fine," she shrugged.

"Ok then, see ya." He waved shortly then turned to leave.

"Jackson wait!" called Sookie. He turned around and looked her in the eye. She took a deep breath and spoke quietly.

"I was wondering....would you like to err....."

"I have to get to my next job so can we hurry this along?" asked Jackson impatiently.

"Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?" she blurted quickly.

"Oh....erm, sure," he replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he shrugged.

"Ok then, bye," she said, happier than she had greeted him. "Oh wait, raspberries!" she called.

"Excuse me?"

"I need raspberries," she repeated.

"Ok is tomorrow good?"

"Yeah tomorrow's perfect," she smiled. Jackson smiled in return then turned to leave the kitchen.

A week later, Luke turned over to see Lorelai still fast asleep next to him. They had stayed at his apartment the night before. He carefully climbed out of bed, being careful not to wake her, and went to the bathroom to complete his morning routine. He undressed quickly and turned the water on, getting the temperature right before stepping in. He let the water trickle down his body for a minute then reached for his shampoo bottle. He frowned when he came up with the coconut shampoo that Lorelai used but reluctantly massaged it into his hair. He rinsed it out and reached for his soap, lathering it into his skin. When he was satisfied, he rinsed it off and stepped out of the shower. He reached for his towel and dried quickly then dressed in his usual jeans and flannel. He left his baseball cap off and went back into the main room. He leant over Rory's crib and found her mumbling to her teddy bear quietly. When she noticed him, she smiled goofily and moved herself into a sitting position.

"Hey sleepy girl," he said softly, lifting her out and settling her on his hip. "You sleep ok?"

"Dada," she said jollily.

"Shh you know you have to be quiet in the mornings, mommy's still asleep."

"Shh," she repeated.

"That's right, now what's for breakfast?" He walked over to the fridge and opened the door to show Rory the contents. She studied the items carefully then took her attention to the countertop where a box of dried oats sat.

"Ther," she asked.

"You want oatmeal?"

"Mmm," she agreed.

"Ok then, you sit in here while I make it." He put her in the high chair and turned to the stove. He put the oatmeal on to warm up then took a sippy cup from the cupboard and filled it with blackcurrant juice. "There you go," he said as he put it in front of her. "What do you say?" Rory took a huge gulp of juice then looked over at him.

"Taku," she replied.

"You're welcome." He turned back to the stove and focussed on the oatmeal.

"Dada," called Rory, trying to get his attention.

"I'm busy at the moment sweetie," he replied.

"Dada," she repeated. He sighed and glanced round at her.

"What?" he asked. Rory put both her hands on her head and patted it repeatedly. "What?" he asked again. Rory repeated the same action as before then pointed to his cap-less head. "Oh, you're wondering where my cap is," he said in realisation. He went over to his nightstand and picked up his cap, stealing a quick glance at Lorelai along the way. When he saw she was still sleeping, he went back into the kitchen and gave his cap to Rory. She inspected it and put it on her head then tried to get Luke's attention, who had gone back to the oatmeal.

"Dada!" she said excitedly.

"Hang on, it's almost done." He gave the oatmeal one last stir then turned the burner off and poured it into one of Rory's plastic princess bowls. He took a plastic spoon from the cutlery draw and carried the breakfast over to a waiting Rory. When he noticed the cap on her head, he chuckled and shook his head. "Very pretty," he told her. "Can I have it back now?" She took the cap off her head and dumped it on Luke's head with a giggle. "Thank you very much." Rory reached for her spoon but Luke stopped her. "Hang on; I have to put this on first." He tied the bib round her neck to catch the food she was definitely going to drop and relaxed into the chair next to her. Rory liked to feed herself now which made it easier for Luke and Lorelai to eat their meals. He watched as she spooned up a large amount of oatmeal then brought it quickly to her mouth. She opened wide but not wide enough and only half of the oatmeal on the spoon made it into her mouth, the rest went round her mouth and on her bib.

"Hey," said Lorelai sleepily as she walked over to the kitchen area.

"Morning," replied Luke. She was wearing the flannel shirt she had claimed after their first time together. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her softly.

"Not in front of Rory," she whispered, patting his cheek.

"She doesn't mind, the oatmeal's more interesting to her anyway," he shrugged. Lorelai turned to her daughter.

"Morning sweets," she greeted happily. Rory grinned in return as she shovelled more oatmeal into her mouth. "Rory's messy," she cooed to her daughter. "You know the oatmeal's supposed to go in your mouth not down your top," she informed jokingly.

"Leave her alone," said Luke. "She's learning."

"Aww Mr Protective," she said, squeezing Luke's cheek between her fingers.

"You're bullying her."

"No I'm not, I'm just messing around."

"Well quit messing around and get ready for work," he ordered.

"But I wanna stay here with you guys," she pouted. "It's not fair, you two get to hang out together all day and I have to go to work."

"But then you can come here and hang out with us all evening."

"It's not the same," she whined.

"You'll just have to deal with it," he shrugged.

"Fine," she huffed. "What are you two doing today?"

"Well there's a baseball game on at noon and I thought Rory and I could watch it together."

"Baseball?"

"Yeah, I'll explain it to her as we watch it."

"She'll probably fall asleep."

"No she won't, that's what you would do," he corrected.

"Well, have fun."

"We will. I thought we could go downstairs in a bit and she can help out in the diner."

"How?"

"I don't know, follow me around and carry things for me."

"Like plates of food?" she asked sarcastically.

"No like knives and forks."

"Right, no knives though," she warned.

"Of course, it was just an example."

"Good. Sounds like fun."

"It will be, are you coming in on your lunch break?" he asked, pulling her closer to him on his lap.

"I don't know, I might be persuaded."

"Well I'll look forward to seeing you."

"Me too," she replied, leaning in to kiss him again.

"Come on, get dressed," he ordered, patting her butt to get her to move.

"Yes sir." She leant closer to him then pulled away to stand up. "Did you use my shampoo?" she asked curiously.

"Err...yeah I ran out of mine."

"Aww you smell like a coconut," she teased.

"Alright you don't have to tease me about it; you were the one that used up all my shampoo in the first place."

"Would I?" Luke stood up and followed her over to the bedroom area. He sat on the bed and watched her pull her uniform on. "Perve," she said as she put her arms through the sleeves and pulled it over her head.

"I just like to watch you," he shrugged. "Anyway, you watch me."

"I do not!"

"You do, don't try to deny it."

"Once, I watched you once."

"Once that you think I know about. I catch you doing it all the time."

"It's not my fault you're really nice to look at is it?"

"Same goes for you. Anyway you love all the attention."

"Hmm you're right, I love it." She walked over to the bed and climbed onto him, straddling his thighs. "I'll miss you today," she sighed.

"Me too. You go to work every day and we survive."

"I know but today it seems so hard to leave."

"I think you're jealous that Rory and I are spending the day together, you wanna join us."

"I'm not jealous," she denied.

"I don't believe you."

"You got me," she said sarcastically as she leant forward to kiss him. They kissed passionately then were interrupted by Rory.

"Mama!" she called from her seat in the high chair. Lorelai jumped off of Luke and they walked over to the kitchen.

"Have you finished?" asked Lorelai as she picked up Rory's empty bowl and put it in the sink. "Let's clean you up, you mucky pup."

"I'll do it," said Luke. "You get yourself ready." She smiled then walked over to where her bag sat to get her makeup.

"Rory's clothes are...."

"In the diaper bag, I know," he finished.

"Just checking." She watched Luke lay Rory on the changing mat and take off her pyjamas. He replaced her old diaper with a clean one then expertly dressed her in the jeans and jumper that Lorelai had packed for her. He put her socks on then put her on the floor so she could roam around. "You're getting really good at that," she said from the bed.

"I've had lots of practise," he shrugged. She put her makeup away and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"I have to go," she said sadly.

"I know, do you want something to eat before you go?"

"It's ok; I'll get something at the inn."

"Ok, I'll see you for lunch," he said, leaning forward to kiss her. When he attempted to take the kiss deeper, she pulled away.

"Don't start something you can't finish," she warned. She bent down to scoop up Rory from the floor.

"Are you leaving your bag here?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll get it later." They went downstairs to the diner and stopped by the door. The diner almost full with the townies and they were all gazing in Luke and Lorelai's direction. They had all noticed that they stayed over at each other's places almost every night and most of them had figured out how they entertained themselves. "So I'm going," she said quietly. "Bye sweets," she said to Rory.

"Bye mama," she replied loudly causing some of the townies to awe at her. Lorelai left a kiss on her forehead then Rory looked up at her expectantly.

"Kiss?" asked Lorelai. Rory grinned and kissed Lorelai's lips. "Thank you, now have fun with daddy today ok?" Luke froze for a moment when Lorelai referred to him as 'daddy'. He had never heard her say that before and it made him smile. He took Rory from Lorelai's arms and smiled down at her.

"I'll see you at lunch ok?"

"Maybe," she replied. "Kiss?" she asked, the way she had with Rory.

"Definitely." He pressed his lips to hers, keeping it brief because he was fully aware of the audience they had. "Do you need a ride?" he asked.

"It's ok, I'll walk. It's not far."

"Ok, I'll pick you up at four."

"Bye." He and Rory watched as she walked past the window and out of sight. As soon as he turned around, Patty addressed him.

"Let me see that cute little girl," she demanded as he walked by their table. He rolled his eyes. He had been hoping to spend some alone time with Rory but obviously the town wasn't going to let that happen. Luke walked over to Patty and Babette's table and put Rory on her feet.

"I want her back in a half an hour," he warned as Babette picked her up and sat her on her lap. Rory reached for Babette's food. "And don't feed her too much, she already had breakfast and she won't eat her lunch."

"Yes daddy," Patty teased. Luke went behind the counter and stood next to his employee, Ben.

"Hey Ben," he greeted.

"Hi boss, I thought you weren't coming in today."

"I'm just gonna stay an hour or so then take the little one upstairs to watch the baseball game."

"Ah ok, that's if you can get her away from those women," he joked.

"If they have any sense they'll give her back," he said with a nod.

"I'll bet. You know that one over there."

"Patty, yeah."

"She keeps staring at me. And she pinched my ass twice this morning."

"Oh yeah, you have to avoid her. She'll eat you alive."

"Thanks for the warning; you're a bit late though."

"Sorry, should have told you when you first started. Hey, you can take a break if you want."

"Really?"

"Yeah, come back in an hour."

"Thanks boss."

"No problem." He watched Ben take off his apron and thank him again before he left the diner. Luke sighed and picked up his order pad, heading over to the couple that had just walked in. "Hi what can I get you?" he asked.

"Erm, we'll need a minute," replied the man in a strong English accent.

"Ok, I'll come back." He walked over to Babette and Patty and found them pulling funny faces at Rory, making her giggle. "How's it going over here?" he asked.

"We're fine, this girl get's cuter every day," replied Patty.

"Dada," said Rory. She held her arms out to him and he saw the pleading look in her eyes. She was begging him to take her away from the strange women.

"Hey Ror, shall I get you something to drink?" he asked softly as he took her from Babette.

"Ther," she pointed to Patty's coffee.

"No you can't have coffee."

"She's her mother's daughter," said Babette.

"Tell me about it," replied Luke. He put Rory on her feet and walked behind the counter. "Come on Ror," he called. She quickly followed him and watched him prepare a cup of juice for her. She took it greedily and smiled up at him.

"Taku," said Rory.

"Wow I didn't even have to tell you to say it that time, well done," he praised. He made his way back over to the couple at the table to see if they were ready to place their orders. Rory followed him closely and stood next to him, staring up at the couple while she sipped her drink.

"Can I have a full English please?" asked the man.

"Full English?" asked Luke in confusion. "You know this is America right?"

"Oh sorry, I'll have sausage, bacon, eggs, tomato, hash browns and toast please."

"Right how do you want your eggs?"

"Fried please."

"Fried?" asked Luke. "As in over easy?"

"Erm...sure," replied the man. Neither of them were understanding each other. He turned to the woman he was with. "And you?"

"Do you have cereal?" she asked.

"No," replied Luke.

"Could I have a toasted teacake then please?" Luke looked at her confusedly.

"A toasted teacake?"

"Yes please."

"I don't mean to sound rude but what the hell is a toasted teacake?"

"It's bread with currants in," she replied.

"I can do toast," he replied.

"Oh well..."

"French toast? Pancakes? Waffles?"

"I'll have French toast please."

"French toast it is. What would you like to drink?"

"Coffee please," they both replied. At least he knew what that one was. He looked down at Rory who had been watching the couple with interest throughout the exchange.

"Come on Ror, we have customers to serve," he told her as he walked back to the counter to get some mugs and the coffee pot. "Here you carry this." He gave her a mug and watched her follow him. He put the cup he was carrying on the table and poured coffee into it. "You want milk?" he asked.

"Yes please."

"Sugar?"

"No thank you."

"Rory, can I have that cup please?" She held it out for him and he put it on the table and repeated the same process. He put their food order in with Caesar and walked over to Babette and Patty's table, dropping into a chair.

"Are you joining us Luke?" asked Patty in surprise.

"Yeah, that couple over there are annoying me," he said, pointing his finger at them. "They're English," he added.

"What's wrong with them?" asked Babette.

"They were asking me for all this stupid food I've never heard of," he complained.

"Oh you'll get over it," said Patty. Rory tugged on the leg of Luke's jeans and he lifted her up and settled her in his lap. "So why are you down here? Shouldn't you be taking care of Rory upstairs?" she asked.

"She's helping me, aren't you Ror?"

"Mmm," she agreed.

"So you and Lorelai seem to have gotten closer," said Babette. "Has something happened between you two to make that happen?"

"If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, it's none of your business," he said bluntly.

"Oh come on Luke, tell us," begged Patty. "We need something to talk about; things have been pretty slow around here lately."

"Why would I tell you?"

"You know the light in your apartment was on very late last night," said Babette. "You been enjoying a late night snack?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Oh for god's sake," complained Luke.

"Has Lorelai been keeping you awake?" asked Patty.

"Or is it the other way round?" added Babette.

"Will you be quiet? I'm not telling you." Luke had turned five different shades of red and Babette and Patty continued to tease him.

"I bet you don't ask Lorelai to be quiet, I bet you like her to be loud," laughed Patty. "I bet you're really good in bed."

"Patty," warned Luke.

"Lorelai is a very lucky lady," said Babette.

"Ok that's enough!" shouted Luke. "What is it with you people? Why do you have this constant need to meddle in other people's lives? As if I'm gonna tell you about my sex life anyway!" The whole diner was staring at him and he realised he'd just shouted the word 'sex'. He looked down at Rory who was staring up at him with watery eyes; he could tell he'd scared her. "I'm going upstairs," he announced, standing up and balancing Rory on his hip as he stormed towards the curtain. When he was in the safety of his apartment, he sat on the couch and stood an upset Rory on his knees. "I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to scare you," he said softly. Her expression changed a little and she leant towards him, collapsing into his body. "Shall we watch the baseball game?" he asked. He turned the TV on and saw the game didn't start for another twenty minutes. "Shall we have lunch while we wait?" he asked.

Thirty minutes later, Luke was settled on the couch with Rory sat next to him, staring at the TV intently. "Home run!" called Luke excitedly. "Rory he got a home run!" he exclaimed. Rory glanced at him, her face less than amused then let out a big yawn. "Am I boring you?" asked Luke, a frown creasing his brow. He thought Rory would enjoy watching the game with him but maybe Lorelai was right. He sighed and switched the TV off. "You know what we should do?" Rory looked at him in interest. "We should go to the store and buy some stuff to make your mom a special dinner. What do you say?" He got her coat and put her arms through the sleeves before zipping it up. He placed her woolly hat on her head securely and shrugged into his own coat. Rory grinned when he picked her up, knowing they were going outside. He carried her out to the truck, ignoring Patty and Babette and fastened her into the car seat then pulled away from the diner, heading for Walmart.

Lorelai strolled into the kitchen for her mid morning cup of coffee and found Sookie humming to herself as she pulled something from the oven.

"Hey Sook," she greeted.

"Oh Lorelai, thank god," replied Sookie frantically.

"What's up?"

"It's about Jackson."

"Have you been on a date?"

"No that's what I want to talk to you about."

"Ok..."

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Why?"

"Well, before you say no to this, remember you will be helping your best friend in the whole world and she can babysit whenever to make this up to you."

"Sook what's going on?"

"Tomorrow night, I was wondering if you and Luke would double date with me and Jackson."

"What, but it's your first date."

"Yeah well it's been so awkward between us ever since I asked him out. The date would be even worse. I just need someone there to help with the conversation."

"But first dates are supposed to be intimate, you know? You're supposed to get to know each other and I don't see how that's gonna happen if Luke and I are there."

"Please Lorelai; it's just to help us get past this awkward stage. I really like him and I don't wanna scare him away."

"You won't scare him away. He said yes didn't he?"

"Yeah but he doesn't know me yet, what if he doesn't like my personality?"

"Stop worrying, everything's gonna be fine. If it'll make you more comfortable, I'll ask Luke about tomorrow night. I'm not promising he'll say yes but I'll ask."

"Thank you, thank you!" she squealed.

"So where are we going?"

"I don't know. I don't wanna go somewhere too fancy cause we don't have a lot of money but I want it to be nice."

"Hmm, how about Denny's?"

"We may as well go to Luke's."

"Erm...oh Golden Corral?"

"Nah too much of a family place."

"What about Rory? I need to find a sitter," said Lorelai. "Let's see, Wednesday night hmm...." she thought for a second. "I can't ask Mia, she took care of her all afternoon yesterday until I finished my shift."

"What about your mom?" suggested Sookie.

"Well tomorrow morning she's picking Rory up and taking care of her all day, I can't ask her to keep her in the evening too. I'd miss her too much anyway."

"Oh well, I'm sure Kirk's available."

"Kirk? If you think I'd leave my baby with Kirk for more than ten seconds you need your head testing."

"What about Patty?"

"I don't know, I think Rory's a little scared of her."

"Lorelai just ask Mia," ordered Sookie.

"I feel really bad asking Mia to take care of her all the time," she frowned.

"But she loves Rory, she loves babysitting too."

"I guess."

"Ask her. Now where are we gonna go?"

"There's this little Italian place just outside Hartford. It's cosy, romantic, the perfect place for a first date."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Did Luke take you there?"

"No, I just know about it," she shrugged. "Luke usually cooks for me at his apartment; we've never really been out for a meal."

"Seriously."

"Yeah I never realised before, we really need to go out."

"Why haven't you?"

"I guess it's easier to stay in cause of Rory. We eat after she goes to sleep," she shrugged.

"Well anytime you wanna go out for a nice meal, call me and I'll babysit."

"Thanks Sook, I need to talk to Luke about this. I can't believe in the two months we've known each other we've never been out to a restaurant."

"Surely you've eaten out at places."

"There was McDonald's," she said, remembering the day Luke drove her and Rory to the doctor, two days after they met. "But we went in the drive-thru and ate it in his truck. Plus Rory was pinching our fries, wasn't really romantic."

"Ok you two are going out for a romantic dinner," exclaimed Sookie. "On Saturday night!"

"We are?"

"Yes and I'm taking Rory."

"Oh...ok, thanks."

"So you're on for this double date tomorrow night?" Sookie asked hopefully.

"I am, I'll have to persuade Luke."

"What if he says no?"

"Don't worry, I have my ways," she replied with a wink. Sookie laughed and turned to put something in the oven. "I'll call you tonight ok?"

"Yeah see ya," she called, not looking up from her task.

Luke carried Rory on his hip as he went over to the meat section of the store. He had decided to make a simple chilli con carne for dinner, knowing Lorelai would like it. He picked up a pack of minced beef and added it to the basket he was carrying over his free arm.

"Ok got mince," he said to Rory.

"Miss," said Rory, attempting to repeat him. He went to the tinned food section and picked up a couple of tins of kidney beans and chopped tomatoes and a tube of tomato puree then dropped them into the basket.

"Got kidney beans," he said.

"Bees!"

"No beans," he corrected.

"Bees," said Rory.

"Doesn't matter," he said, shaking his head. "You know what we need to make chilli Ror?" he asked. Rory looked at him blankly.

"Bees," she answered.

"Yeah we need beans and...." She furrowed her brows at him. "We need chillies!"

"Chiwi," she repeated.

"That's right," he praised. Once he had picked up all his ingredients, he went over to the non-food section and picked out some scented candles and a bunch of flowers. All he needed was a bottle of wine to finish off his perfect meal but he hadn't quite met the twenty one mark yet. He put Rory on her feet and took hold of her hand as they walked to the clothing section. He browsed through the baby section and picked out a nice outfit for Rory to wear to dinner, she was joining them that evening. He picked out her size and turned around to see Rory tugging on some clothes before they fall to the floor.

"Uh oh," said Rory.

"Uh oh is right," replied Luke as he bent down to pick up the clothes and hang them on the rack. She smiled up at him cheekily and he took her hand again. "Come on, let's go home."

They got back to the diner just after two. Luke took Rory from the truck and went inside to find someone to watch her while he carried his stuff upstairs. He found Ben behind the counter and made his way over to him.

"Hey boss," he greeted.

"Hi Ben, could you do me a favour?"

"Erm...sure," he agreed hesitantly.

"Could you just watch Rory while I carry the grocery bags upstairs? I can't juggle everything," he asked.

"Oh....ok," he agreed.

"Great, I won't be a minute," he promised. He sat Rory on the counter and smiled gratefully at Ben. Rory watched Luke walk back out to his truck and back in and through the curtain. She then looked at Ben curiously and he simply smiled at her, not knowing what else to do.

"Dada gone," said Rory.

"He'll be back," assured Ben. Rory continued to look at him and Ben began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze. Luke emerged from the curtain and plucked Rory from the counter.

"Thanks Ben," he said before heading up to his apartment. He put Rory in her high chair and gave her a banana to eat while he busied himself preparing dinner. He chopped the chillies and onions then added put them in a saucepan along with some garlic and olive oil to fry. He then added the minced beef and spices and let it brown before adding the tomatoes and beans to the mix. He turned the heat off and covered the pan with plastic wrap, ready to warm up later. Rory had been watching him with interest as he moved around the kitchen, adding various ingredients to the pan. "Ok what do you wanna do now?" he asked. "Shall we read a book for naptime?"

"Book!" said Rory enthusiastically. He picked up the kid's book he had on the coffee table and sat on the couch with Rory in his lap. He opened it to the first page then read it to her softly. Rory listened carefully to his words and studied the pictures closely.

"Turn," he said. Rory turned the page over for him quickly. Luke had taught her how to do it herself so she was ready for when she read the books by herself. By the time he had finished the book, Rory was laid back against him, fast asleep. He put the book down and gently turned her so she was facing him. He walked over to the crib and put her down softly, covering her with the blankets and smoothing her hair back. "See you in a little while," he whispered and left a kiss on her forehead. He went back over to the kitchen and started to prepare the dessert he had specially picked out for Lorelai, knowing it would suit her tastes.

At four o clock the phone rang, waking up Rory. Luke rushed for it, hoping she wouldn't have heard it but it was too late.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's Lorelai," he heard the slightly fed up voice on the other line.

"Oh hey, you coming over?" he asked.

"Not yet, is it ok if I work till five today?" she asked. "Mia really needs the extra help."

"That's fine," he replied, walking over to the crib with the corded phone in hand to see Rory sitting herself up.

"Will you and Rory be ok?"

"We'll be fine for a little while longer, don't worry."

"Ok, thank you Luke."

"It's no problem."

"So what are you doing?"

"Well Rory just woke up from her nap so I'll make her dinner and probably watch some TV," he shrugged.

"Cool, has she been ok today?"

"She's been an angel," he told her. "I'll see you soon ok?"

"Is it ok if I take a quick shower at the potting shed before I come over there?"

"You can shower here."

"I know but I look really worn out and I need to make myself look pretty for you."

"You always look pretty," he said bashfully.

"Aww so sweet," she cooed.

"Hey, wear something nice ok?"

"Why?" she asked suggestively.

"I have a surprise for you."

"Ooh I love surprises, tell me!" she demanded.

"The whole point of a surprise is that you don't know what it is, wait and see."

"Fine, I'll see you about five thirty ish."

"Ok I love you," he said.

"Love you too," she replied before hanging up. He put the phone back on the table and looked down at Rory who was rubbing her eyes as she woke herself up.

"Hey, good nap?" he asked as he scooped her up.

"Mmm," she agreed.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Mmm," she repeated.

"Ok what do you want for dinner?" he asked as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Ther," she said, pointing to the chilli he had made.

"You want some chilli?" he asked. He had made plenty of food for their meal since Lorelai loved such big portions but he wasn't sure if she was allowed it. He frowned then picked up the phone to call Mia.

"Hello?"

"Hi it's Luke."

"Hello Lucas," she said happily. "How's the babysitting going?"

"It's great," he replied. "Listen I was just preparing Rory's dinner and I wanted to know if she's allowed chilli?"

"Oh I don't see why not, have you made it already?"

"Yeah, I made it for mine and Lorelai's dinner but Rory wants some."

"Is it spicy?"

"Not particularly, it's quite mild."

"It should be ok," she shrugged.

"Are you sure it won't affect her, you know cause she's young."

"She'll be fine, just give her a spoonful first to see if she likes it."

"Ok thanks Mia, I didn't wanna give her it then find out she wasn't allowed it."

"You did the right thing."

"Oh and could you not tell Lorelai about the chilli? It's a surprise dinner."

"Ok I'll keep it to myself." They hung up and Luke turned the stove on to warm the chilli. He put Rory in her high chair and put a bib around her neck then waited patiently for the chilli to heat up.

"Dada!" shouted Rory, drumming her hands on the high chair table.

"It's coming," he told her. "It's almost ready." He spooned some chilli into a bowl for her and put a few nachos on a plate. Rory watched him put the chilli in front of her and smiled widely when he scooped some up onto a spoon and brought it to her mouth. "Is it good?" he asked as she chewed and swallowed.

"Mor!" she demanded. He gave her the spoon so she could feed herself and went to change into a dress shirt and slacks rather than his usual gruff attire. He came back to find that Rory had finished her dinner. He freed her from the high chair and put her on the floor while he cleared the mess she had made. He washed the dishes quickly and left them to drain then wiped the high chair clean.

"Right Ror, let's clean you up." He wiped her face clean and removed the chilli-soaked bib from around her neck. He disposed of the waste then switched on the TV, relaxing until Lorelai got back.

At five forty five, the chilli had been heated and was ready to serve, the dessert was in the fridge, the table was set, the candles were lit and the flowers were the centrepiece. Rory was dressed in the new outfit Luke had bought earlier in the day and was waiting for her mom to come home. Lorelai opened the door slowly and poked her head in to see Luke sat on the couch with Rory on his lap.

"Hey," she said as she closed the door behind her.

"You're back," he said happily. He moved Rory onto the couch and stood up to greet her with a kiss.

"I missed you today."

"I missed you too," he replied. She looked over to the kitchen to see the lights dimmed and the candles burning.

"What is this?" she asked.

"It's your surprise," he said proudly. "A special homemade dinner awaits."

"Wow," she breathed. "It smells really good."

"It's chilli," he told her. "I hope you like it."

"I love chilli." She looked over at Rory whose eyes hadn't left the TV since Lorelai had entered. "Hey sweets," she said as she scooped up her daughter.

"Mama," she said, happy to see her mom again.

"I missed you today as well," she cooed. "Did you miss me?" Rory grinned and Lorelai took it as a yes. "Is this new?" she asked.

"Yeah I bought it at the store today," replied Luke.

"Oh it's nice," she said. "You didn't have to buy her new clothes."

"I don't mind, I wanted her to wear something nice tonight," he shrugged.

"Thanks." She turned to him and asked, "Is dinner ready? I'm starved."

"Yeah, come on." He led her over to the kitchen and pulled her chair out for her. "Here I'll put Rory in front of the TV so she'll be entertained while we eat," said Luke. He pulled the high chair over to the couch then went back to get Rory. He sat her in it and switched on The Muppet Show, Rory's favourite program. He served the chilli onto two plates, deliberately adding a larger portion to Lorelai's plate and put it in front of her. He took the bag of nachos and poured them into a bowl and placed them between them.

"This is really nice Luke," she complimented. She pulled him towards her and kissed him sweetly, letting her tongue brush his lips before pulling away.

"I'm glad you like it, I just wanted to do something nice for you." He took his seat opposite her and stretched his legs out so his feet touched hers.

"It's really romantic," she said. "You're perfect."

"Thank you, you look really beautiful tonight."

"Well someone told me to wear something nice."

"That's more than nice," he said huskily as he eyed the low cut of the dress she was wearing.

"Hey, eyes on the face," she told him with a laugh.

"Sorry," he said, a blush rising in his cheeks.

"This chilli's amazing," she gushed as she shovelled another spoonful into her mouth. "Not too spicy."

"It's my mom's recipe," he informed.

"It's really good," she complimented.

"Thanks, wait till you see what I made for dessert, I know it'll definitely be to your satisfaction.

"I can't wait." She ate another spoonful and chilli and swallowed before looking up at Luke. "So what are you doing tomorrow night?" she asked.

"Erm...nothing that I know of."

"How would you like to go on a double date?" she asked, hoping to make it sound enticing.

"A double date? With who?"

"Sookie and Jackson."

"As in Jackson Belleville?"

"Yeah, Sookie asked him out but she's really nervous and she asked me if we'd go out with them, just to help with conversation and stuff."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we're gonna go to this Italian restaurant near Hartford. The food's supposed to be really good there."

"A double date?"

"Please Luke, Sookie really needs my help. She's my best friend I can't let her down." He sighed.

"Ok I'll go, but I'd better get something out of this," he warned.

"Oh believe me, you will get a lot out of this," she winked. "Sookie said she'll babysit on Saturday night so we can go out."

"Go out where?"

"I thought we could go out for dinner. We've never been for a meal just the two of us, you've always cooked and I thought it'd be nice," she said, beginning a game of footsie under the table.

"Oh yeah sure, did you have anywhere in mind?"

"No, you?"

"I know where we can go," he said. "It's a surprise."

"Aww man, what is it with you and surprises?"

"I like making you happy."

"But I hate surprises."

"You said you loved them earlier, just be patient ok."

"Fine." They ate the rest of their dinner slowly, savouring their time together as they talked about their days. At seven thirty, the dishes had been washed and dried and the candles had burnt out. "I'm gonna bath Rory," said Lorelai as Luke put away the remaining plates.

"I'll help." They walked into the bathroom and Lorelai undressed Rory while Luke ran the water in the tub.

"Bath," shouted Rory excitedly.

"You love bath time don't you sweets?" she asked. Luke shut off the water and tested the temperature.

"Ok it's all ready." He watched Lorelai lower Rory into the water and kneel down next to the tub. Luke kneeled next to her and took the rubber duck he had bought and put it in the water.

"Duck," said Rory, pointing to the yellow object. She began splashing as Luke poured water over her hair and massaged the shampoo in. Lorelai watched him handle Rory so lovingly and she felt that longing in the pit of her stomach, the longing for Luke to be Rory's real father. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted it to be true. She snapped from her thoughts and went to rinse the shampoo from Rory's hair. Luke took the soap and washed Rory's body sufficiently then rinsed it off.

"You ready to come out yet Ror?" he asked.

"No," she answered as she splashed the duck around in the water. Luke looked over at Lorelai and saw that she was thinking.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"What? Oh yeah I'm fine," she brushed off.

"You sure?" She sighed and looked him in the eye.

"Do you ever wish you were Rory's real dad?" she asked forwardly.

"Wow I wasn't expecting that," he said as he exhaled deeply. "What's brought this on?"

"I don't know, it's just the way you treat her, it's like you really love her."

"I do really love her, like she was my own," he admitted.

"So you wish she was yours?"

"I guess so. Rory's so great, sometimes I think to myself, I wish this kid we're mine but she's not. There's nothing we can do about it," he shrugged. "She'll never share my blood," he said quietly.

"You know blood doesn't matter right? To me, you are Rory's dad. You take care of her so well."

"I'd do anything for her," he confessed. "Same goes for you." She smiled and looked down at Rory.

"She's really lucky to have a dad like you." Luke smiled and stood up to get a towel from the rail.

"Time to get out now Ror," he said as he held the towel open. Lorelai lifted Rory and held her up as Luke wrapped the towel around her and brought her to his body.

"Ok, you're hogging her," said Lorelai. "You've had her all day, it's my turn."

"Fine," he said gruffly but sarcastically at the same time. She took Rory from him and they walked back into the apartment together. Lorelai dried Rory off on the couch as Luke prepared some formula and brought it over to them. "It's a little too warm, leave it for a minute," he said.

"Thanks. I need Rory's clothes." Luke stood up to get a sleeper and a fresh diaper and brought them back over to her, watching as she dressed Rory and laid her in her arms. He tested the temperature of the milk again and gave it to Lorelai to feed to Rory. "You know when I first met you, you didn't have a clue about how to take care of a baby," she said quietly. "Look at you now."

"Well I've had a lot of practise," he replied. "Anyway, Rory's easy," he shrugged.

"Really?"

"In Walmart today there was this kid and it just wouldn't stop screaming," he said. "It was doing my head in. Rory's really well behaved compared to that."

"She's never cried just to cry, she's always wanted to tell you something. Like she needs her diaper changing or she's hungry. She's never really cried for attention."

"Probably cause she always has it."

"She's low maintenance." They looked down at Rory to see her eyelids becoming heavy with sleep. "I love this time of the evening," she said softly.

"Really?" he asked as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, she's so peaceful." They watched as Rory's eyes closed then opened again as she tried to resist the sleep that was beckoning her. She finally gave in and her eyelids closed all the way.

"She's out," whispered Luke.

"Let her finish her bottle, she's nearly had it all anyway." When Rory had finished, Lorelai tucked her in while Luke took the dessert from the fridge. "Ooh what's that?" asked Lorelai as she came over to the kitchen.

"Tiramisu," answered Luke. "I thought you'd like it cause of the coffee," he shrugged.

"Mmm looks yummy." He put some in a bowl and gave it to Lorelai. "Are you not having any?"

"I don't like coffee remember."

"It's not like drinking coffee," she argued.

"I'll pass." Lorelai shrugged and followed Luke over to the couch. He put the TV on and they settled back against the cushions. Luke heard Lorelai moan as she took a large spoonful of her dessert and it took all of his self control not to kiss her senseless right there. She put her empty bowl on the coffee table and turned to look at him.

"That was delicious," she complimented. "What could be better than a dessert made from coffee? My two favourite things!"

"I made that especially for you."

"I'll have some for breakfast tomorrow."

"Breakfast?"

"Yeah, I need my caffeine in the mornings remember?"

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically. He looked her in the eye and leant in to kiss her softly. When she didn't pull away, he deepened the kiss and pushed her so she was horizontal on the couch as he hovered on top of her. Her hands skimmed his chest instinctively and moved round to run up and down his back. He moved his hand to the straps of her dress and began to push them over her shoulders, never breaking the kiss. Lorelai pulled away and gasped for air.

"I can't," she breathed.

"What?"

"I can't tonight," she repeated.

"Oh, are you ok?" he asked as he moved off of her and sat up again. She sat up next to him and looked down at her feet.

"I'm fine, it's just girl stuff."

"Girl stuff?"

"Yeah you know I err....got my period," she said, a red tint seeping into her cheeks.

"Oh," he said in realisation.

"It should go away in a three or four days," she told him.

"It's ok."

"Do you think you'll be able to survive?" she asked jokingly.

"Oh I don't know, I might die of withdrawal," he said sarcastically.

"Wouldn't want that would we?" she asked as her fingers traced his pants lightly.

"Lorelai," he warned.

"What?"

"I can wait."

"Are you sure? Cause I'm here if you need me," she whispered seductively.

"I'll wait for you, ok?"

"Ok, three to four days," she repeated. Luke nodded and sat back against the cushions again. It was gonna be a long four days.

**So that's that....sorry about the crappy ending. I really need to go to bed but I wanted to finish this first! I hope you liked the Luke/Rory stuff, I find it hard to think of things they could do cause Rory can hardly talk and it's mostly story rather than dialogue! So the next chapter will be the double date....and probably something else too if I can fit it in. Please review :D**


	20. A Long Road Ahead

**Ok so I'm in a bad mood, I just failed my driving test cause the examiner was really REALLY picky.....anyway I'll get over it :D So I bought another GG box set yesterday! I now own five seasons and I'm currently watching the beginning of L/L's relationship! They're so cute :D Thank you to jessierose85, coffeebeanner, sarahb2007, mmooch, hfce, itzcheeseball, Courtney 3, HouseBroken, LanieSullivan, scifiromance, ThatxGirlxThere, Jeremy Shane, MaryBBlove23 and suusje32 for reviewing!! I really appreciate it :D Hope you enjoy this chapter...**

At a quarter to ten the next morning, Lorelai was waiting for Emily to arrive in the lobby. She was stood by the front desk talking to Mia as Rory sat between them. She looked over to the door to see both Emily and Richard enter.

"Hi mom, hi dad," she greeted as she walked over to them, leaving Rory on the desk. "Why are you both here?"

"Hello Lorelai," said Emily. "There's a nice antique store in this town and we want to take a look while we're here," she replied.

"Oh right....do you mean Kim's Antiques?"

"Yes I think that's the one, have you been?"

"No I haven't, I've seen it though."

"Ok then." Lorelai led them over to the desk and picked up Rory. "Hello sweetheart," cooed Emily to Rory.

"Gama," said Rory excitedly.

"Go to grandma sweets," said Lorelai. Emily took Rory from her and settled her on her hip.

"We'll have her back by four thirty Lorelai," said Emily as they began to walk away.

"Wait, can I talk to you guys for a minute?" she asked hesitantly.

"Ok," replied Richard.

"Can we sit?" she asked. Richard and Emily walked over to the sofas in the lobby. "Can we talk in Mia's office?" she asked again.

"Why?" asked Emily.

"It's just, what I want to talk to you about is kinda....important," she replied.

"Ok, in the office it is."

"It's just through here." Lorelai led the way through to Mia's office and closed the door behind them. "Take a seat," she told them, walking behind the desk and sitting in Mia's chair. Emily and Richard seated themselves and Emily settled Rory in her lap.

"So what's so important?" asked Emily impatiently.

"Ok so Luke's birthday is in a couple of weeks...." she began.

"And you're telling us this why?" interrupted Emily.

"Can I explain myself before you butt in please?" she asked politely with an edge of irritation.

"Yes Emily, let the girl talk," ordered Richard.

"Thanks dad. So as I was saying, Luke's birthday is in two weeks and I have an idea of what I want to get him. It's not a proper gift, it's something more....paper based," she said carefully. "Now before you freak out, let me explain this to you." Emily and Richard nodded simultaneously before Lorelai spoke again. "I've noticed in the past month or so that Luke really cares for Rory. He loves her so much, like she was his own kid and it really means a lot to me. So erm...last night, I thought a lot about the situation and I decided that I want Luke to adopt Rory," she revealed. Emily opened her mouth to speak but Lorelai held her hand up to stop her. "Let me explain," she said. "Luke and Rory have grown so close, they've really bonded and this is what I want. I want Luke to be Rory's dad, he practically is already but I want to make it official." She looked at her parent's nervously and saw a look of shock on each of their faces. "Mom, dad?"

"You've known that boy for what, two months?" asked Emily incredulously.

"I know but this is what I want, it's what's best for Rory," she argued.

"What's best for Rory? You really think that having Luke adopt Rory is the best thing for her?"

"Yes I do, at least she'll have a father," said Lorelai, raising her voice to match Emily's.

"Lorelai you need to think this through," said Emily, more calmly this time.

"I have thought this through, I've thought about it a lot and I want it to happen."

"What if the two of you break up?"

"If we break up, which by the way we're not going to, but if we do, I want him to be in her life still. I'd never keep Rory away from Luke, they mean too much to each other. And if we do break up, he'll have parental rights, he'll still get to see her. That's what I want."

"Are you sure about this Lorelai?" asked Richard, finally making an appearance in the conversation.

"Yeah, I'm positive," she replied confidently.

"You'll have to fight Christopher you know, for full custody."

"I know, I'm ready to fight," she said. "I mean, we'll probably win anyway right?"

"There is a very good chance you'll win," he said with a nod. "It might be a long process though, are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Yes, I want this so much. I'll do anything to get it."

"Ok then, Emily I think Lorelai is making the right decision here," Richard said. "This is a very mature thing for Lorelai to do, Luke is a wonderful boy."

"Thank you dad," said Lorelai sincerely. She looked at Emily. "Mom are you on board with this?" Emily stared down at Rory.

"Is this really what Rory would want?"

"She already thinks Luke's her dad, she calls him it every time she sees him. I think this is what she'd want if she understood the situation." Emily sighed.

"Very well."

"So do you both approve?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course we do!" replied Richard happily. "I'll contact the family court and tell them to get in touch with Christopher." He and Emily stood up.

"Lorelai, does Luke know about this?" she asked.

"No," she replied. "I'm gonna tell him on his birthday."

"Don't you think you should talk to him first, before you go ahead with the custody battle?" Emily probed.

"I talked to Luke about this last night, he said he wished Rory was his own but she never will be. I just thought this was something he would want," she shrugged.

"It's a very thoughtful idea Lorelai," said Richard.

"Even if he doesn't want to adopt her, at least I'll still have sole custody," she said. "Christopher will have no say whatsoever."

"Alright," agreed Emily. "You can go ahead with this but make sure you tell him on his birthday," Emily ordered.

"I will, I promise."

"Ok then I guess we'll be going." They all made their way out of the office and to the front door.

"Have a good day," said Lorelai. "Bye sweets," she cooed to her daughter as she kissed her forehead. "I'll see you this afternoon ok?"

"Bye bye," said Rory, waving her hand around.

"Bye guys," she said again as they the three of them walked out of the door, leaving her in the lobby.

Emily and Richard entered Kim's antiques just shy of ten minutes later.

"Oh my, that's a lot of antiques," she said as they made their way in further.

"Yes it is," agreed Richard. "It's like a maze." Suddenly, an Asian woman appeared in front of them.

"Watch baby," she ordered. "You break you buy." She disappeared again, just as quickly as she had appeared.

"What a charming woman," said Emily sarcastically. They walked around the store a little then heard a baby crying. It wasn't Rory so they looked around then Rory pointed to a play pen in the corner, near the kitchen. They walked over and saw an Asian baby, about Rory's age, crying. Emily leant over the pen to see the baby properly, but the woman from earlier appeared.

"What is your business?" she demanded.

"Oh I was just looking at the baby," replied Emily.

"She's not for sale."

"I didn't think she was, she's just cute that's all."

"Oh well, thank you. Your baby is too," she complimented.

"This is our granddaughter, Rory," said Emily proudly.

"This is Lane, and I Mrs Kim," she said.

"Well it was nice to meet you," replied Emily. She looked at Rory, who was in Richard's arms, and saw she was staring at Lane. Lane in turn was staring back.

"They seem to like each other," said Richard.

"Lane not have friends, she baby, babies need strict routine," said Mrs Kim.

"Oh, of course," replied Emily, a little taken aback by her attitude. "We should be going." They walked out of the door and down onto the sidewalk. "Wow she was..."

"Strict," finished Richard.

"I need a cup of coffee," she said.

"We could go to Luke's," suggested Richard.

"The diner?" asked Emily distastefully.

"Yes Emily, the diner, it's a very nice establishment," informed Richard.

"I don't like diners."

"Luke owns this one, you'll be fine." They crossed the square and Emily stopped still outside the window. "What's the matter Emily?"

"It says William's Hardware above the door."

"That was Luke's dad's sign," he informed. "This used to be a hardware store but when his dad died, he converted it to a diner."

"Well why would he keep the sign there?"

"Maybe he wanted to keep the memory of his dad alive."

"Oh, ok." Richard held the door open for Emily as he balanced Rory on his hip the closed it behind him. Luke looked up from the receipt he was checking and was surprised to see Lorelai's parents walk in. He rounded the counter quickly to greet them.

"Hi Emily, hi Richard," he said politely.

"Hello Luke," greeted Richard. Emily looked around the diner. She didn't want to sit down in this place; god knows what she will catch.

"Is something wrong Emily?" asked Luke when she didn't acknowledge him.

"No nothing's wrong, it's a.....nice place you have here."

"Thank you, it's not much."

"Don't be so modest Luke," said Richard. "This place is great; you've got a head for business."

"Dada," said Rory with a smile on her face. She leant towards him, gesturing for him to lift her.

"Hey Ror," he said softly. "Is it ok if I...." Luke asked Richard, just to make sure Richard didn't mind.

"Of course," replied Richard as he handed Rory over to Luke.

"Thanks." He looked down at Rory. "Are you having fun today?" he asked.

"We went to Kim's Antiques," said Emily.

"Oh, so you met Mrs Kim?"

"Yes and we met Lane too. Well we got as close as we could without Mrs Kim shooting us," she joked.

"Yeah she's very strict with Lane, poor kid," said Luke with a shake of his head. "We're not like that though are we Ror?" he asked as he held her above his head and threw her up then caught her. Rory giggled loudly as she landed back in his arms.

"That's dangerous isn't it Luke?" asked Emily in concern.

"It's ok, we do it all the time don't we Ror?" he asked.

"Dada," she exclaimed happily.

"She loves it," he finished.

"Well be careful." Luke could tell there was some tension on Emily's end but he chose to ignore it.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"Two cups of coffee please," Richard replied.

"Are you staying in?"

"No we'll get them to take out. I have a DAR meeting at noon and we should be heading back," informed Emily.

"Oh ok then," replied Luke, a little disappointed. He sat Rory on the counter and filled two to-go cups. He pushed them towards Emily and Richard and held his hand up when Richard gave him some money. "On the house," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive, keep it."

"Why thank you Luke."

"You're welcome. Do you want a drink too Ror?"

"Mmm." Emily and Richard watched him grab a sippy cup from under the counter and fill it with orange juice. He secured the lid again and gave it to Rory.

"There you go, what do you say?" Rory had gotten pretty good at the thank you thing but she needed reminding now and again.

"Taku," she said quietly.

"Good girl," he said, ruffling her hair. Emily and Richard watched with interest as they watched Luke interact with Rory. They could see he was a good father figure for her and Lorelai's decision did make a lot of sense.

"We should be going," said Emily, interrupting their moment.

"Oh well have a good day," said Luke sincerely. "Bye Rory," he said.

"Bye dada," she said as Emily lifted her from the counter.

"Bye Luke," she said as they left the diner. He watched after them until they were out of sight.

At noon, Emily knocked on the door to Richard's study.

"Richard, I'm leaving," she called.

"Ok Emily," he said distractedly.

"I'm taking Rory with me."

"Ok Emily," he repeated. She sighed and went into the living room to get Rory from the pack 'n' play she had purchased. When she reached the venue, she unfastened Rory from the back seat and carried her inside to meet her friends. She entered the large room and saw the women already sat round a large table.

"Hello girls," greeted Emily jollily. The women stared back at Emily for a moment, all wondering why she had a baby with her.

"Hello Emily," replied one of the women. Everyone greeted her then she took her seat and put Rory in her lap.

"So who is this?" asked the woman opposite Emily.

"This is Rory, my granddaughter."

"So that's Lorelai's baby?" asked someone else.

"Yes," confirmed Emily. Everyone stopped talking and looked down at the table. "What?" asked Emily, as if she was missing something.

"Oh nothing Emily, shall we get on with the meeting?"

"Yes, let's," replied someone else. As they discussed the event they were holding in a week's time, Emily noticed a few women giving her odd glances and looking at Rory as if she was an alien. She chose to ignore the stares, she knew people didn't approve of Lorelai's actions but it was still bugging her. There was no need to look at Rory the way they were, it wasn't her fault Lorelai got pregnant so young. She tightened her grip around her granddaughter and focussed back on the topics of the meeting. When the head of the DAR announced a ten minute break, Emily took Rory to the bathroom to change her diaper. She laid her on the mat and began to undress her.

"Just ignore those women out there Rory, they're spiteful," she said in a baby voice. "It's not your fault all that stuff happened is it? You weren't even born then." She bent down and rubbed her nose against Rory's, making the baby squeal. She cleaned her up and put her in a new diaper then re-dressed her. She was trying to prolong the time she spent in the bathroom to avoid having to go out and talk to those women again. She lifted Rory up and put the diaper bag over her shoulder before leaving the bathroom. She closed the door behind her gently and stopped when she heard a group of women stood around, obviously talking about her.

"I think it's disgraceful," said one of the women. "That girl was sixteen years old; she should not have a baby!"

"I can't believe Emily's parading around with that child, it's like she's ok with everything Lorelai did."

"That girl has always been out of control, she wouldn't listen to anybody. And then she got that nice boy Christopher into trouble and poor Straub and Francine had to deal with the consequences."

"Lorelai should be ashamed of herself; she's ruined lives by her behaviour. All she cares about is herself."

"And now she's dumping her child on Emily!" Emily was appalled by their comments. These women were supposed to be her friends, how could they talk about her and her family like that? She stood back a little bit so she wouldn't be seen. She wanted to see what else they had to say.

"She moved out as well, imagine what she put Richard and Emily through. Emily must be so embarrassed to be her mother; she didn't even finish high school for Christ sake!"

"I feel bad for the child," said another woman with a shake of her head. "She'll have such a failure of a mother, no child deserves that." Emily felt it was time to step in and say something. Lorelai was a lot of things but she wasn't a failure, how dare these women talk about her daughter like that. She stepped forward towards them.

"Shh she's coming over," hushed one of the women. The ladies went quiet as Emily joined the group.

"Hello ladies, what are we talking about?" asked Emily politely.

"Oh just husbands," replied the woman stood next to Emily.

"Oh, ok then." Everybody went silent but Emily was fuming inside. "It's not disgraceful," said Emily calmly.

"What?" asked one of the women, pretending to have no idea what she was talking about.

"I heard your conversation," she replied.

"Oh....Emily it was...."

"I know Lorelai did some things she shouldn't have at such a young age but it's not that bad," she cut off, raising her voice. "Yes she slept with Christopher but she did not force him into it, it was the other way around. As soon as that boy heard his girlfriend was pregnant, he stopped coming to the house as often. He broke Lorelai's heart." She was shouting now. "My daughter is not a failure! I know she didn't get her GED but she has sorted her life out. You all think Christopher Hayden is such an angel, you're wrong. He didn't even show up to see his daughter being born. Lorelai was all alone, can you imagine how that would feel, at sixteen as well. You all think she's so out of control but she's an amazing person." Emily looked around the circle of women to see them all gaping at her.

"Emily..."

"No, you need to hear this. I wasn't very nice to Lorelai after she found out she was pregnant. After she had Rory, I kept her away from the baby. I don't know why I did it. She told me she wanted to take care of her daughter by herself but I hired a nanny and told her not to let Lorelai do anything. It was stupid because it drove my daughter away. She left while Richard and I were on vacation, she didn't even say goodbye. I thought I'd never see her again. Since she left, she's grown up so much. She has a job, a place to live and she's a great mother. You all think she's a stupid, careless, young single mother but she's not, she's so much more. She is at work as we speak, earning money so she can keep her daughter clothed and fed. I offered to take care of Rory today; Lorelai didn't dump her on me like you thought. She is a responsible young woman and I'm proud to call her my daughter."

Emily had tears running down her cheeks by the time she had finished her speech. "Excuse me." She ran from the room and out of the building. Once outside, she perched herself on a step and held Rory close to her as she sobbed. Rory looked up at her grandma when she heard her crying and immediately wondered what she could do to make her feel better. She wrapped her tiny arms around Emily as far as she could reach and rested her head on her shoulder. When Emily didn't calm down, she pulled back and reached up to kiss Emily on the cheek. Emily looked down at her smiling granddaughter and smiled slightly in return. Rory wrapped her arms around her again in her best efforts to comfort her grandmother.

"Emily?" she heard a voice behind her. She quickly wiped her eyes and turned to see the woman stood behind her.

"Oh Tilly, hello," she said in a shaky voice.

"We didn't mean to say all those things," she reasoned.

"Don't you mean you didn't mean for me to hear the things you were saying?"

"We didn't know the full story, we're sorry, I'm sorry."

"People shouldn't assume things about other people's lives. It's always more complex than you all make it out to be."

"Sorry," said Tilly ashamedly.

"Lorelai isn't out of control."

"I know."

"Do you? Do you know? Then why were you saying such awful things about her in there?" The tears sprung into Emily's eyes again and she quickly blinked them away.

"We...."

"She's a wonderful mother, she's doing a great job with Rory." Tilly sat down next to Emily and looked at Rory. The girl was staring back curiously, wondering who the new woman was.

"She's gorgeous," she said softly, gesturing to Rory.

"I know, she's perfect."

"She looks like Lorelai," she observed.

"She does, doesn't she? Richard and I were saying that a couple of weeks ago."

"Lorelai's always been so pretty, ever since she was a little girl, she was beautiful."

"She's growing up now, you can tell in all her features. She looks so much older; she's not my baby anymore."

"No matter how old they are, they'll always be your baby."

"She doesn't need my help anymore; she has it all under control."

"I think she does, I mean you're babysitting for her aren't you?"

"I guess. She comes for dinner every Friday night as well."

"You still have her," said Tilly.

"She has a boyfriend you know."

"Really?"

"Yes, I didn't want to approve of it. I tried to find a fault with him, something that would warn her away from him but he's just too darn perfect."

"We can't control everything our children do."

"That's the thing; I've always tried to control Lorelai. I think that's why she became so rebellious, she didn't want this."

"Want what?"

"This, our life. The parties, the outfits, the whole society thing."

"Oh Emily."

"I tried; I really tried to get her interested in my life. But she didn't want any of it. Now she has a boyfriend who owns his own business and can keep her financially secured but I didn't want to like him."

"Is there a reason for that?" Emily sighed.

"I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Tilly asked curiously.

"I was afraid she would get pregnant again," she admitted. "I kept my mouth shut about it though, she was finally talking to me again and I didn't want to ruin that."

"Are you still afraid?" Emily shook her head.

"No, she confided in me. She told me her and Luke were planning on sleeping together. I admit I wasn't happy about it but the fact that she talked to me about it before she went ahead with it made me realise how mature she is."

"Has she slept with her boyfriend?"

"I don't know, we haven't talked about it since that night. When we talked, she and Luke had been dating for almost two months. They'd said I love you to each other. I think that the fact she waited two months before sleeping with him shows how much she's grown up and that she's learnt from her mistakes."

"That's good."

"You know what's funny?" asked Emily.

"What?"

"Lorelai said that if she could go back and change things, she wouldn't change having Rory. This little girl means everything to Lorelai; she'd do anything for her." Emily sighed. "I'm sorry, I've just kept talking and talking about my life, I didn't mean to go on and on," she apologised.

"It's ok; I think you really needed to say all that to someone. I'm glad everything's going well."

"It's going perfectly, isn't it Rory?" she asked. Rory looked up at her and grinned.

"Mmm," she agreed.

"That means yes," said Emily. "She hasn't managed to say that word yet."

"She's so cute, aren't you?" Tilly asked Rory. Rory smiled at her shyly then turned her head the other way. "Are you coming back inside?"

"No I think I'm going to go home. I'll see you at the next meeting," said Emily as she stood up from the step.

"Ok, bye Emily, tell Lorelai I said hello."

"I will thank you." Tilly nodded in response and Emily smiled one more time before she walked away to find her car.

Luke walked around the inn and down past the lake to the potting shed. He knew he was early but he thought he could help Lorelai get Rory ready for when Mia came to pick her up. He tapped lightly on the door and went in when he heard a muffled 'come in' from the other side. He saw Lorelai attempting to apply her foundation but Rory was clinging onto her leg and making her stumble.

"Rory will you stop doing that please?" she asked. Clearly she was irritated.

"Is everything ok?" asked Luke as he walked over to them.

"Yeah, it's just Rory's being really clingy, she won't leave me alone and I need to put my makeup on," she complained. Luke bent down and scooped up Rory.

"I'll watch her while you get ready," he said.

"Thank you."

"Are you being naughty?" asked Luke to Rory as he walked over to the couch.

"No," replied Rory with a cheeky grin on her face.

"I think you are, let's sit over here while mommy finishes getting ready." He fell back into the couch and held Rory up in the air above him. She looked down at him and giggled excitedly as he brought her down to him again.

"Dada," shouted Rory.

"What?" he asked. Rory pointed to the TV. "Do you wanna watch TV?" He turned it on and switched it to the sports channel. Rory shook her head and reached for the remote. When Luke saw what she was trying to do, he grabbed the remote and held it out of her reach. She stood herself up on the couch and stepped onto his thighs, trying to get the remote. When he held it higher, she pouted.

"Dada," she whined. Luke laughed at her pouting face and finally gave in and changed the channel to the kid's stuff. Rory smiled in accomplishment and collapsed on Luke's lap, staring at the TV intently. When Lorelai had finished getting ready, she grabbed her purse while Luke put Rory's coat on. She hooked her arm through his and they walked up to the inn together. They made a quick stop in the lobby to drop Rory off with Mia then went out to the porch to wait for Sookie and Jackson to arrive.

"Did you have a good day?" asked Luke as they sat on the bench.

"So, so," she shrugged. "You?"

"The usual," he said. "Although Kirk came in for the first time since he asked you out today."

"He did? Man he stayed away for a long time," she said with a shake of her head. "It must have been killing him."

"Yeah he spent twenty minutes deciding what he wanted to eat. He's so stupid."

"Now Luke, remember it was you that drove him away in the first place. Be nice!"

"I am nice; he just gets on my last nerve."

"Yeah well he gets on everyone's nerves; you just have to rise above it."

"Easy for you to say," he mumbled.

"Come on; let's not talk about Kirk ok? He still freaks me out a little."

"Ok, sorry." Sookie's car pulled up and Luke and Lorelai stood up to get in. She only had a small hatchback so they had to climb over the seat to get into the back.

"Hey Sook," greeted Lorelai as she settled into her seat and Sookie set off again. "You look nice," she complimented. "So do you Jackson."

"Thanks," said Jackson shyly.

"He's after you," whispered Luke in her ear.

"No he's not," she whispered back. "He's on a date with Sookie!"

"No he's on a double date with Sookie, you and me," he corrected.

"He's still with Sookie ok, now shush before they hear us." Lorelai sat back in her seat and looked out of the window.

"So where is this place?" asked Sookie.

"Erm if you just carry on this road then tell me when we reach the 'Welcome to Hartford' sign ok?"

"Yeah, sure," replied Sookie. "So how's Rory?"

"She's fine, she was a bit clingy before we left but when she saw Mia she was ok."

"Good." There was silence in the car while they drove. Luke glanced at Lorelai as the suffocating silence progressed; she simply shrugged her shoulders at him and turned to look out of the window. She felt him take her hand and hold it tightly in his and smiled to herself. When they reached the Hartford sign, Sookie jumped at the chance to say something.

"Ooh we're in Hartford," she said happily. "Where do I go now?"

"Take a left turn here," Lorelai instructed. "Now turn right." Sookie followed the directions and they were soon parking up outside the small restaurant.

"Wow it looks nice," said Sookie as they got out of the car. Luke took Lorelai's hand as the four of them walked inside and waited to be seated. "This isn't going so well," whispered Sookie to Lorelai as they walked over to their table.

"It's going fine," assured Lorelai. "Just talk to him some more." They took their seats and picked up their menus. "Oh they have pizza!" said Lorelai. "Luke they have pizza!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah I heard," he deadpanned.

"Ok, they have pasta for you," she observed.

"Lorelai, do you not see the menu sat right in front of me?"

"Yes I do."

"Well maybe, just maybe I can read my own menu."

"Fine," she huffed as she looked back at her menu. "Ooh they have tiramisu on the dessert section!" Jackson looked at Luke who was shaking his head.

"She really likes food," explained Luke.

"Oh well I guess that explains it then," said Jackson. "What are you having Sookie?"

"I don't know, I might have cannelloni, but I might have lasagne. I can't decide!"

"Why don't you order both?" asked Lorelai.

"Because not everyone orders multiple things from the menu like you do," said Luke.

"I'm gonna have cannelloni," said Sookie decisively. "What are you having Jackson?" she asked nervously.

"I think I'm gonna have the pepperoni pizza," he replied.

"Oh ok."

"What are you having Luke?" asked Lorelai.

"Lasagne," he replied. "You?"

"Hmm, if I get a pizza can we share?" she asked.

"Share?"

"Yeah, you have some of mine, I have some of yours?"

"Fine," he gave in, knowing he would lose anyway.

"Thanks." The waiter came over to take their orders.

"What can I get you all to drink?" he asked.

"Coke please," replied Lorelai.

"Sparkling water," said Luke.

"I'll have a coke too," answered Jackson.

"I'll have club soda please," replied Sookie.

"Ok and to eat?" They told him what they wanted to eat then thanked him when he brought their drinks over.

"So this is nice," said Lorelai as she glanced around the table.

"Yeah it is," replied Sookie. "I wonder how they cook their food," she said thoughtfully.

"Sook it doesn't matter, you're not at work now remember?" said Lorelai.

"It just bugs me," she shrugged.

"I know but I don't go around asking how they clean their tables," she laughed.

"I guess not." They shifted into the insufferable silence again. This time, Luke spoke up.

"So Jackson, you're into produce huh?" he asked.

"Uh yeah, I supply the fruit and vegetables for the inn."

"His stuff's great," said Sookie, with a smile in Jackson's direction. "You should hire him as your produce guy Luke."

"I would but I own a diner, I don't make anything with vegetables," he chuckled.

"Oh yeah," said Sookie clumsily.

"So I've always been meaning to go in your diner Luke," said Jackson. "What food do you have?"

"Lorelai should know," said Luke. "She's written her name in most of my menus."

"Hey, you didn't tell me not to," she defended.

"I did actually, multiple times. You just choose not to listen."

"Ah what's the difference?"

"As I was saying Jackson, I have simple diner stuff. Burgers, fries, pancakes, eggs, bacon."

"I might have to check it out," said Jackson.

"Yeah if you don't mind clogging your arteries," joked Luke.

"Please, I eat my veggies all the time. I deserve a little treat once in a while."

"That's the spirit," said Lorelai as she drank a mouthful of coke.

"As long as you eat things in moderation, you should be fine," said Jackson.

"I completely agree," replied Luke. "Unlike this one who won't eat anything with less than 300 calories in," he said, gesturing to Lorelai.

"Hey I ate a KitKat bar yesterday and it only had 180 calories!" she informed.

"Add that to everything else you ate yesterday and you're at four times your recommended daily intake."

"I hate it when you lecture me about what I eat," said Lorelai with a pout.

"I'm just trying to take care of you; I don't want you to die before you're thirty."

"I won't. I do way too much exercise."

"Exercise? When have ever done any exercise?"

"What would you call the other night?" she asked in a loud voice.

"Lorelai," he warned. "Stop."

"Cause I swear I burnt off five days worth of burgers," she said, patting her stomach. Sookie giggled while Luke rolled his eyes.

"Can we change the subject now?" asked a red faced Luke.

"Aww you're so cute when you're embarrassed," she cooed.

"Shut up," he mumbled.

"What was that?" asked Lorelai, pretending she didn't hear him.

"I said shut up ok?" he said in a raised voice. Lorelai looked taken aback at his outburst and heads had turned towards them in the restaurant. Luke stood up and stalked away from the table. Lorelai watched after him then looked back at Sookie and Jackson who were looking at her sympathetically.

"I'll be right back ok?" she asked quietly. Sookie and Jackson just nodded as she got up and walked in the direction Luke had left in.

"Will they be ok?" asked Jackson.

"I hope so," she answered. "They're so perfect together, I'm sure they can talk it out."

"Ok," said Jackson as he looked down at the table. "Sookie?"

"Yes Jackson?"

"I don't really like this," he said.

"Like what?" She feared he meant them together, she thought he was going to say he didn't like her.

"This double date thing, I'd rather we went out just the two of us."

"Oh," said Sookie in relief.

"We can't really talk properly with Luke and Lorelai here. I want to get to know you and I feel that those two are kinda getting in the way."

"I think they know they are," she said. "We can't leave them here though. I drove remember."

"Oh yeah, well I guess we could skip dessert and go out just the two of after we drop them off at the inn," he suggested.

"That's if Lorelai will pass up on the tiramisu, she seemed pretty set on having it."

"Why don't we get through tonight then tomorrow night we can go out just the two of us?"

"That sounds perfect," she smiled.

Lorelai stepped out of the restaurant to find Luke sat on the wall on the opposite side of the road, staring at the floor. She checked the road was clear then crossed. She stood in front of him but he didn't look up at her.

"What was that?" she asked quietly.

"Why do you have to do that?" he asked, his voice rose again.

"Do what?"

"Talk about our sex life to people. That's private Lorelai; I don't want people to know what goes on behind closed doors."

"I'm sorry; I was just having a laugh."

"Well I didn't find it very funny." She stepped closer to him and sat next to him on the wall.

"I'm sorry ok? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," she said. He could tell she was upset that he was giving her the cold shoulder. When he ignored her, she stood up and began to walk away. "Please come back inside when you're ready." She turned to walk away but he called to her.

"Lorelai wait!" He didn't move from his spot on the wall.

"What?" she asked as she spun around on her heel.

"Don't walk away."

"You obviously don't wanna talk to me."

"I do....I just need to cool off a bit. Sit with me?" he pleaded.

"Ok." She sat next to him again and looked across the road to the restaurant they had just vacated.

"I don't wanna fight," admitted Luke.

"Me either, this is stupid."

"I know, I just wish you'd be a little more reserved sometimes. I'm not like you; I don't flaunt things the way you like to."

"I know, you're quieter. I'm sorry; I didn't wanna get you mad."

"Come here," said Luke as he pulled her onto his lap. "I should be the one apologising; I shouldn't have left like that. I showed you up."

"No you didn't. You could never show me up," she stressed.

"Do you think we should go back in there?"

"We should give them a little more alone time. I think we're getting in the way you know."

"Yeah I got that too. What about our meals?"

"Let's tell them to cancel our orders, then we can go get take out or something," she shrugged. "I need to get my coat and purse too."

"Come on." They stood up and walked hand in hand back to the restaurant.

"Aww look," she said as they saw Sookie and Jackson laughing and talking together. "They didn't need us after all."

"I guess not," replied Luke. "I wish we'd have done that."

"Done what?"

"Date, you know, properly. I pick you up, take you to a nice restaurant, take you home, kiss you goodnight...you know."

"Aww you're so cute," she said playfully.

"I'm serious; we missed out on that whole beginning of the relationship dating thing."

"We still dated, we just didn't eat out."

"That's part of the whole dating experience," he pointed out.

"Well we're unique right?"

"Come on crazy lady, let's get out of here."

"How are we gonna get home? Sookie drove us here remember."

"Oh erm...I can pay for a cab," he shrugged.

"That'll cost a fortune."

"I don't care; I'm going out with my girl tonight."

"So cute!" she gushed. They walked over to the table and stood behind their chairs.

"Hey guys, is everything ok?" asked Sookie worriedly.

"Yeah everything's fine," replied Lorelai. "We're gonna take off." She gathered her coat and picked up her purse.

"How are you gonna get back to Stars Hollow?"

"We'll get a cab," said Luke. "You guys have a good night ok?"

"Thanks Luke, you too. Bye Lorelai."

"Bye guys, I'll talk to you tomorrow ok Sook?"

"Absolutely." They smiled at each other then Luke led Lorelai from the restaurant, his hand on the small of her back. Once they were on the street, they stopped and looked at each other.

"What do you wanna do now?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied. She stepped forward and kissed him lightly. When she moved back, he pulled her towards him again and wrapped her arms around her as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. "Luke," she said into his mouth. He pulled back to look her in the eyes, still holding her close. "We're in the street," she said.

"And?"

"We were necking, in the street, in public!" she gaped.

"So what?"

"What's happened to you? I thought you hated PDA."

"I just really needed to do that."

"Oh....usually you have make-up sex after a fight but we can't cause of...you know, so that works too."

"You wanna go back to my place?" he asked.

"I don't wanna start something up that we won't be able to finish."

"We can just make out," he shrugged. "We don't need to do it all the time."

"I don't think I'd be able to stop myself."

"Me either," he agreed as he stepped closer to her again. "If you want, we can have a really big fight when you get the green light then we can have that make-up sex."

"I like that idea," she said in anticipation. "Now get away from me before I jump you right here."

"Are you really that....you know?"

"God yes," she replied.

"Uh oh, err...maybe I should take you home?"

"No, let's go somewhere," she pleaded.

"Why don't I call a cab then we can get coffee at the diner?"

"We can get coffee?"

"Oh I'm sorry, you can get coffee."

"Nah, let's go to a movie!"

"What movie?"

"I don't know, what's around at the moment?"

"Nothing good."

"What do you know? You hate all movies."

"I do not."

"Let's just go to the diner like you said," she shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, call a cab," she ordered. When they were back in Stars Hollow, Luke paid the cab driver then followed Lorelai into the empty diner. She sat at a stool as he walked around the counter and put a pot of coffee on. "It's closed early."

"Yeah, I told Ben to close at eight thirty tonight."

"Oh right." Luke poured a cup of coffee for Lorelai then went to take a seat next to her.

"Sorry about tonight," he said.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Cause you didn't get that pizza you wanted. You were really looking forward to tonight but it got cut short."

"That wasn't your fault. Anyway, Sookie and Jackson will be having so much more fun without us."

"I guess so." The heard Lorelai's stomach rumble and Lorelai looked at Luke with an embarrassed look on her face. "You must be starving," he said.

"I'm ok." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Fine I'm dying of hunger over here."

"Let's go over to Joe's, it's still open."

"You're gonna eat pizza?"

"Yeah, I'm starving too."

"Great, let's go."

"Hey, you stay here, I'll get the pizza," he offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, help yourself to coffee."

"Ok I'm definitely staying!" He kissed her lightly then left the diner in search of pizza. She sighed in pure happiness. She had never been this happy before, all she needed was Luke and Rory to complete her. She poured herself another cup of coffee and sat at a table. She thought about Luke adopting Rory, how it would make their lives even more perfect. She couldn't wait to tell him. She had no doubt he'd say yes, she was just worried that something would go wrong at the custody battle with Christopher. She knew he wouldn't give up without a fight, even after everything that's happened. She would do whatever it takes to get sole custody. Christopher had no right to have a say in what happens in Rory's life, not after everything that's been going on. She sighed, she knew she had a long road ahead of her, but she would reach the end eventually.

**Ok so I loved writing this chapter. The part where Emily was talking about how proud she was of Lorelai was just so enjoyable to write! I'm sorry if the double date wasn't what you were expecting, I wanted to cut this chapter short cause I had the cartilage part of my ear pierced yesterday (the top part) and it's soooo painful! Anyway at least there was no Rune! That episode made me laugh so much :D especially when he was talking about Lorelai being so tall lol. I wish Mrs Kim wouldn't have interrupted them that night; big things could have happened sooner if she hadn't! Please review :D I love getting reviews!**

**Emily.**


	21. The 'First' Date

**Hello again, remember me? Well it's been quite a while....sorry. I've been really busy lately and kind of forgot about the fanfiction world. But I'm back and hopefully I will stay back. Thanks for all the reviews....I got 21 for the last chapter so that's a new record! I'm glad you're all still enjoying and I hope you also like this chapter. BTW it gets a bit dirty at the end....just a warning! **

"Hello Lorelai," greeted Emily as she opened the door on Friday night.

"Hey Mom," she replied, clutching Rory's hand as they entered.

"Where's Luke?"

"Oh he couldn't make it tonight; he's working at the diner."

"Oh," said Emily, she even seemed disappointed.

"Sorry, I should have called."

"You know the whole point of Friday night dinner is for your father and I to get to know Luke don't you?" asked Emily pointedly.

"Well....yeah, that was the original agreement but I thought you were familiar with each other by now," she replied.

"So this is how it's going to be now? Luke is going to work every Friday and not come to dinner anymore?"

"No it's not like that at all," said Lorelai, raising her voice slightly. "This is just a one time thing."

"We may as well cancel dinner altogether."

"I thought you'd wanna see your daughter and granddaughter, my mistake. I thought these dinners were a bit more than just getting to know Luke. I thought it was a proper family dinner but if you just want to see Luke then maybe we should go home." She bent down and picked up Rory who had been watching the exchange curiously then turned towards the door.

"Lorelai don't be like that."

"Like what?" she asked, turning back to face Emily. "You don't want us here."

"I never said that, all I meant was that Luke has an obligation to come to dinner."

"He's working; surely his business is more important than a stupid dinner."

"Stupid?" asked Emily with raised eyebrows.

"I didn't mean stupid, I just....argh how did we start arguing like this?"

"I have no idea," sighed Emily.

"Shall we start again?"

"Yes let's."

"So...uh...mom, hi." Emily rolled her eyes.

"Come into the living room Lorelai." Lorelai followed Emily into the living room and perched on the couch, settling Rory next to her where Luke would normally sit.

"Richard, Lorelai's here," called Emily to the study. "What would you like to drink Lorelai?"

"Just coke please," she replied. Emily handed Lorelai her drink then took a seat opposite her.

"So how did you get here?" she asked curiously.

"We took the bus didn't we Ror?" she asked the baby. Rory smiled at her then took her eyes back to her grandmother.

"The bus?" Emily repeated disgustedly. "Those things are filthy Lorelai; you don't know what you could catch."

"They're not that bad," she assured. "Before we met Luke we took the bus all the time, it was the only way to get around," she shrugged. Emily averted her gaze from Lorelai's and focussed on the floor. She hated being reminded of when her daughter first moved out. Partly because they weren't talking to each other but also because they didn't have much money and she felt guilty that she didn't do anything to help their situation. Richard walked into the living room and greeted Lorelai and Rory, bringing Emily out of her daze.

"Where's Luke?" he asked, the same way Emily had.

"He's working," replied Emily.

"Ah, very hard working that boy," said Richard approvingly. Lorelai nodded then looked down at Rory sat next to her. "You know, Luke's absence has worked out well actually," began Richard. "It gives us a chance to talk about this whole custody battle."

"Oh right," said Lorelai, suddenly becoming interested in the conversation.

"Now I rang my lawyer after our chat and he contacted the family court. They had a couple of meeting dates available so I told him I'd talk to you before I chose one."

"Ok so when?" she asked eagerly.

"There was November 15th, November 20th or the other option is December 2nd."

"Oh well, I don't wanna wait till December," she said decisively. "So November 15th I guess."

"Ok, the court will contact Christopher and tell him to show up." Lorelai inhaled deeply. "Is something wrong?" Richard asked in concern.

"I was just thinking that I haven't seen Christopher since that night, in the park," she replied, looking down at Rory again.

"He won't be able to take her again," said Richard softly. "He won't hurt you or Rory ever again."

"I know, it's just gonna be...strange I guess. Fighting against Christopher is something I never thought I'd be doing, I thought we were never gonna see him again when we moved to Stars Hollow."

"I know, and you will never see him again when all this is over."

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" she asked, unaware she had said it aloud.

"What?" asked Emily.

"I was just thinking out loud, it doesn't matter," she dismissed.

"Lorelai are you having second thoughts about this?" pushed Emily. "Because you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I don't know, I can't decide if this is gonna be the best thing for Rory. I mean, the way I see it, this is the best thing to do but how would she see it? I don't want her to hate me for keeping her dad away from her when she's old enough to understand."

"I'm sure if she knew what he did, she wouldn't want to go near him."

"But that's just our opinion, would she see it differently?" She sighed. "How do I explain all this to her when she's older? She's gonna really hate me."

"She won't hate you Lorelai, Rory would never hate you," said Emily. "When the time is right, we'll all sit down together, you, me, your father and Luke, and explain everything to her. But we don't have to worry about that right now; we have a good few years before we cross that bridge."

"I suppose."

"It's good that you're thinking ahead Lorelai," said Richard. "It means you're thinking about this in the long term, rather than just what's best for now."

"So you both think I should do this?"

"I think it is a very sensible decision," said Richard.

"I agree," said Emily.

"Ok so we're doing it. Dirty," she added. Emily and Richard rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"Would you like to set up a meeting with Christopher and both your attorneys before the court date?" asked Richard.

"Erm...is that necessary?"

"No it's not something you have to do but you get the chance to sort some issues out before you stand before the judge. Some people sort out their custody problems in the private meeting but that's only if they can both come to an agreement. I highly doubt you and Christopher will sort this in a meeting."

"Would we be able to set one up anyway, it's worth a try right?"

"That would be fine. How soon do you want it?"

"Would next week be ok?"

"That soon?"

"Yeah I wanna get this started as soon as possible."

"Ok, what day next week would you like?"

"I suppose Thursday morning would be ok, I can take the morning off work."

"Right, Thursday it is," confirmed Richard.

"Dad, would you....."

"What Lorelai?"

"Would you erm...come with me to the meeting? I'd just feel better if you were there with me," she said shyly.

"Of course I'll come sweetheart," he replied softly.

"Thanks." She looked at Emily who was looking around the room aimlessly, wanting to be a part of the conversation. "Mom?" she asked.

"Hmm."

"Could you watch Rory while I go? I know you usually take her on Thursdays anyway so it wouldn't really be much of a difference." A smiled pursed Emily's lips.

"Of course I'll take her; you go to your meeting and attempt to sort this mess out."

"Thank you. I really can't thank you both enough, you're doing so much for me."

"You're our daughter Lorelai; it's our job to support you." Lorelai was about to reply but the maid interrupted by announcing dinner. They made their way into the dining room and took their usual seats as the maid served the starter. Comfortable conversation was present throughout their meal, they mainly talked about how their week had been, the way they always did, and discussed more about the custody battle. After dinner, Richard went to his study to call his lawyer. Granted it was Friday night and most people were relaxing after a long week at work, but he wanted to get it all sorted out. Lorelai, Emily and Rory retired to the couch in the living room to prepare Rory for bed and have some coffee.

"Did you bring a bottle?" asked Emily as Lorelai rummaged through the diaper bag.

"Yeah, I thought so but I can't find it," she frowned.

"You can make a new one here, there's some formula and clean bottles in the kitchen."

"That's great mom."

"I'll get the maid to make it."

"No it's fine, I can do it myself," Lorelai replied, standing up from the couch and sauntering out of the room. Emily looked down at Rory with a frown. She remembered when the girls still lived with them and Lorelai insisted on doing everything herself but Emily stubbornly refused. If only she had acted the way she had thirty seconds ago rather than how she actually had. Rory looked up at her sleepily and attempted to reach her hand up to touch Emily's face.

"Are you ready for bed darling?" she asked as she stroked Rory's hair back.

"Mama," said Rory, looking around the room for Lorelai.

"Mommy's just making you some milk sweetheart, she'll be back in a minute," Emily promised. Rory looked up at her then shifted her gaze to Lorelai when she re-entered the room. Rory gave her a toothy grin and Lorelai grinned back.

"What's that cheeky smile for?" she cooed, rubbing noses with her daughter.

"Mama," replied Rory between giggles.

"Are you playing cutsie again to get what you want?" she asked curiously. Rory just giggled again.

"Don't get her all excited before bedtime Lorelai, you won't get her to sleep," said Emily in a scolding kind of way.

"Mom it's fine, we always have a little fun before bed don't we sweets?" she addressed Rory.

"Seep," mumbled Rory as she laid her head against Emily's shoulder.

"Aww is Wowy tired?" Lorelai asked in a baby voice. Rory reached for the bottle in Lorelai's hand greedily. "Do you wanna feed her?" she asked Emily, extending the bottle to her.

"Of course." They watched as the bottle made it's way to Rory's mouth and she began to drink greedily from it. Emily sighed and looked up to meet her daughter's gaze. "I have something I want to share with you Lorelai," she began.

"Oh....kay, what's up?"

"Yesterday when I had Rory, I took her to my DAR meeting with me."

"Right, I knew that already."

"I know.....oh it doesn't matter, you don't want to know this," she dismissed.

"No, I do. Come on mom, you can tell me anything," she pushed.

"Some of the women at the meeting were err....shocked to see that I had Rory with me and when I confirmed she was yours, they seemed to kind of shut me out a little. Anyway, during the ten minute break I went to change Rory in the bathroom and when I came out, I overheard their conversation."

"What were they saying?" she asked eagerly. Emily paused. "Mom?"

"They were saying such awful things," she said quietly.

"What awful things, about me?" Emily simply nodded.

"It doesn't matter you know, I can handle a bit of criticism."

"That's not the point; they are supposed to be my friends. I've known most of those women since I married your father, before you were born and one little thing happens in my life and they're all over me about it."

"I'd say that what happened was pretty big mom. I know your 'friends' don't approve of what happened, I don't expect them to and you can't take everything they say to heart," she tried desperately to comfort her mother.

"But when my daughter is being attacked, I will defend her. If you'd have heard the things they were saying....there was just no need for it." Emily was on the brink of tears and she was doing nothing to fight them. Before she knew it, they were rolling down her cheeks, smudging her perfectly applied mascara. Lorelai immediately shuffled closer to her and put her arm around her shoulders awkwardly.

"Mom don't cry, please." As much as she hated her mother sometimes, she didn't like to see her upset. Who does? She looked down at Rory and saw she was sleeping so she gently plucked the bottle from Emily's grasp. "I hate seeing you like this, you're usually so strong, so in check. You shouldn't let a bunch of dumb old women get to you; they have no idea what they're talking about." Emily's sobs subsided a little and she carefully handed Rory to Lorelai.

"I'm going to go freshen up, your father will take you home," she said plainly, as if the crying had never happened.

"Uh...ok," Lorelai replied uncertainly. Emily started to walk out of the room. "See you next week," she called. Emily didn't even acknowledge she had spoken; she just carried on until she was out of sight. "Yeah it was nice talking to you too Lorelai," she mimicked. She sighed to herself as she put the diaper bag over her shoulder and walked to her dad's study.

Richard stopped the car in front of the inn and put it in park. He turned to look at his daughter and found her staring out of the window.

"So you're all set for the custody battle?" he asked. She turned her head to look at him; suddenly realising they were back in Stars Hollow.

"Uh...I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah....yeah I'm fine," she stumbled. "Just tired I guess."

"Lorelai?" he questioned. She knew the look he was giving her. It was the one he used when he knew there was something else on her mind and he knew she was keeping it from him.

"I'm just thinking about Luke and this whole adoption thing."

"Are you rethinking it?"

"Um not exactly, I'm just wondering how he's going to take it. Do you think this is too much? I mean we haven't known each other long, a couple of months. What if I'm moving too fast for him and he gets freaked out? What if he breaks up with me?" Richard thought for a second. To be completely honest he had no idea what to say to her. This was a woman thing, a mother to daughter thing. Not father to daughter. "Do you think I should wait a while before I ask him?"

"How long were you thinking of waiting?"

"I don't know, like a year."

"A year?" he asked, a little exasperated.

"Yeah, he's an eighteen year old man; he doesn't wanna be tied down by a kid right? He wants to be out enjoying his youth. Rory and I are holding him back." She had no idea where all this was coming from. She was so happy with Luke, why was she doubting him?

"Lorelai, the two of you are not holding Luke back, he loves you. I don't understand why you're doubting him."

"I know he loves us but is this what he really wants? This is a really big step."

"If you're unsure you should talk to him about it, find out what he wants."

"What if he says no? Then I've gone through all this trouble of getting sole custody of Rory for nothing."

"It's not for nothing; you will be Rory's only parent. Christopher will be out of the picture for good, surely that's enough motivation to go through with this."

"I suppose."

"If Luke does say no, you just carry on your lives the way you do now," he shrugged.

"Ok," she said, finally cracking a smile.

"I can tell you're very serious about this, you haven't made an inappropriate joke yet."

"I thought you liked my jokes," she pouted.

"Nobody likes your jokes." She giggled then leant in to kiss his cheek.

"Thanks dad, you're being great about all this."

"You're making a very sensible decision," he said with a nod. She smiled again then climbed out of the car, retrieving Rory from the back seat and waving at Richard as she walked towards the potting shed. Once she was inside, she settled Rory in her crib and covered her with some blankets, leaning over and watching her sleep for a few minutes.

"You won't hate me right sweets?" she asked, wishing Rory could confirm it for her. "You think I'm doing a good thing here don't you?" She sighed and kissed Rory's cheek, making sure she was tucked in nice and warm before falling onto her bed in exhaustion. She closed her eyes to relax for a minute but a million thoughts were racing through her mind. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, the phone rang loudly, waking her from her daze. She picked it up quickly before the noise woke Rory and greeted the person on the other line.

"What the hell is going on?" she heard through the receiver. Her face crumpled in confusion as she tried to place the voice. "Well are you going to answer me?"

"Who is this?" she asked groggily.

"Who is this?" the voice repeated. "This is the man you're suing for custody! The father of your child," Chris exclaimed.

"Christopher?"

"Yeah Lore, it's me. Now do you wanna tell me what's going on?" His voice was loud with anger and frustration and Lorelai winced every time he spoke, holding the receiver away from her ear slightly.

"You know what's going on Chris, I want sole custody of Rory," she said calmly, trying to avoid disturbing Rory.

"Why? Why do you have this need to completely shut me out of her life?"

"I can't talk about this right now, Rory's sleeping and I don't wanna wake her."

"We're talking about this now," he ordered.

"Do you not care about your daughter at all? You wanna disturb her just so you can fight with me about this? We'll talk about this later."

"When, at this stupid meeting you've set up?"

"Yes at the meeting," she replied, trying her very hardest to keep her voice in check.

"So why are you trying to keep her away from me?"

"I think you know why, do you not remember that evening in last month? Or did it slip your mind? Oh that's right, you think what you did is perfectly ok and that it didn't matter to me at all," she said bitterly. "It doesn't matter that I had no idea where my baby girl was for seven whole hours because you had her the whole time!"

"Lore...."

"Don't call me Lore," she snapped. "My name's Lorelai. The reason I'm fighting you on this is because you are not capable of being a father and I don't want you anywhere near my kid."

"She's my kid too!"

"Oh yeah, well where were you when she was being born? Where were you when I took her home from the hospital? All the nights she cried, where were you then? You've missed everything, her first smile, first laugh, first step, first word....all of it. I gave you so many opportunities to be a dad to her but you ignored them all, but now all of a sudden you wanna be in her life?"

"I...I...," he stumbled.

"You what Christopher?" she demanded. "You're jealous?" she questioned.

"Jealous?" he asked as if it were the most stupid explanation ever.

"Yeah I mean you come into the inn one day, claiming you want to see Rory and everything's going ok. Then Luke, my boyfriend, shows up and you suddenly turn."

"I am not jealous of that guy," he insisted.

"Oh really?"

"Really. What you and him have isn't gonna last anyway; I'm surprised you're still together now. Everyone knows we're meant to be together."

"Who's everyone?" she asked in exasperation. "Your imaginary friends?"

"Your parents for starts, they want us together, they want us to be a family."

"Christopher you're talking crap, after you abducted their granddaughter do you really think they still want us to end up together? They hate you."

"Come on Lore, they'll never hate me. I'm perfect remember?" He was being cocky and Lorelai knew it. He was annoying her so much, why couldn't he just leave her alone? This conversation they were having had made up her mind, she was going to fight him for sole custody, and she was going to win.

"Will you stop calling me Lore? That was a stupid high school nickname; we're not in high school anymore."

"I am," he stated.

"Yeah well I've grown up; you're obviously still waiting for puberty to kick in."

"Why are you being like this with me Lore?"

"It's Lorelai for god's sake! I just want you to leave Rory and me alone, we don't need you and we certainly don't want you." She had unconsciously raised her voice and soft whimpers came from the crib. Lorelai sighed loudly.

"I want to see my daughter," he demanded.

"Well it's not gonna happen. Now she's just woken up so I'm gonna check on her," she said.

"Lore....lai wait," he said.

"Goodbye." She hung up and slammed the phone back on it's cradle. She stood up and looked down at her daughter who was hugging the teddy bear Luke bought her close to her chest as she sobbed quietly. "Hey baby," she said as she picked her up slowly and swayed from side to side. "Sorry for disturbing you, there was a mean man on the phone but he's gone now, he won't get to us ever again ok?" Rory's sobs were muffled as she buried her face in the crook of Lorelai's neck. When the baby started to calm down again, the phone rang for the second time that night. "What?" she said when she picked it up.

"Oh sorry is this a bad time?" She heard the soft, familiar voice.

"Luke, hey. Sorry about that I thought you were someone else."

"Oh...ok. So how was dinner?"

"It was ok I guess. My mother was acting so strange though."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah when I went in, we argued about why you weren't there. Then we had dinner, nice food, nice conversation. Then my dad left us in the living room and she broke down."

"What do you mean she broke down?"

"She started bawling like a baby."

"Why?"

"Something the women at the DAR were saying about me, she said she was trying to defend me but they were saying really awful things."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"No it doesn't matter. If I let every little comment and criticism get to me I'd be miserable. I don't care what those stupid society women think."

"Emily obviously does."

"That's cause she's one of them. I was just sat there as she cried over a bunch of women saying things about me and it made me think of what a hypocrite she is. She used to say horrible things to me all the time about my....situation and now she's complaining."

"Maybe she's seen the error of her ways."

"This is Emily Gilmore we're talking about here."

"But you said yourself she's been treating you differently since you guys talked."

"Yeah but I'm beginning to think she just puts on a nice front when you're around, she was acting differently tonight. After she finished crying, she stood up, told me that dad would bring us home then left. No goodbye, no 'I'm sorry for crying in front of you and making you extremely uncomfortable', she just left."

"I'm sure everything will be fine next week," he assured.

"Yeah I hope so; we were getting along so well. I don't want us to go back to how we were before."

"You won't."

"Hmm, anyway I'm gonna go now. Rory woke up and I have to get her back to sleep."

"I didn't wake her when I rang did I?" he asked worriedly.

"No don't worry, it wasn't you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"For our date," he said.

"Ah yes, see ya Luke." She hung up and fell down onto the bed with Rory in her arms. The baby was looking at her groggily so she laid her in the bed and kissed her forehead, promising she'd be back in a minute. She quickly walked over to her dresser and changed into her PJs then wiped off her makeup and added a little moisturiser, not bothering with the cleanser tonight. She brushed her hair and teeth then climbed into bed beside Rory. She had missed having Rory in her bed with her. Since Luke and Lorelai had been having sleepovers, the girls hadn't really had that much alone time at bedtime. She snuggled under the covers and moved closer to her daughter, wrapping her arm around her as she inhaled the sweet baby smell that Rory still held. "Night babe," she whispered to the sleeping Rory.

At five the next evening, Rory had been fed and changed into her pyjamas and her stuff was packed, ready for an evening with Sookie. Sookie knocked on the door to the potting shed and Lorelai shouted for her to come in. Sookie immediately went over to Rory who was sat on the floor playing with some building blocks and squealed excitedly when she saw Sookie there. The girls carried the stuff up to Sookie's car including the travel crib, various toys, diapers, a spare set of clothes, pacifiers and of course Rory.

"Lorelai you know I'm only gonna have her for the evening. You've packed her entire belongings."

"Well you have to be prepared right?"

"I guess," she shrugged. They finished squashing the items into Sookie's small car then Lorelai picked up Rory.

"Ok now you have to be really good for Sookie," she said. "You have to go to bed when she says you're going to bed." Lorelai looked at Sookie. "I know you're really excited about tonight but are you sure you're gonna be ok with her tonight?" she asked, that worried parent thing kicking in again.

"We'll be fine. My parents are out till nine but she should be in bed by then right?"

"Yeah she usually goes down at eight but you can keep her up another half an hour if you want."

"Ok, we'll have a great time, stop worrying."

"Will you call me if you need anything?"

"But you'll be on a date."

"It doesn't matter, if you or Rory need me at all just call ok?"

"Ok, now go get ready for that hunk of a fella," she ordered.

"Ok bye sweets," she said, kissing Rory's forehead several times before sitting her in the car seat they had set up in the front seat as there was no space in the back due to all Rory's stuff. They said their last goodbyes then Lorelai went back to the potting shed.

At seven, Luke pulled up in front of the inn to find Lorelai waiting for him on the porch. He stepped out of the truck and they began to walk towards each other.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked. "It's freezing, you'll get sick."

"Sorry Doctor Luke," she snarled.

"You ok?"

"Yeah just missing Rory a bit," she shrugged.

"Do you wanna stop by Sookie's before we go?" She thought for a second.

"Nah it's ok, let's just go kay?"

"If you're sure."

"I am, let's go on a real date," she said as he helped her into the truck and closed the door behind her. The drive to the restaurant was short but Lorelai thought it was so much longer, probably because she was stuck with the suspense of not knowing where they were going.

They walked into the restaurant and Lorelai stood by the 'Wait to be seated' sign. Luke took her hand and guided her to a table in the corner with a reserved sign in the centre of the table.

"Wow, reserved huh?" she said, already enjoying herself. "So this place is nice," she said as she looked around the small, cosy restaurant.

"Yeah I know the owners," he shrugged.

"You do?" Just then, a booming voice interrupted them.

"Lucas!" They looked up to see a tall man stood next to their table.

"Hey Buddy," greeted Luke, shaking his hand.

"Maisy look who's here," he called.

"Who?" they heard.

"Come and see."

"Oh for Christ's sake it better be Brad Pitt or I'm going home." Lorelai giggled slightly as the woman approached.

"Lucas," she exclaimed. "How nice to see you."

"You too Maisy, sorry I'm not Brad Pitt," he joked.

"Ah you're ten times better." The older couple took their eyes to Lorelai who had been sat quietly as they got reacquainted with each other.

"Who's your girl?" asked Buddy.

"Oh sorry, this is Lorelai, Lorelai this is Buddy and Maisy. They're like second parents to me."

"Aww well it's nice to meet you both," she said politely.

"Lucas never brings his girls here," said Maisy.

"Cause there hasn't been any to bring," replied Luke.

"Can I ask how come you get to call him Lucas? He won't let me call him that," said Lorelai.

"Can we not get into this now?" asked Luke.

"But Lucas!" she whined.

"Lorelai," he returned.

"Fine," she pouted. "But I'm calling you it later." Buddy and Maisy stood quietly and watched the two interact with interest. They had never seen Luke so open before, so willing to talk and it shocked them. They knew him as the boy who stayed in his shell and hardly came out but here he was bantering with a girl, right in front of them.

"So how long have you two known each other?" asked Maisy.

"Two months," said Luke.

"And we're just finding out now?"

"Sorry, I've been kinda busy lately."

"Don't let it happen again," she warned.

"So Lorelai, are you at school, college?" asked Buddy.

"Err....actually..." Luke cut her off.

"Lorelai doesn't go to school anymore," he said. "She has a little girl called Rory." Lorelai watched them carefully to see the judgement she was about to receive but there was none. Instead Maisy smiled at her.

"Really, how old is she?"

"She just turned one this month," she informed.

"Aww do you have any pictures?"

"Yeah I do actually," she said, reaching into her purse for her wallet and pulled out three small photos of Rory, all taken at different stages in her life. She gave them to Maisy and watched her awe over them.

"She's precious," she complimented.

"Thanks," she replied, smiling proudly.

"You should bring her in for dinner sometime," said Buddy, making an appearance in the conversation. Lorelai took the pictures back and stuffed them back in her wallet.

"We'll see," answered Luke. "She has dinner at a different time to us at the moment so it might be a bit awkward bringing her to a restaurant."

"Oh well, I'm sure we'll meet her sometime." They all nodded then Buddy asked, "Can I get you some champagne?"

"Uh...I think that's illegal," said Luke.

"That's crap; I'll give champagne to who I want to. Lorelai do you like it?"

"Well I don't really drink actually, not since I had Rory," she replied, not realising how that made her sound like a binge drinking teen until after she said it.

"One glass won't hurt, you don't have Rory with you tonight, you can drink some champagne," he told her.

"Ok then, I guess we're having champagne," she shrugged. The older couple sauntered away from the table and a waiter brought an ice bucket with a new bottle of champagne over. The watched as it was opened then Luke poured her a glass then one for himself.

"To you and me," he toasted as he held his glass up to hers.

"I'll drink to that," she said as they clunked glasses then took attentive sips of their drinks.

"Hmm I definitely hate champagne," said Luke.

"Order something else."

"No it's ok, you like it so I'll drink it." The moved into a comfortable silence and Luke took her hand over the table, holding it in his. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other for long seconds before Luke spoke up. "What do you want to eat?" he asked.

"I don't know." She released his hand reluctantly then picked up a menu. "Hmm," she hummed as she weighed up her choices.

"The menu's not that big," he complained.

"But there are a lot of nice things," she argued. "I can't decide."

"Hurry up I'm hungry."

"Don't rush me; this is an important process you know. I need to make a pro-con list."

"Jeez."

"Chill Luke, I'm kidding."

"Do you know what you want?"

"Hmm burger or steak?"

"It's practically the same," he pointed out.

"But one has bread and one doesn't."

"Well just choose."

"Ok I'm gonna have a burger," she said decisively. "No I want steak," she changed.

"Steak?"

"Yes steak."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure, steak." He called the waiter over and they placed their orders. "So this is really nice Luke," she said as she took a sip of her champagne and took his hand again.

"Glad you think so. When I was thinking about somewhere we could go, this is the only place I could think of."

"So you said Buddy and Maisy are second parents to you," she stated, hoping he would explain.

"Yeah, they were really good friends of my parents then when my mom died; they helped my dad out with things. Then when he died last year, they really stepped up for me. Bud helped me open the diner and get it up and running."

"That's nice," she said as she ran her thumb over his. She noticed he was looking down at the table, trying to fight emotion. "You ok?" she asked.

"Hmm....yeah, I'm good," he replied, taking a sip of champagne to cover up his thoughts.

"We should do this more often you know."

"What go out for dinner?" he asked.

"No come here, like we go to my parents for dinner every Friday, we could come here another night of the week. They are like parents to you after all."

"You wanna do that?"

"Yeah I think it'd be nice to start a tradition like this, one that we're not obliged to go to but one that we want to go to. We could bring Rory too."

"Sounds good," he replied.

"You're very monosyllabic tonight," she observed. "I know you're reserved but this is a little weird."

"I'm sorry, I'm a little distracted. I'll give you my full attention now." She looked at him in concern.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah I was just.....thinking about my parents that's all."

"Oh Luke, I'm sorry. I have to go and open my big mouth don't I?"

"It's ok; you wouldn't be you if you didn't try to talk me down."

"You've never really talked about them," she said. "Is it that you don't like to?"

"Yeah kinda, do you wanna hear about them?" he asked.

"Oh...not if you don't want to."

"I'll tell you about them if you want, they were great people."

"I'm sure they were, and they raised a great son." Luke blushed.

"My mom was the cook around the house. She was a bit like Sookie, minus the crazy and the injuries."

"Really?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, she'd always be cooking something. Fresh bread, meals, waffles, anything we wanted and she'd cook it. So one day I went up to her and I told her I wanted to learn to cook the way she did. So she taught me. I'd help her out with lunch and dinner, at first she just had me watching and setting the table but after a while, I got to stir things and taste them. Then when I was a little older, she let me use the oven and actually cook something." Lorelai was listening in amazement.

"What did you cook?"

"I made a loaf of bread."

"How did it turn out?"

"Well it was cooked perfectly, it just wasn't a loaf, it was more a round shape."

"Did it taste good?"

"Tasted like you made it."

"Hey!" she hit his arm.

"What it's true." They were interrupted by their meals being brought to them. They thanked the waiter then Luke watched in disgust as Lorelai cut into her steak and popped a piece in her mouth.

"What?" she asked.

"Uh....nothing." He averted his gaze and looked down at his own food, a turkey salad.

"How do you think Sookie and Rory are doing?" she asked.

"I'm sure they're fine."

"Is there a phone here?"

"Why?"

"I just wanna make a call."

"You are not calling Sookie, everything will be fine, leave them to it."

"But..."

"No buts, eat your steak." She pouted and looked down at her food.

"God I hate it when you're bossy." Luke chuckled.

"Someone's gotta keep you in check," he shrugged.

"For that comment, you're not getting any tonight," she said, leaning a little closer.

"I wasn't anyway, remember," he replied, gesturing to her abdomen with a blush on his face.

"Well once it's gone, I'm gonna make you suffer an extra day as punishment."

"You know there are ways I can do that myself," he whispered.

"Luke!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"What? You were asking for it!"

"Ugh I can't believe you'd do that, it's as good as cheating."

"How?"

"Well you're cheating with yourself," she said, trying to explain her last comment.

"Uh huh."

"It's just wrong ok?"

"I was kidding, I don't do that," he promised. "Why would I need to when I have you?"

"Oh so now I'm a sex machine?"

"Pfft," responded Luke.

"What?"

"You know it isn't true," he told her.

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do. You're way more than that to me."

"Hmm I guess." They finished up their meals and relaxed back into the chair, moving a little closer to each other in the booth they were sat in. "Aww you know what we should have done?" she asked.

"What?" he replied, not looking forward to the next words to come out of her mouth.

"We should have ordered spaghetti and meatballs and shared. Then we absentmindedly pick up the same piece of spaghetti and when we eat it, we end up kissing," she gushed. Luke rolled his eyes. "Then there's only one meatball left and you can see that I want it so you let me have it."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Lady and the Tramp, Luke," she said, dumbfounded.

"What?"

"That Disney movie from the fifties?"

"Nope doesn't ring any bells."

"Oh my god you've never seen Lady and the Tramp? It's so cute!"

"So two people eat spaghetti and end up kissing?"

"No two dogs eat spaghetti and end up kissing," she corrected.

"What the hell?"

"It's really adorable, we are so watching it."

"God help me."

It was nine thirty when they got back to the potting shed. Lorelai had told Sookie she would pick Rory up at eleven. She knew it was a little late but Rory would be asleep anyway and Sookie had demanded that she stay out till that time anyway. They stepped inside and Lorelai shrugged out of Luke's jacket that he had given to her when she got cold.

"What do you wanna do now?" he asked as he walked towards her slowly.

"Hmm," she thought. "I'll be back in a minute." She disappeared into the bathroom and Luke made himself comfortable on the couch. When she emerged, she ran towards him and jumped into his lap, straddling him.

"Jeez what's going on?" he asked, alarmed at her quick entrance.

"It's gone!"

"What's gone?"

"It!"

"It, what's it and.....oh," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "It's gone?"

"Yep."

"You sure?"

"Oh definitely, it's officially gone for the next four weeks!" She leant down and kissed Luke firmly on the lips. "I'm gonna take a bath," she said, getting up and heading into the bathroom. He heard the tub turn on and walked up to the door to see her pouring some bubble bath in and swirling it round with her hand.

"I'll leave you to it," he said as he went to close the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Giving you some privacy," he replied.

"Nuh uh, get in here. I need company." She lifted her top over her head and pulled her skirt over her hips, standing in her underwear before him. Luke took a second to look at her, he had to admit, he had been struggling to gain some self control when Lorelai had been parading herself in front of him the past couple of days and it had been torture. Now he had the chance to relieve some of that torture, why was he hesitating. He moved his hands up to undo the buttons on his shirt but she walked over and stopped him. "Allow me."

She slowly released each button, revealing more and more of his bare skin. She took a slow pace, deliberately letting him sizzle while she teased him. She finally released the last button and he quickly shrugged out of the shirt and threw it to an unknown place.

"Wow, patience Luke," she chuckled.

"You're killing me," he said in a breathy voice.

"Shh." She moved down to the waistband of his slacks and fumbled with his belt buckle, releasing it quickly and tossing it to the floor. She then slowly unzipped his pants and let them slide down his legs. He stepped out of them and she bent down to untie his shoes. He kicked them away, along with his socks and pulled her back up to his level. He kissed her gently, letting his fingers tangle in her hair as he attempted to slip his tongue into her mouth. She pulled away.

"Lose the underwear," she said breathlessly.

"You too." She stepped over and turned the water off before testing the temperature with her hand.

"Perfect," she whispered. She stepped back over to Luke and slipped her hand inside the front of his boxers. "Lose 'em."

"Now who's bossy," he asked huskily. He removed his underwear, relieving the barrier that was stopping him before. He then reached round to her back and released the clasp on her bra, letting it fall to the floor along with the rest of their clothing. He hooked his fingers into her panties and pulled them down slowly, allowing her to step out of them, all the while keeping eye contact with each other. Once they were standing in front of each other, completely naked, Lorelai stepped away from him and lit some candles that were surrounding the tub then shut off the light, leaving a dim light from the flames. Luke watched her put one foot in the deep, soapy water followed by the other. She then slid down into it and sat forward.

"Come on then." Luke walked over and stepped in, settling behind her. He spread his legs so she could sit between them then pulled her back to rest against him. They moaned when their skin came into contact and Lorelai turned her head to give Luke a sweet kiss. She pulled back and settled her head against his chest. "This is nice."

"Yeah," he agreed, not able to say much else from the sensations coursing through his body. He wrapped his arms around her, his fingers resting on her stomach. He didn't think this was how the night was gonna end, he thought he'd have to wait a while longer. They stayed in the tub for the next hour, doing things that are not suitable for a teen rated story!

**Sorry about the ending again, I always have such crappy endings to my chapters; I just never know how to finish. So it's midnight at the moment and I have to get up in the morning and I wanted to finish this for you tonight, I didn't want you to have to wait any longer! I hope you enjoyed and as usual, reviews are GREAT! So goodnight :D**

**Emily.**


	22. Baby Talk

**A quick update for you here! I know it's shorter but I didn't want to keep you waiting too long. I was a little disappointed with the number of reviews I got in the last chapter, I expected more but what can you do? Thank you so much to everybody that did review though, I really appreciate it. Now this chapter is mostly story rather than dialogue. There are a lot of thoughts and explanations going on....enjoy :D**

"Shouldn't they be here by now?" asked Lorelai. She and Richard were stood in the foyer of the courthouse with their attorney, waiting for Christopher to arrive.

"They'll be here soon," he assured. He took the opportunity to glance at his daughter, wanting to know how she was feeling. It was no secret that she was nervous about their impending meeting. "How're you feeling?" he asked softly.

"I'm ok," she replied, taking a deep breath. "You?"

"Oh I'm fine, don't worry about me. I'm just going to have to try my best to control myself when Christopher walks in. He doesn't deserve to be anywhere near my granddaughter."

"Dad, calm down," she said quietly as she touched his arm.

"It's just....what he did...."

"I know," she interrupted. "Believe me; I've never been so terrified in my life than I was that night. But we're sorting it out right? We should at least try to talk this out like adults rather than shouting about it," she said logically. Richard sighed.

"You're right."

"I know, I'm always right." They grinned at each other then Richard nodded his head towards the doorway. When Lorelai saw Christopher enter, she subconsciously stepped closer to Richard and linked her arm through his. Richard noticed this and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, letting her know he was there for her. Christopher and his lawyer approached them and Lorelai inhaled deeply.

"Hey," he said nonchalantly. He leant in close to Lorelai, attempting to kiss her cheek.

"Don't," she ordered, pulling away from him abruptly.

"Come on Lore, I'm just greeting you."

"Well don't ok?" she said harshly.

"Lore...."

"Christopher," warned Richard, still holding onto his daughter.

"Fine," he shrugged off. "So shall we get this over with?"

"Yes, let's." They were guided into a small room with a desk in the middle. Richard stopped outside and Lorelai turned around to him.

"I'll wait out here," he said.

"No....I uh....I need you in there with me," she pleaded, sounding like a small child.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes...please." Richard nodded and followed her in, closing the door behind them.

They seated themselves at the desk opposite Christopher and his attorney. Lorelai could feel Christopher's eyes burning into her and she deliberately avoided eye contact with him.

"So as I understand this case," began Christopher's lawyer. "Miss Gilmore, you are suing my client, Mr Hayden, for sole custody of your daughter, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore. Is this correct?"

"Yes," confirmed Lorelai.

"Ok and what are your reasons?"

"I err..." Lorelai looked at Richard nervously. He put his hand over hers and nodded, silently letting her know that it was ok to continue. "Chris....Mr Hayden kidnapped my daughter."

"He kidnapped her? But she's his daughter too."

"Yes I know that but he didn't have my permission to take her. Mr Hayden and I haven't been together since I found out I was pregnant, he's never shown an interest in his daughter before. He's only seen her twice," she explained.

"So tell me, how did this 'kidnapping' occur?"

"Well he came to my home and asked me if he could take Rory out for an hour. I agreed and told him to stay in Stars Hollow, that's the town we live in. Anyway when they were due back, I got a call from my mother telling me that one of her friends had just seen him in Hartford with a baby. So I panicked." Her voice broke a little, remembering the events of that fateful day.

"Right so Mr Hayden took his daughter to Hartford, correct?" This lawyer was really getting to her, why was she twisting things around?

"I guess, but he didn't tell me he was going to Hartford, I thought they were walking around town ten minutes away from me. I had no idea where my daughter was."

"So what did you do then?"

"My....friend drove me to Hartford to find them. My mom and dad came to help too."

"And you did find them I assume?"

"Yeah a long seven hours later. That was the worst night of my entire life; I thought something had happened to her, I didn't even know if she was alive."

"And was she under any distress when you found them?"

"Well she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since lunch so she was dehydrated and she wasn't wearing a coat or a blanket so she had hypothermia too."

"Right, I just wanted to hear your side of the story." Lorelai finally looked up at Christopher. He was staring down at the table; his head hung low in shame.

"Christopher?" she addressed him. His head shot up when she said his name and his eyes met hers. "I want you to sign away your rights to Rory," she said simply.

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "You think I'm gonna do it, just like that?"

"If you care for Rory or me at all, you'll do this. It's what we want."

"What we want? Rory's a baby, she doesn't know what she wants and you don't get to decide for her."

"I'm her mother, of course I do."

"And I'm her father, don't I have a say in this?"

"No."

"Lore."

"Will you quit calling me that? For the last time, my name is Lorelai. Lo-re-lai," she drew out slowly, the anger building up inside of her, ready for explosion. "I know for sure that Rory doesn't want you in her life, she doesn't even know who you are, how could she want something when she's never had it?"

"It's not my fault she doesn't know me."

"Then who's is it?"

"It's yours; you're the one that wouldn't let me see her."

"What are you talking about? I never kept her away from you, you know that. Why are you trying to turn this around on me? It's all you!"

"Lorelai," interrupted Richard, attempting to calm her down.

"No dad, I need to get all this off my chest," she told him before turning back to Christopher. "Where were you when I was pushing our child out of my body huh? Come on think real hard Christopher," she said harshly. "You remember right? It was late on a Monday night." She looked at Chris to see him hanging his head again. "Oh that's right, you were out with your friends, getting drunk and abandoning your responsibilities once again."

"Ok, enough of going through the past, I can't change it," he replied. "I just wanna know why you're doing this to me, to us."

"There is no us Christopher, how many times do I have to explain this to you? I'm doing this cause I don't want you to be Rory's legal parent anymore. What's the point of your name being on her birth certificate huh? I think she'll be better off without you, all you ever were anyway was a sperm donor."

"But why? Is this because of your 'boyfriend'?"

"As a matter of fact it is. Luke has been there for Rory since the day we met him. He takes care of her while I'm at work, he feeds her, he changes her and he pays attention to her. He's so much more of a father to her than you ever have been and now I want it in writing."

"What?" Christopher asked, hoping she didn't mean what he thought she meant.

"Once I have sole custody of Rory, and I will get sole custody, Luke is going to adopt Rory. He is going to be the one that gets to watch her grow up and he'll contribute to raising her into the great young woman she's gonna be."

"So you're replacing me?"

"I guess I am," she said heartlessly.

"This is not gonna happen. That....man is not going anywhere near my kid, there's no way he's adopting her."

"Once I've got full custody, I can do whatever I want with her and this is what's gonna happen, whether you like it or not."

"But..."

"I'll see you in court," she said, standing up from her seat. She glanced at Christopher one last time before leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Do the right thing here Christopher, you're not going to win," said Richard. "Don't be late." He followed Lorelai out of the room, their lawyer in tow.

When Richard stepped outside the room, he saw his daughter sat on a nearby bench, tears rolling down her cheeks. He began to walk towards her and she quickly wiped away her tears when she noticed his approach. He sat down next to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's ok sweetheart," he soothed as her sobbing started up again.

"Why...is...this so....hard?" she choked.

"Shh, everything will be ok." Lorelai pulled away to look at him. He frowned when he saw her red, puffy eyes and her tear stained cheeks.

"Why is he being so difficult about this?"

"We knew when we started this thing that he wasn't going to give up without a fight."

"I know but doesn't he understand that what he did was out of line? He doesn't deserve to be anywhere near Rory, she's doing better than fine without him."

"I know darling, shh." He pulled her into him again and played with her hair, the way he did when she was a child.

"I want this to be over," she mumbled against his shirt.

"I know and it will be, but we have to deal with this first. I know it's a horrible process, that's why I needed to know that this was your final decision. Just imagine what it'll be like when he's out of your life for good. You don't have to live in worry that he's going to unexpectedly show up and try to ruin your life, Rory's life. He will be gone for good."

"It sounds really great right now."

"It does doesn't it? Now let's go home to that beautiful girl of yours ok?" Lorelai nodded and she let him guide her to his car. They thanked their lawyer then drove back to the Gilmore residence. When they walked into the living room, they saw Emily sitting on the floor with Rory, doing a jigsaw puzzle.

"What are you doing?" asked Lorelai as she walked up to them.

"A jigsaw puzzle, Rory is very good at them."

"Really?" she asked in surprise. She sat down next to Rory and greeted her with a kiss on her forehead. "You're so smart aren't you honey? Yes you are, doing jigsaw puzzles." Rory looked up at her then held a puzzle piece out to her. "Is this one for me?"

"That," she said as Lorelai took it from her. Rory watched Lorelai place the piece in the correct place and clapped her hands excitedly.

"Did mommy get it right?" she asked hopefully.

"Mama," replied Rory, grinning widely. Lorelai looked up at Emily. There had been some tension between them since dinner last week and Lorelai was worried things would go back to how they were before.

"Is she old enough to play with the jigsaw pieces?" asked Lorelai, noticing they were quite small and Rory could choke on one.

"Yes I don't see why not," replied Emily. "As long as we keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't put one in her mouth it'll be fine. I've been watching her the whole time I've been here."

"Ok, I was just a bit worried that's all."

"I have everything under control," she replied. Lorelai didn't like that comment. Every time the word 'control' and Emily Gilmore were associated with each other it reminded her of all the years she lived under her mother's rules. The years she had to do what Emily asked her to and all the years that Emily controlled her. It wasn't a good memory for her. She much preferred the new Emily, the caring, comforting, bearable Emily who didn't try to change who she was. She finally thought that Emily was starting to accept her and her decisions but that comment had put her in doubt.

"Ok well we'd better get to Stars Hollow, I wanna spend some time with Rory before she goes down for her nap," she explained.

"Oh, alright then," said Emily, seeming disappointed. Lorelai picked up her daughter, put her coat on and walked towards the front door.

"We'll see you tomorrow for dinner." After she had closed the big door behind her, she sighed and made her way to the bus stop. Her parents hadn't even asked her if she needed driving home, they just let her leave. She stopped at the bus stop and joined the end of the queue. The bus was due in five minutes so she didn't have long to wait.

She cuddled Rory close to her body when she felt the chilly October air sweep across their faces. She pulled Rory's hat further down over her ears and pulled Rory's tiny gloves from her pocket. She set the girl on her feet and knelt down in front of her to put the gloves on. She took hold of Rory's hand to make sure she didn't wander off then stood up straight when she saw the bus approaching the stop. She fumbled through her purse and pulled out her wallet but when she opened it, she frowned when she only found forty two cents in there. She cursed quietly then discreetly slipped out of the bus queue, trying desperately to think of a way to get home.

She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was broke. She had gotten so caught up in how her life was back on track and thinking about the custody case that she had been spending more money than she realised. She looked down at Rory, she knew she should have been thinking more about her daughter and she got that feeling that she was a failure again. She stopped by a pay phone and released Rory's hand so she could put some a couple of dimes in. She quickly dialled the number she wanted to call and listened to the dial tone, hoping he would pick up.

"Luke's," she heard.

"Hi, it's me," she said, trying to fight the emotion in her voice.

"Who?" he asked.

"It's Lorelai," she told him.

"Sorry it's loud in here, hang on I'll go in the back." She didn't have time for this, her credit on the phone was dropping rapidly and she needed to tell him where they were. "How are you?" he asked once he was in a quieter place.

"Are you busy now?" she asked quickly.

"Err...the diner's kinda busy, what's up?"

"Rory and I are stuck in Hartford, we missed the bus and there isn't another one for an hour," she lied. "I was just wondering if you could pick us up, it's cold here." She tried not to sound desperate but she wasn't sure it was working.

"Where abouts are you?"

"I'm near the cemetery, the one we drive past to go to my parent's house."

"Uh ok, I'll get Ben to cover and I'll be there as soon as I can ok?"

"Yeah thanks Luke," she said gratefully.

"Make sure you keep yourselves wrapped up, I don't want either of you getting a cold." He realised the call had been cut off and sighed, finding Lorelai's tone of voice slightly odd.

Lorelai put the phone back on the cradle when she realised the credit had run out. She sighed deeply and picked up Rory who had been clinging to her leg. She sat on a nearby bench and rested her daughter in her lap, looking at her sympathetically.

"I'm sorry baby," she whispered, pulling Rory close to her to keep her warm. "I didn't realise we were running out of money until it'd gone, I won't let it happen again, I promise." Rory looked up at her and grinned. It was the grin that made her heart melt, the grin that meant Rory was happy, the grin she had only started seeing when Luke came into their lives.

She sat on the bench for twenty minutes. The weather had taken a turn and the clouds were grey. Lorelai knew it was going to start raining at any time and she held Rory closer to her, hoping it wouldn't start until they were in the comfort of Luke's truck. She breathed a sigh of relief when Luke parked the truck on the side of the road. She jumped up and quickly climbed into the passenger seat, hoping he wouldn't realise that she was shivering.

"Are you ok?" he asked as he watched Lorelai fasten Rory into the car seat.

"Yeah like I said, the bus was delayed," she lied again. She had too much pride to admit to Luke that she was having money troubles.

"You're freezing," he said in concern.

"I'm fine," she protested but the shivering was telling a different story.

"I'll put the heater on." He twisted some dials on the dashboard and Lorelai felt warm air coming towards her. "Is Rory ok?" he asked.

"She's fine, I was trying to keep her warm, it doesn't matter about me."

"Let's get you home, you need to warm up," he ordered.

"Dirty."

"Lorelai, you could have gotten sick if you had have been there much longer," he scolded.

"I know, I'm sorry. Like I said, Rory was the priority, as long as she doesn't get sick I'm happy." Luke put the truck in gear and drove back to Stars Hollow. Lorelai was silent throughout the journey, she was thinking about the situation she was in and how they were going to survive the next four days with no money. Rory needed diapers and food and formula and all the other stuff babies need but she couldn't afford it. She couldn't afford to feed her daughter, how had she let it get like this again?

Luke stopped in front of the inn and helped Lorelai out of the truck. He carried a sleeping Rory to the potting shed with Lorelai walking alongside him. He had thought it was odd how she had been quiet the whole way back; usually she couldn't stop chattering away. He stood back as she opened the door then followed her in and laid Rory on the bed. Once he had removed her coat, hat and gloves, he put her in the crib and tucked her in before taking his eyes to Lorelai, who was sat on the couch staring into space.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked. He couldn't remember a time when she was this quiet and it was worrying him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, her voice shaky. He sat down next to her and studied her face.

"You don't look fine."

"Gee thanks, you really know how to make a girl feel better."

"Lorelai, what's up?"

"Nothing....it's nothing."

"It's definitely something."

"Will you just leave it alone? I'm fine," she snapped. She stood up abruptly and left the potting shed, slamming the door slightly behind her. Luke sighed in confusion; he couldn't understand why she was acting like she was. He didn't think he'd done anything wrong or anything to upset her, he was completely stumped. He checked on Rory to make sure she was still sleeping then followed Lorelai outside.

He immediately saw her. She was sat by the lake, her head in her hands as her body shook uncontrollably. The sight broke his heart, something was seriously getting to her and he wanted to know what it was. He slowly approached her and put his hand on her shoulder to let her know of his presence. She jumped when she felt someone touched her shoulder but relaxed when she heard his voice.

"Lorelai," he said quietly. She continued to cry. He wasn't sure what to do; he'd never seen her so upset before except when Rory was missing. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a desperate attempt to make her feel better. She fell into his chest, her flowing tears seeping through his flannel shirt. "What's going on?" he asked. She mumbled something incoherent into his shirt so he pulled away from her, cupping her face with both hands. "Say that again."

"I can't tell you," she whispered, a couple more tears escaping her eyes.

"You can tell me anything, you know that."

"No, you'll think I'm stupid and pathetic and irresponsible...."

"Hey, hey, hey," said Luke, cutting her off mid-rant. "You are not stupid or pathetic and you are definitely not irresponsible. Now tell me what's going on with you."

"It's too much," she sobbed.

"What's too much?"

"Everything. It's all piling up and there's this huge weight on my shoulders. I just want it all to go away."

"Come on baby, let's go inside ok?" She just nodded at him then let him lift her up, bridal style. He sat on the sofa and rested her in his lap, brushing the locks of damp hair away from her face. "Now tell me everything," he said.

"I uh....I'm broke," she admitted quietly. She didn't meet Luke's eyes, she couldn't. She was hoping he wouldn't have to find out and that she could sort it out herself.

"Why didn't you say something before? I can help you out."

"No you can't, you shouldn't have to."

"Lorelai, I love you and I'll do anything to help out in any way I can. How did this happen huh?" he asked softly.

"I don't know....I guess with things going so well in my life, my finances were put to the back of my mind. And with everything that's been going on, I didn't realise how much I'd been spending."

"When do you get your next pay check?"

"On Monday."

"And how much money do you have to last you until then?"

"Well after calling you from Hartford, I've got seventeen cents," she replied, a small sob escaping her lips.

"Oh my god, why didn't you tell me? Why did you let it get this bad?"

"I'm sorry; I thought I could sort it out by myself."

"What do you need?" he asked, pulling his wallet out of his pocket.

"No I'm not taking money from you."

"Yes you are, I'm not gonna stand back and watch you struggle. I'm gonna help, now what do you need?"

"Rory needs diapers and food," she said quietly.

"Ok I can get diapers and I'll make sure you're both well fed. Anything else?"

"She needs formula too."

"Ok I can get that. Is there anything you need?"

"It isn't an essential but I need cleanser. I haven't been able to afford any and I've had a big outbreak of spots," she said, feeling uncomfortable discussing her skin problems with Luke.

"I'll add cleanser to the list, you look as beautiful as ever though," he said with a smile. She smiled back, it amazed her how Luke could make her feel so much better in so little time.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "For everything you're doing for us."

"It's my pleasure." He left a feather light kiss on her temple. "Before you said 'with everything that's been going on'. What did you mean?" he asked curiously.

"I...uh...it doesn't matter," she dismissed, avoiding eye contact. He lifted her chin up with his fingers, forcing her to look at him.

"Tell me." She sighed and shut her eyes tightly before she opened them to look at him again.

"I wasn't gonna tell you till your birthday, it was supposed to be a surprise."

"What is?"

"Don't get mad or freak out ok?"

"What's going on?"

"Ok, last week I made a really big decision. I decided that I want sole custody of Rory." She studied his face but it was expressionless. "I don't want Christopher to have any access or rights to her at all, she's my daughter, he's had nothing to do with her." She looked at him again. "Luke, what are you thinking?"

"Um...wow, so you're gonna fight Christopher, in court?"

"Yeah." She paused for a second before telling him the next part. "I met up with him...this morning actually."

"What?" he asked, shocked to hear she'd been talking to him. "Were you alone?"

"No, I'm not stupid," she replied. "It was a meeting to see if we could sort through some of our issues before we stand before a judge. Our lawyers were there, and my dad."

"Oh," he replied, a little relieved.

"It was so awful seeing him again. When he first walked in I held onto my dad so tight, I think I was cutting off his circulation."

"So how did it go?"

"Bad," she replied monosyllabically.

"What happened?"

"He started asking me why I have the need to shut him out of Rory's life and why I wouldn't give him a chance to be a proper dad to her."

"He's the one that stayed away," said Luke, his temper rising.

"That's what I told him."

"Does he really think your gonna let him anywhere near her after what he did?"

"He thinks what he did was ok, that it was an innocent day out with his kid."

"He's a jerk."

"I called him a sperm donor," she admitted. "That's all he ever was to me, it's the only part he was there for."

"So this is the main reason for your breakdown huh? You had an argument with Christopher?"

"Yeah, I just want him to go away and stay away."

"When are you going to court?"

"November 15th, I was hoping you could come with me. You're a part of this after all."

"Are you sure you want me there? It might make things worse."

"I need you there for support." She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I'll be there."

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "There's something else," she said.

"What?"

"I haven't told you the real reason I'm fighting for custody."

"Ok...."

"My birthday present to you is Rory," she stated.

"What?" he asked, his brow knit in confusion.

"I want you to be Rory's legal father; I want you to adopt her." Luke looked at her with wide eyes, compete shock taking over him. He shifted Lorelai so she was sat on the couch then stood up and began pacing around the room. "Luke?" she questioned as she sat watching him walk back and forth in front of the couch.

"I need time to process this."

"Ok well take as much time as you need." She felt a tad disappointed that he hadn't reacted in a more positive way but maybe time was a good thing. Maybe it would make him realise how privileged he would be to father a kid like Rory. "Is it ok if I take a shower? I'm still a little cold from earlier," she asked cautiously.

"Err...yeah I'll um....watch Rory, in case she wakes up."

"Ok, thank you." She stood up and kissed his cheek before walking into the bathroom.

Luke watched her go and as soon as the door closed behind her, he collapsed onto the couch. Had Lorelai really just asked him to adopt her daughter? He was lost for words. They had known each other for two months, it wasn't a long time really and he feared she was moving too fast. It wasn't so much that she was moving too fast for him, but for herself. He wondered if she'd really taken the time to think this through. They were still young, in their teens, and this was such an adult thing to do, so mature.

He had a good feeling about their relationship. He could see them being together for a long time, all their lives maybe. He could see himself asking her to move in with him, asking her to marry him and all the stuff that goes with it, he could see it happening. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about having a child with her, way in the future of course. He'd imagined a blue eyed baby, similar to Rory but it'd have his hair colour, not Christopher's.

He sighed as thoughts raced through his head. Could he really agree to this? Could Rory be his daughter legally? He stood up and walked over to the crib, looking down at the sleeping girl before his eyes. She was so beautiful, smart, funny and cute.....how could he not want to be her father? Lorelai flashed into his mind again, was this what she really wanted? He couldn't say yes to this if she was having doubts, it wouldn't be right. He looked down at Rory again and brushed her fine hair away from her face.

"I'll always be here for you, just remember that," he whispered before kissing her cheek lightly.

Lorelai stood under the spray, letting the water cascade down her body. She grabbed her shampoo bottle and massaged a large dollop into her hair, lathering it up the best she could. She realised her shampoo bottle was empty. Great. Another thing she needed but couldn't afford. Her mind was in another place thinking about Luke. His reaction was a mystery to her, she had no idea what he was thinking, all he said was that he needed time. But how much time? Minutes, hours, days, weeks? She didn't wanna rush him into it but she was eager to know the answer.

She stood under the spray to wash the soap from her hair and sighed when it trailed down her back. Luke would say yes right? Even if he said no, he wouldn't leave her, no...would he? There was one thing she knew, she wanted this so badly and it was going to happen.

Luke was stood over the stove preparing Rory's dinner when he heard the water shut off. It was definitely the longest shower Lorelai had ever taken but she had a lot to think about. Luke turned around when he heard Rory stirring from sleep. He went over and saw her stretching, a habit she must have picked up from her mom. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Luke tiredly.

"Hey cutie," he greeted, watching her eyes light up as the smile spread across her face. "Are you ready to eat?" He lifted her from the crib and brought her to his body. She sighed tiredly then looked around the room.

"Mama?" she asked.

"She's just in there," he said, pointing to the bathroom. "She won't be a minute. In the meantime, let's get you fed." He sat her in the high chair and pulled it over to where he was in the kitchen. He knew she liked to watch him cook and one day, he hoped to teach her what his mother taught him. There he went again, thinking about the future. Every time he thought about where he would be in ten years time, Lorelai and Rory were always in the picture. Luke drained the spaghetti and mixed it with the tomato and basil sauce he had made then put it in Rory's bowl. He chopped it up so the strands were quite short then put it in front of her. Just as he was picking her spoon up to feed her, Lorelai emerged from the bathroom in a towel.

"Good shower?" he asked.

"Great," she replied.

"I uh....good." Neither of them knew why there was so much tension between them.

"Dada," complained Rory, not understanding why there was no food in her mouth at the moment.

"Oops sorry sweetie," he chuckled at her pouty face and fed her a spoonful of spaghetti. Lorelai walked over to them and ran her fingers through Rory's hair.

"Did you have a good nap sweets?" she asked.

"Yesh," replied Rory, spaghetti falling out of her mouth as she spoke.

"Oopsy daisy," cooed Lorelai, laughing slightly as Luke tried to clean up the spaghetti from Rory's clothes.

"You choose your moments to learn a new word don't you?" he said. Rory giggled and reached her hand into the bowl of spaghetti, getting her fingers covered in it. "Rory," complained Luke as he got a new wipe and cleaned her hands.

"I can't believe you gave her spaghetti for dinner," chuckled Lorelai.

"I thought she'd like it," he shrugged.

"Yeah but it's like the messiest food, surely you knew it wouldn't turn out that good."

"I didn't know she was gonna try to talk with her mouth full, or that she was gonna dunk her hand in the bowl."

"It's ok, just leave her to make a mess, we'll clean her up afterwards."

"But her clothes are gonna stain."

"They'll wash. I'll get some advice from my mom's maid tomorrow at dinner."

"You're a maid, you should know some tips," he teased.

"Please working in an inn is very different to working in Emily Gilmore's house. You have to know everything from tip to toe in that place."

"You mean from top to bottom?"

"Huh?"

"Well tip to toe is like a err....oh what's the use," he shook his head.

"Smart man." He stood up straight and stepped in front of her, running his fingers up and down her exposed arms.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"For what?"

"I kind of blew you off before."

"Dirty." He rolled his eyes.

"Lorelai."

"Right, you didn't blow me off," she giggled. "Let's word this differently. You didn't ignore me earlier, I get it."

"I just needed time to think."

"I know, I get it." She looked up at him. "So you said you needed time to think, does that mean you've thought about it already?" He took a deep breath.

"Yeah I thought about while you were in the shower."

"And?"

"Let's go for it."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"On one condition."

"Oh...what? You're not gonna make me give up coffee are you? I'll do anything else but that, please Lucas, pleeeaaaase," she begged. Luke smirked at her. "What?"

"Would you shut up and let me get a word in?"

"Sorry."

"My only condition is that you're one hundred percent certain about this. There is no way that this is happening if you're having doubts, ok?"

"I am one million percent certain about this, trust me."

"And you're absolutely, positively sure and you're not gonna change your mind?"

"Never," she replied with a shake of her head.

"Ok well then, I guess Rory's gonna be my daughter," he exclaimed, a smile spreading across his lips. "I can't believe this."

"I know, you're gonna be a daddy!"

"Wait, you mean to Rory right?"

"God yes, don't worry I'm not pregnant."

"Good, the way you said it then kinda sounded like you were."

"You have nothing to worry about."

"Thank heaven for that."

"Do you think we should talk about that?"

"About what?"

"About what we would do if I did get....pregnant now. I mean I'm on the pill but that's not a hundred percent effective and we don't use a condom sometimes....well most of the time actually," she rambled. "I just think we should discuss what we would do in that situation."

"Can you get dressed first? You're kinda distracting me in that towel."

"Oh sure." She moved over to her closet and Luke went to check on Rory.

"You nearly finished?" he asked as he approached. He noticed her empty bowl and looked up to find her face stained with tomato sauce. Rory grinned and Luke laughed at how cute she looked covered in the red sauce. He grabbed a wipe and cleaned her face, determined to get every last drop. He then removed her stained clothes and replaced them with a clean sleeper. "No more spaghetti for you," he remarked as he put her on the floor and tossed the dirty clothes in the hamper. He lay down on Lorelai's bed and propped his arms behind his head. Lorelai joined him wearing sweats and Luke's flannel, her favourite shirt.

"So?" she asked as she settled her head on his chest.

"Babies," he replied.

"Yeah." This conversation wasn't going well but with the active sex life they had, they needed to discuss this. It was important. "If I told you I was pregnant right now, what would you do?"

"Erm....I don't know, what would you want me to do?"

"I'd want you to do what you thought was best."

"Which is?"

"Luke!"

"What?"

"Be serious here. If I was actually telling you I was pregnant right now, what would you do?" Luke exhaled loudly.

"I guess I'd tell you I was gonna be here for you the whole time and that you're not alone this time round."

"Really?"

"Yeah, then I'd probably ask you to marry me."

"What?" she asked, her heard shooting up from his chest.

"Well it's the right thing to do right?"

"No," she replied bluntly.

"Lorelai...."

"People should get married because they love each other and they want to spend the rest of their lives together, not because they got knocked up."

"I'm sorry; I just thought that's what you'd wanna do if that happened."

"It already did happen," she replied.

"What?" he asked in shock once again.

"With Rory," she corrected. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you again."

"It's ok."

"When I told my parents I was pregnant, the first thing they said to me was that Christopher and I should get married. I didn't want that though, I didn't love Christopher enough to marry him and I definitely didn't wanna spend the rest of my life with him. Just because you get pregnant, it doesn't mean you have to be married, just as long as you're together, that's all that matters." Luke looked into her amazingly blue eyes and leant forward to kiss her softly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't know Richard and Emily wanted the two of you to get married."

"They were gonna force me down the aisle."

"They wouldn't do that."

"They would, all they cared about was their reputation."

"But things are different now, don't dwell on the past." He stroked her hair affectionately.

"So if I got pregnant, you wouldn't leave me?" she asked to confirm.

"Never in a million years."

"I love you Lucas Danes," she gushed.

"Would you stop calling me Lucas?"

"But Buddy and Maisy are allowed to call you it and Mia too!"

"Well they're different, Lucas makes me sound old."

"No it doesn't, it's kinda sexy."

"Don't call me it."

"Ok I won't, Lucas." Luke rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. He had her and he knew he'd have her for a very long time.

**So what did you think? I got the idea for them to have the baby talk from One Tree Hill cause I remembered when Haley found out she was pregnant and Brooke was asking her if her and Nathan had talked about it....anyway I hope you enjoyed it. I know Lorelai cried a lot in this and she was rather depressed but I think she had reason to be. Please don't forget to review :D I've become a bit of a review junkie....it's funny cause I never thought I would be! The next chapter will be Halloween :D**

**Emily.**


	23. Trick or Treat

**Now I was gonna post this on Monday night but I didn't finish it in time then I went out last night. I have the day off college today though so I finished it! It's long so it makes up for the little wait you had. Thank you for the reviews :P I really love reading them and it makes me smile when I check my inbox and it says 'review alert'. THANKS :D I hope you like this Halloween chapter, it's not scary, I promise. **

Lorelai tip toed over to her bed with Rory in her arms, trying not to disturb Luke. Little did he know that when he woke up, he was in for quite a shock, well that's what Lorelai was hoping for anyway. She crouched down next to the bed and stood Rory on her thighs. The little girl immediately reached out to touch Luke's face and he began to stir when he felt it. He slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the light.

"Now," whispered Lorelai to Rory.

"RARRGGGHH," they both screeched, causing Luke to open his eyes wide in shock and let out a very feminine scream. Lorelai and Rory laughed together as they saw Luke realise how he'd just made a fool out of himself.

"Lorelai, take that stupid mask off," he ordered, his voice hoarse from screaming so high pitched.

"Who's Lorelai?" she asked in a deep voice. "I am an evil monster; I don't know this Lorelai you speak of." Luke rolled his eyes and took his attention to Rory, she was also wearing a mask that was slightly too big for her head.

"I wonder who's under here," he teased, tracing his fingers over Rory's sides, making her squirm as he tickled her. She giggled and lifted the mask from her face. "Who's that?" he asked.

"Wowy!" she replied obviously, a grin spreading across her face.

"Aww you blew our cover Ror," scolded Lorelai. "You weren't supposed to tell him, you're my evil sidekick remember?" Rory giggled then pulled the mask onto her face again.

"Rarrgh!" she repeated. Luke chuckled then took her mask off completely.

"Ok, that's enough scary pranks," he told her.

"But it's Halloween Luke," whined Lorelai.

"Halloween is a stupid tradition," he complained.

"Why do I love you again?" she asked jokingly.

"It's just a day of the year that kids knock on your door and get free candy, it's dumb! Anyone can knock on someone's door and say 'trick or treat'. If someone even dares to knock on my door, they're getting a trick."

"Luke, Halloween is great. All the costumes, kids running around everywhere and not to mention the candy, what could be better than free candy?"

"A nice quiet evening watching TV?"

"No I think the answer I was looking for there was free coffee. This is Rory's first Halloween," she lied.

"No it's not."

"Err...yeah it is."

"Rory was born on October 8th 1984, it's now October 31st 1985, she was alive for it."

"But she wasn't even a month old, she didn't understand everything and she couldn't take part. You were too little weren't you sweetie?" she asked Rory but she was too busy playing with her mask. "She can understand it this year, it'll be fun."

"What do you want me to do exactly?" he asked as he pulled his jeans on.

"Come trick or treating with us then to the party in the square."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, we can go around town then when the party starts we can go there."

"I'll go trick or treating but I'm not going to that party."

"Uh...yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm...Lorelai!"

"Lucas!"

"Stop calling me that."

"Ok Butch."

"I...where did you hear that?" he asked.

"What?"

"Butch...who told you that?"

"No one," she shrugged.

"Lorelai?"

"I saw it in your yearbook," she admitted. "It was in your nightstand and I wanted to take a look."

"Don't call me Lucas and definitely don't call me Butch."

"Fine Lukey Pookey, now about this party."

"I never take part in town traditions."

"Halloween is not exclusive to Stars Hollow, it's a worldwide tradition."

"But this dumb party is a town tradition; I never go to those things."

"I thought you might wanna take part this time, with Rory and me." Luke sighed; he was probably going to lose this argument.

"We can go to the party but we're not staying long. Rory has to go to sleep," he said firmly.

"Ok, thank you!" She jumped up from the bed and planted a firm kiss on his lips then took Rory so she could change her. Luke watched her from behind as she unsnapped Rory's sleeper and he rolled his eyes when he thought about the day that lies ahead of him.

The three got to the diner at ten that morning. Ben had opened for Luke earlier because Friday night dinner had run later than usual with them discussing the adoption. Richard had promised to get the papers drawn up the day Lorelai won sole custody of Rory and he'd taken Luke's details so all Luke and Lorelai had to do was sign on the dotted line.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Luke asked as he went behind the counter.

"Erm..."

"Whoa boss what are you doing?" asked Ben, standing next to Luke. "Hi Lorelai," he greeted.

"Hey Ben."

"What do you mean, what am I doing?" retorted Luke.

"Behind the counter?"

"I own this place."

"But you're not working," he pointed out.

"So? I'm gonna get my girls some breakfast, is that ok with you?" he asked sarcastically.

"No it's not. You have to sit over there and order like everybody else does!"

"Ben....I swear to god." Lorelai giggled as Luke became more agitated. She pushed the stroller over to an empty table and sat down, still watching curiously from a distance. When she saw Luke try to push past Ben to get to the kitchen, she tried to get his attention.

"Can you come over here?" she called. When he didn't acknowledge her, she thought of a new tactic. "Luke! Luke I think there's something wrong with Rory." That got his attention; he rushed over to the stroller as fast as he could in the crowded diner and dropped down in front of the stroller.

"What's the matter?" he asked frantically.

"Oh nothing, I just needed to get your attention."

"Oh my god don't do that to me, I nearly had a heart attack," he said, his hand to his heart.

"Sorry but you were ignoring me," she shrugged.

"What do you want?"

"For you to eat breakfast with us." Luke sighed.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to, I've been kicked out from behind my own counter."

"Oh well, at least you get to spend the morning with Rory and me."

"Yes I do but you have to go to work in an hour."

"Ooh we'd better order. Oh Ben!" she called, waving her hand in the air. Ben rolled his eyes and walked over to their table.

"What Lorelai?" he asked.

"That's no way to greet a customer, Luke I think he has to go," she said with a shake of her head. Luke chuckled when he saw Ben's shocked expression.

"Don't worry Ben, you're staying." Ben let out a breath of fresh air.

"Ok so what can I get you two...three for breakfast?" he asked politely.

"Chocolate chip pancakes, eggs over easy, a side of bacon and some coffee please," listed Lorelai. Luke watched Ben scribbling onto the order pad frantically.

"You got all that Ben?" he asked.

"Err...yeah I think so. What about you boss?"

"Erm....god I hate diner food," he complained. "I'll have some oatmeal," he decided. "With orange juice."

"Ok and for Rory?"

"Oatmeal," answered Luke. "Make sure you tell Caesar it's for Rory, he knows how to make it differently."

"Uh ok boss, does she need a drink too?"

"No I have one for her here," replied Lorelai, pulling a sippy cup from the diaper bag and giving it to Rory. Once Ben had walked away, Lorelai leant in close to Luke. "I can't err..."

"I know, don't worry I've got it covered," he promised, referring to her money situation. She smiled her appreciation then took her attention to Rory.

"Are you excited for Halloween?" she asked. Rory looked up at her blankly from her seat in the stroller then shifted her gaze to Luke.

"Ok, coffee and orange juice," said Ben, depositing the cups onto the table before walking away again.

"See Lorelai, Rory doesn't have a clue what's going on," said Luke.

"She does, once everyone's in costumes she'll be having a great time."

"If you say so."

"I think you're gonna have a great time too."

"I don't think so."

"Oh you will," she decided with a nod. "Once you see my costume." Luke's head shot up to look at her.

"Your costume?" he asked with curiosity.

"Yeah it's Halloween, you have to dress up."

"You don't have to."

"Yes you do and you're going to."

"I don't have anything to wear as a Halloween costume," he protested, trying to get out of it.

"Ah yes you do, I asked Mia a couple of weeks ago what your sizes are so I could make you one and she said she had it covered."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she went to the mall and bought you a costume."

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "What is it?"

"That will be revealed later this afternoon."

"But....you can't make me dress up."

"I can't....but I have a secret weapon."

"What's that?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

"Rory," she said as if it were obvious. "As soon as she looks up at you with those adorable puppy dog eyes and that magical pout, she can make you do anything."

"Not anything," he protested.

"You will dress up, I'd even put money on it if I had any," she joked. Ben brought their breakfast over and Lorelai quickly shoved some bacon into her mouth.

"You disgust me," said Luke as he watched her destroy her breakfast.

"Good to know," she replied with a mouthful of food. Lorelai picked up Rory's spoon and fed her some oatmeal. She didn't want her to make a mess in the diner so she thought it best to feed her rather than letting Rory do it herself. She watched Rory swallow her oatmeal before giving her another spoonful. "Is that nice sweets?"

"More," she demanded, reaching towards the bowl.

"Hold your horses," she said as she fed her another mouthful.

"So you get off work at three right?" asked Luke.

"Yep, are you staying here or going back to the shed?"

"I'll go to your place, most of Rory's stuff's there anyway."

"Ok I'll go there after work, then we can grab something to eat then go trick or treating!" she said excitedly.

"Sounds great," he replied, less than enthusiastically.

"You're gonna get lots of candy aren't you Ror?" she asked as she continued to scoop up her oatmeal.

"Caddy!" squealed Rory, causing a few people at nearby tables to look round and awe at her.

"Are you gonna share some with mommy?"

"Yesh," she said unconvincingly.

"That didn't sound very convincing."

"Caddy," she repeated.

"We'll get candy tonight won't we? Then you can eat some at the party."

"Patty!" she shouted. Miss Patty happened to be sitting a couple of tables away and she rushed over to the table excitedly.

"Did you hear that?" she exclaimed. "Rory said my name!"

"Erm...." Lorelai looked at Luke who just shrugged. She was pretty sure Rory was attempting to say 'party' but it came out like 'patty'. She decided to go along with it, technically Rory did say her name, it didn't really matter that it was an accident.

"Say it again Rory," said Patty, crouching next to the stroller. Rory looked at her curiously, her eyebrows creasing into a frown. She withdrew her gaze from Patty and looked at Lorelai.

"Bwekfas!" she demanded. Lorelai gave her the remainder of the oatmeal then wiped around her mouth.

"I'm sure she'll say it again," said Patty disappointedly.

"I'm sure she will," agreed Lorelai. The bell above the door jingled and Luke automatically looked up to see who the new customer was.

"What the...." he said when he saw who just walked in. Lorelai turned around and giggled a little.

"Hey Kirk," called Lorelai. Luke stood up from his seat and strode over to Kirk.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"G...getting co...coffee," Kirk stuttered in reply.

"What are you doing wearing that?" he questioned, gesturing to Kirk's outfit.

"It's my Halloween costume."

"Kirk," said Luke sternly. "Who are you dressed as?" he asked, pretty sure he knew the answer.

"I'm you!" he exclaimed. "I thought it'd be obvious."

"Why are you dressed as me?"

"I find your style weird Luke and I found it was a worthy Halloween costume."

"What are you saying?" Lorelai walked over to them quickly. She felt it was time to step in before Luke lost his temper.

"Nice costume," she complimented, gesturing to the flannel, jeans and backwards baseball cap combo.

"Thank you Lorelai," said Kirk timidly. He still hadn't gotten over the thing that happened between them in the diner.

"You know people don't usually put their costumes on till the trick or treating starts right?"

"Come on, it's Kirk," said Luke.

"Yes I am Kirk, thank you for realising Luke," he said, not understanding the meaning behind Luke's last statement.

"Anyway, I have to go to work," said Lorelai, desperate to stop having this conversation.

"I'll walk you back to the inn," offered Luke, heading back over to their table. He helped Lorelai put her coat on then tucked Rory back into the blankets to keep the cold away. They said goodbye to Ben and Caesar then left the diner to begin the walk back to the inn. Luke gripped onto the stroller handle as he pushed it along with one hand, his other hand entwined with Lorelai's. He had gotten pretty good at manoeuvring the stroller with only one of his hands and he no longer crashed it.

"There," shouted Rory, pointing her gloved fingers towards the bookstore.

"Do you have time to look?" Luke asked Lorelai.

"Erm sure," she shrugged. Rory clapped her hands when they entered the bookstore and immediately demanded to be let out of the stroller. Luke left the stroller by the door then him and Lorelai followed Rory around the store.

"She loves it here," said Luke as he watched Rory pick up a book from the shelf, examine the front cover then put it back.

"Yeah, she's gonna be a bookworm," agreed Lorelai.

"She's gonna be a genius," he corrected.

"Our genius," she added, just above a whisper. Luke turned his head and their eyes locked. The smiles grew on their faces at the same time and Luke wrapped his arm around Lorelai's waist, pulling her closer to him. They held eye contact for a while then turned to find Rory making a neat pile of books next to where she was sat.

"What's this?" asked Luke, crouching down and pointing to the pile of books.

"Mine," replied Rory, adding another book to the pile. She looked at him with wide eyes, her lips turning into a pout. She knew what she wanted and she was going to get it.

"Uh oh, we all know what that means," said Lorelai jokingly. She crouched down next to Luke. "Sweets mommy can't buy you these today," she told her sadly. "But we can come back in a couple of days and I'll buy you one ok?" Rory looked at Luke again then down at the books. They could tell she was disappointed.

"You can choose two," said Luke. Rory didn't quite understand but she smiled anyway.

"No Luke, I can't afford them," protested Lorelai.

"I can," he said simply.

"You don't have to buy her these."

"If I'm gonna be her dad...."

"Shh someone might hear you," she quietened. They had chosen not to tell anybody until it had all gone through and they had confirmation that Luke was Rory's father by law.

"Right," he hushed his voice. "If I'm gonna be her dad, I get to buy her things. You don't have to keep telling me that I don't have to buy this and I shouldn't pay for that, I want to ok? I want to spoil her, that's what dad's do right, spoil their daughters? Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna buy my daughter some books." Lorelai smiled at that last part. Luke referring to Rory as his daughter sounded so right, it fit perfectly.

"Ok, you can spoil her but if she starts to like you better, I'm gonna have to step in," she joked.

"As is she'd like me better, I'm the health freak remember? You're the one that can supply her with candy."

"So she'll like us equally?"

"Yeah I guess so," he chuckled. "Now Ror, which books do you want?" he asked.

"That," she replied, pointing to the tall pile she had made.

"No, you can choose two," he said sternly but with a hint of softness. Rory pouted. "Don't start that," he said, covering his eyes with his hand. "You're choosing two and that's final." He picked up the book off the top of the pile and held it out to her. "You want this one?"

"No," she replied. She took it from him and put it back on the shelf the best she could.

"Ok, how about this?" Rory looked at the cover, thought for a minute then nodded.

"Yesh," she exclaimed.

"Right that's one book, now you can choose one more." Rory and Luke looked through the rest of the choices then stood up when they had made their decision. "Are you sure you want these two?" asked Luke, making sure she wasn't going to change her mind on the way home.

"Yesh," she replied.

"Are you really, really sure?" he asked again.

"Mine," she said, holding the books close to her.

"Ok, you can't change your mind now." Lorelai had watched them bonding over the books and she had to say, she was a little surprised at how much patience Luke had. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost eleven.

"Shoot, I lost track of time," she said. "I've gotta go to work."

"Ok well we'll see you at three?"

"Yeah ok, bye." She kissed Rory's cheek then Luke's lips and headed for the door. "Love you," she called back as she hurried out and went as quickly as she could to the inn. Luke chuckled as he watched after her.

"Mama gone," said Rory.

"Yeah, mommy's gone to work," he replied. "Which means you have to spend the day with me, do you think that'll be ok?"

"Dada book," she said.

"Yes I'll buy you the books." He lifted Rory up so she could see the till and rested her on the counter.

"Morning Luke," greeted Andrew. "Don't usually see you in here."

"Yeah I uh...came in with Lorelai and Rory."

"Hi Rory," greeted Andrew.

"Book," said Rory as she gave the books to him to scan.

"She loves books," said Luke as he gave Andrew some money.

"Oh well I think you and I will get along great," Andrew said to Rory. She smiled timidly then took the books back from him.

"Great, thanks Andrew. I'll see you around."

"Yeah bye Luke."

"What do you say Rory?"

"Tank you," she said quietly.

"Good girl." He lifted her into the stroller and wrapped her in the blankets again. He was determined to prevent Rory from getting sick, even if she didn't like being bundled in lots of blankets. He pushed the stroller down the sidewalk and stopped when they reached Doose's. He remembered the list of things Lorelai told him she needed a couple of days ago. He had already gotten her most of those things but he wanted to buy her more so she didn't have to worry about the essentials when she got her pay check. He backed into the market, dragging the stroller along with him and almost knocking Taylor over in the process.

"Luke you should be more careful with that thing," he scolded.

"You try getting a stroller through a door by yourself, it's not easy. Especially not with your tiny aisles and your narrow door," he complained.

"There is nothing wrong my aisles young man."

"They're baby unfriendly."

"Well maybe I don't want strollers in my store."

"Then maybe you'll lose a whole load of customers." Luke gave Taylor that 'shut up and leave me alone' look. "If you don't mind, I'm going to do my grocery shopping now." He sighed and made his way over to the produce section. "Do you want some bananas Ror?" he asked. Rory looked up then nodded.

"Yesh."

"Ok you look after those then." He gave her a bunch of bananas then went to the health and beauty aisle. He found the shampoo Lorelai used and put it in his basket along with a couple of tubes of the cinnamon toothpaste she loved so much. He picked up two lots of cleanser too to keep her going for a while. He saw some bubble bath out of the corner of his eye and went over to examine it. He found a scent she'd like then added it to his shopping. With all the stress she was going through, she deserved a nice, hot, relaxing bubble bath. He chose some lotion too; surely she'd want a massage too right? He wasn't sure if this was getting a bit seductive, he wasn't trying to take advantage of her, he just wanted her to feel as happy and relaxed as she possibly could, under the circumstances.

He went to the baby section and picked up another pack of diapers, some more baby wipes and some lotion for Rory cause he knew for a fact there wasn't any at Lorelai's place. He picked up some candy for Lorelai, he knew how much she liked it, then went to the cashier. Unlucky for him, it was Taylor. He placed the items on the conveyer belt and watched the bag boy pack them up for him. He gave a banana to Rory then put the rest of the items underneath the stroller.

"That'll be $26.75 please Luke." Luke gave him the cash. "Would you like a coup..."

"Nope," Luke cut him off.

"It's for five percent off," he called as Luke began to walk to the door. Luke continued out of the door, not even acknowledging that Taylor had spoken to him. When he reached the potting shed, he packed the groceries away then settled in front of the TV with Rory in his lap. They had their usual argument about what they were going to watch and as always, Rory won. They were watching Sesame Street and Rory was laughing at the characters as Luke let his mind drift away.

He thought about his future. He had been doing it a lot in the past couple of weeks without realising. He must have fallen asleep because when he came back to earth, he had been dreaming. He had dreamt that it was Rory's first day of school and him and Lorelai had taken her together. They had told her they were going to miss her during the day and that they'd pick her up that afternoon. He remembered Lorelai's face in that dream; she looked so proud and so happy. He just hoped he was there for that day in four years time.

He looked at his watch and saw it was only twelve. He had three hours until Lorelai would be home and he didn't know what to do. Rory was still engrossed with the TV, still sat in his lap. He got up and sat Rory in her high chair in front of the TV. He then went outside and walked round the back to where he and the professionals he had hired had dug out the foundations for Rory's new room. The bricks had started been laid too and it was coming along nicely. He hadn't told Lorelai they had been doing this, seeing as it was round the back of the shed, she hadn't noticed seeing as she never goes back there. He was pretty sure she had forgotten about it actually.

He went back inside to find Rory still staring intently at the TV screen. He didn't see what was so interesting about Sesame Street, although he wasn't a kid anymore so maybe that was why.

"Is it nearly finished Ror?" he asked. "Daddy's getting bored." He hadn't even realised he'd called himself 'daddy', it just felt so natural to him. He smiled when the show ended and he lifted Rory out of her high chair, sitting her in his lap. "Shall we have a little talk huh?" he asked. "Ok, I'll talk first. I don't know how you feel about this whole dad thing, but I really want it to happen. I don't think you realise just how great you are Ror, you're gonna do amazing things when you're older and I wanna be around to witness it. Do you want me to be around?"

"No," she said.

"No?"

"Yesh," she said.

"I don't think you know what you want do you?" he said, tickling her slightly which caused her to giggle. "Can you imagine when you start school? I think you're gonna really love it there. There are lots of books, I know you love books and you learn lots of new things. Then you can come home and tell us what you learnt about, can't you?" Rory looked up at him and smiled. He had that picture in his head, Rory with her backpack on, ready to head off to her first day of school. He smiled, he knew he was gonna be there.

That evening, Rory had had her nap and they had all had dinner together, which was a first. Now they were getting ready to go trick or treating. Rory was already wearing her princess outfit. Lorelai had made it out of some silky material she had. She had a plastic crown on her head, large clip on earrings and pretty pink shoes. She looked adorable.

Lorelai emerged from the bathroom in her short black dress, knee high black high heeled boots and a witch's hat. She had a lot of dark makeup around her eyes and her skin was a pale shade.

"What do you think?" she asked as she twirled around for him.

"I think I like that dress," he replied.

"Turning gay on me now are you?"

"Should I say I like how I can almost see what's underneath that dress?" he asked as he stepped closer to her.

"Almost huh?"

"Yeah, if it was any shorter we wouldn't be going anywhere tonight."

"Your costume isn't so bad either," she said. "You look handsome...and a little scary too."

"So you like my vampire costume?"

"Oh yeah," she answered. He bent his head down and began to suck on her neck. "What are you doing?" she asked seductively.

"I hear this is what vampires do," he said against her skin. She sighed and let herself get lost in the feeling. When he pulled away, she walked over to the mirror and inspected the mark he'd left on her neck.

"Wow, that's one big hickey," she said. "Goes nicely with my witch's costume."

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah sure."

They walked into town slowly, enjoying each other's company before the festivities began. Lorelai was carrying Rory while Luke pushed the empty stroller next to her.

"Now Ror, this whole trick or treating deal is really fun," began Lorelai. "What we have to do is knock on people's doors and say 'trick or treat'. Then they give us free candy," she said excitedly.

"Caddy," exclaimed Rory.

"That's right, lots and lots of candy. Do you think you can do that?" she asked. Rory looked at her. "Say trick," she coached.

"Twick."

"Well done, now say treat."

"Tweet."

"Now say them together, trick or treat."

"Twick a tweet," said Rory excitedly.

"Clever girl," praised Lorelai. "You're gonna get loads of candy for being so adorable," she cooed.

"But you won't be eating it all at once will you Rory?" asked Luke.

"Yesh," she replied cheekily.

"I don't think so," said Luke, reaching his hand over to tickle under her chin causing Rory to giggle and bat his hand away.

"Have you got your candy bucket?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"There," replied Rory, pointing to the pumpkin shaped bucket that sat in the stroller.

"Good cause if you forgot that, we wouldn't be able to get any candy."

"Caddy."

"Lorelai stop getting her all excited about this damn candy, she's not gonna be a candy junkie like you."

"I think you'll find she already is," she pointed out. They got into town and reached the first house on Peach Street. "You ready Ror?" she asked as she put Rory on her feet and took hold of her hand. "Hold your bucket." Rory took the bucket from her and walked up the path with them. Luke tapped on the door and a few seconds later, a woman answered. She was dressed as a witch, like Lorelai, but she had painted her entire face and neck green and had a big fake nose on.

"Mama," squealed Rory as she went to hide behind Lorelai's legs.

"Rory it's ok, it's just a costume," she soothed. Luke bent down to pick her up and she nuzzled her face into his shoulder.

"What do you say Ror?" he asked softly. "Do you remember what you have to say to get some candy?" She pulled away from his shoulder and looked up at him.

"Twick a tweet," she said quietly, but loud enough for the woman to hear.

"Do you want some candy sweetie?" asked the woman, just as softly as Luke had spoken.

"Yesh," she replied quietly. Rory watched the woman put a couple of candy pieces in her bucket and she smiled slightly.

"What do you say to the nice lady Rory?" asked Lorelai.

"Tank you."

"You're welcome, have a good night." They made their way back onto the sidewalk and Luke put Rory on her feet again.

"Let's hope they're not all in scary costumes," he joked.

"It'll be an interesting evening if they are," replied Lorelai. "Have you got some candy in your bucket Ror?" she asked as she bent down to take a look. "Wow look."

"Caddy."

"Shall we go get you some more candy?"

"Yesh." They walked up to the next house and Lorelai tapped on the door this time. Another woman answered with a four or five year old girl stood in front of her, dressed as a ballerina. Rory was peeking out from behind Luke's legs where she was hiding. When she saw the bowl of candy the girl was holding, she stepped forward slowly. "Twick a tweet," she exclaimed. The girl put some candy in Rory's bucket and they smiled at each other.

"Tank you," said Rory politely.

"Thanks," said Luke as they walked away. "You did good then Ror," he told her as they walked on further. After they had been to at least ten houses, Rory began searching through her candy selection.

"Mmm," she hummed when she saw what she had acquired. She picked out a gummy eyeball and held it out to Luke.

"You can have this one now but that's it," he warned. He opened the packet and gave Rory the candy. She ate it greedily then carried on walking.

"Was that nice sweets?" asked Lorelai.

"Yesh," she replied.

"Can mommy have some candy?"

"No," she refused. "Mine." She held the bucket close to her.

"Aww no fair," she pouted.

"I know I should have bought you a bucket too," joked Luke. She slapped his chest playfully then they followed Rory as she led the way to the next house.

By seven, they were done trick or treating and they headed over to the square to join the party. Everyone was in costume and there were booths that sold cotton candy and soda.

"I need coffee," complained Lorelai.

"What's new?" asked Luke. He parked the stroller near the gazebo then took his wallet from his pocket. "Do you want some cotton candy?"

"Yes please," she smiled.

"Rory already has a drink doesn't she?" he asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah she's fine."

"Ok, wait here, I'll be back in a minute." Luke walked over to the diner. He figured that Lorelai wouldn't want coffee from one of the booths cause she loved his so much. He turned the coffee maker on and waited for it to start up. He looked out across the square through the window. Everyone knew he hadn't been to a town festival since his father got sick and this was a really big step for him. His dad used to take him and Liz to them all the time when he was well enough but he hadn't told Lorelai about it. He wanted her to have a good time and if that meant that he had to go too, he'd do it, just for her. He added the ground coffee beans and water to the machine and watched as the dark liquid dropped into the pot. He had made just enough for Lorelai because he didn't want to waste any. He poured it into a to-go cup then took it outside with him. He purchased some cotton candy then walked back over to where Lorelai stood.

"There you are," she greeted. "I wondered where you'd gone."

"You wanted coffee," he shrugged. He gave her the cup.

"You went to the diner?"

"Yeah I know you love my coffee and you'd probably complain that the stuff here sucks."

"Complaining is half the fun," she joked.

"Where's Rory?"

"She's over there showing Miss Patty and Babette how much candy she got," she replied.

"So they stole her away again?"

"Yep, they can't get enough."

"At least it gives us some alone time," he said, a seductive smile creeping onto his face.

"Luke," she gasped. "Are you suggesting that we do...that here?" she asked suspiciously and sarcastically.

"Yeah cause I have a thing for dark alleyways," he joked, blushing a little.

"Who knew?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to dance?" he asked shyly.

"Dance?" she replied, kinda shocked.

"Err, yeah. I mean there's music and other people are dancing."

"I didn't know you danced."

"Only with the right person," he replied, blushing again.

"We've never danced together before," she stated.

"I know," he replied. "There's a first time for everything right?"

"Of course, just let me finish my coffee." He nodded and watched her gulp down the hot drink as fast as she could. When she threw it in the trash, he held his hand out to her and she gladly took it. They shared a smile then he led her onto the dance floor. He stopped as pulled her closer to him.

"A slow song, perfect," he whispered in her ear.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" she whispered back.

"I'm trying to dance with you, the seduction comes later."

"Luke Danes!" she gasped. He wrapped his arms around her waist tighter, pulling her even closer to him, if that were possible. Her arms went around his neck and she rested her head on his shoulder. "This is nice," she said blissfully.

"Yeah it is."

"You're a good dancer."

"You're not so bad yourself." She smiled up at him and his face inched closer to hers. Their lips brushed lightly in a soft, lingering kiss. Luke pulled away when he realised where they were and they went back to dancing in a comfortable silence.

"They're so cute together," gushed Miss Patty as she watched them from her seat.

"They were made for each other," commented Babette, bouncing Rory in her lap.

"Ah young love," said Gypsy.

"Gypsy, you're twenty," said Patty.

"Yeah but I'm not in love," she replied, sighing deeply.

"Are you sure about that sugar?" asked Babette. "I walked by the bookstore the other day and you and Andrew were getting along pretty well."

"Andrew's a jerk," she snapped.

"Hmm that's the first stage of falling in love, denial," said Patty, chuckling slightly. "Do you like Andrew?"

"He's ok...as a friend I guess," she shrugged.

"Uh huh," replied Babette knowingly.

"Just let it go ladies, let's look at Luke and Lorelai again. Aww look how cute they are, they were made for each other," she mimicked.

"Trying to change the subject," said Patty with a shake of her head.

"We're being watched," whispered Lorelai.

"By who?"

"Miss Patty, Babette and Gypsy."

"I never would have guessed."

"Other people are staring too." He shivered when he felt her hot breath on his ear.

"People we know?" he asked.

"No, random strangers are staring at us."

"We must make a good couple."

"We make a perfect couple," she replied. She pulled back to look into his eyes. "Wanna give them something to stare at?" Before he knew it, her lips crashed against his. He wanted to push her away and tell her that he didn't like doing that in public but he quickly lost himself in the kiss. Lorelai felt his tongue teasing her lips, trying to pry them apart. She obliged and opened her mouth for him and their tongues began dancing in the same rhythm their bodies were. They pulled away from each other and Luke looked into her blue eyes that were clouded with lust. "Did you just make out with me in public?" she asked as her jaw dropped.

"I guess I did," he chuckled. "Not that I had much of a choice." They turned their heads towards the crowd that were all staring at them with smiles on their faces.

"Looks like we put on quite a show."

"Aww jeez," he complained.

"Come on, let's go find Rory." She took his hand and guided him off the dance floor, earning some disappointed noises from the audience they had. They walked over to Patty, Babette and Gypsy and Rory smiled up at them. "Hi baby, are you having a good time?" she asked as she lifted her up and sat her on her hip.

"It's getting cold, I'll get her coat," said Luke. Once he had disappeared, Lorelai sat down and the women grinned at her.

"You are one lucky girl," said Patty.

"What?" she asked.

"Making out with Luke like that, I wish I could do that," said Babette.

"I don't think Morey would like that very much," joked Lorelai.

"He's the reason I haven't," she chuckled.

"You put on a great show," said Gypsy. "Half the people here were staring at the two of you."

"You're a great couple, you fit together like a jigsaw puzzle," said Patty.

"Dirty," chuckled Lorelai.

"Lorelai you are bad," exclaimed Babette.

"What's he like?" asked Patty curiously.

"You mean...."

"Sex," she said bluntly.

"Shh, not in front of Rory," she scolded.

"Oops I forgot you were here sweetie. Now Lorelai, answer my question."

"Erm...."

"It's no secret that you do it," pushed Babette.

"Ok I'll tell you but Luke will kill me if he finds out we talked about this, so don't say anything."

"Say anything about what?" he asked, coming up behind them holding Rory's coat.

"Erm..." she stumbled.

"That you sing in the shower," interrupted Patty. Lorelai gave her a 'thank you' look.

"Jeez, I do not sing in the shower," he complained.

"Sorry babe, they asked and I couldn't lie," she said cheekily.

"Ok well I think I'm gonna take Rory home, it's eight thirty."

"Oh, do you want me to come with you?" she asked.

"No, you stay here and enjoy yourself. I'll wait for you at the shed ok?"

"Yeah, thank you." She kissed Rory's forehead. "Bye sweets." Luke leant down and left a light kiss on her lips, not wanting to give the gossiping women something else to talk about, then took Rory from her. "I won't be back too late," she called after him.

"I'll be waiting." And with that, he disappeared through the crowd.

"Now that Luke and Rory have gone, we can get down to the dirty stuff," said Babette, clapping her hands.

"Do you want some punch?" asked Patty.

"Erm...sure," she replied hesitantly. She took a cup from Patty and took a small sip.

"Whoa," she exclaimed as she choked a little.

"Is it a little strong for you?" asked Patty with a slight chuckle.

"No I just wasn't expecting it that's all." She knew that she was only having one cup of that stuff.

"So how's Luke in bed?" asked Patty again.

"Amazing," she gushed.

"Really?" asked Babette. "Is it how we dream it to be?"

"Err...I didn't know you dreamt about that."

"Every woman in Stars Hollow has dreamt about it at one point or another."

"Wow, erm....I admit that I had a couple of dreams about it before we....you know."

"And?" they pushed.

"It's better than any dream I ever had."

"Wow," said Patty, pretty speechless.

"How often do you do it?" asked Babette.

"Almost every night," she admitted. "It's weird, when I'm alone with him, I can't control myself."

"I don't blame ya sugar."

"He's dreamy," added Patty. "How big is it?" she asked curiously.

"That's for me to know," she said cheekily while she tapped her nose with her finger.

"Come on Lorelai, you've gotta give us something to go on here."

"I already told you it's amazing," she defended.

"Is he good at foreplay?" asked Gypsy.

"God yes, that's my favourite part sometimes," she admitted.

"Would you be mad at me if I slept with your boyfriend?" asked Patty jokingly.

"Yes and I think your husband would be too."

"Oh I forgot about him, where is he anyway?" she asked.

"Him and Morey went to the bar," said Babette. "Can you imagine what your kids will look like?"

"I haven't really thought about it," Lorelai lied.

"Oh come on, they'll be gorgeous. Your blue eyes, his light hair, they'll be the most beautiful kids in history," Patty gushed.

"I mean, Rory's gorgeous, she looks just like you but with Luke's genes mixed in too, it's a recipe for success!" The ladies chuckled.

"Have you talked about having kids?"

"Not exactly," she replied. "We're still young and Rory's enough for us at the moment."

"Of course you'll probably get married first," said Patty.

"Can you imagine the ceremony?" asked Babette. "It'd be so beautiful."

"Whoa ladies, we're not even thinking about marriage yet," she tried to stop them. "I'm only seventeen, we're too young."

"There's nothing wrong with thinking ahead," shrugged Patty.

"There's one thing we know for sure, you're gonna be together for a very long time," said Babette.

"Yeah...I hope so," replied Lorelai.

Back at the potting shed, Luke sat Rory on the floor with some toys while he prepared her a bottle of formula. He fixed the lid securely on the bottle then walked over to her. He scooped her up and sat on the couch, laying her in his arms.

"Dada," she said.

"What's up?"

"Caddy."

"No more candy for you tonight; you can have some tomorrow ok?" She pouted up at him. "Don't look at me like that; you can have some milk instead." He offered Rory the milk and she quickly accepted. She held it tightly, her fingers wrapped around it securely. Luke kept a hold of it just in case she let go and watched as she stared up at him while she drank away.

Once she was getting sleepy, he began to whisper to her to soothe her to sleep. He succeeded and Rory gave in and closed her eyes. Luke stood up carefully and laid her down in the crib. He made sure she was covered with the blankets properly then kissed her goodnight, the way he did every night.

"I love you," he whispered.

He went over to bed and pulled out some grocery bags from underneath it. He had been hiding them from Lorelai cause it was gonna be a surprise for her when she got back from the party. He pulled out the lotion he had bought and put it on the nightstand. He then went into the bathroom and put the bubble bath on the side. He chose not to run her bath yet as it would probably go cold by the time she got back. He changed into sweats and a blue t shirt then sat in front of the TV to kill some time.

When he looked at his watch, it was ten thirty. It had been two hours since he had left the party and Lorelai would probably be back soon. He got up and went into the bathroom to turn the tub on. He poured a generous amount of bubble bath into the steaming water and mixed it in with his hand. He watched as the tub filled up and the bubbles multiplied. He had the urge to climb in but the bath wasn't for him, it was for Lorelai. He lit some scented candles around the tub and turned off the water.

He closed the bathroom door then picked up the flowers he had chosen for her. Daisies; her favourite. He realised that he'd never given her flowers before. It was such a romantic thing to do and he'd never done it. That would soon change. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited patiently for the door to swing open. Ten minutes later it did.

"Hey," she said, stumbling a bit.

"Are you drunk?" he asked as he bent down to kiss her. "You taste like punch."

"Patty gave me some, I only had one cup, I swear."

"That's all it takes," he replied. "These are for you." He gave her the flowers and she immediately smiled.

"You bought me daisies?" she awed.

"Yeah, you said they were your favourite."

"They're beautiful, thank you." She kissed him again.

"I'll put them in a vase for you." He walked over to the kitchen and pulled a vase from one of the cupboards. He filled it with water then put them on the coffee table in the living area.

"I'm gonna get ready for bed," she told him as she walked towards the closed bathroom door. When she opened it, the heat it hit her and she took in the bubble bath and the candles. Luke walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I thought you'd wanna relax a little," he whispered.

"Are you gonna relax with me?"

"Well I did this for you but if you want me to come in with you, I will."

"I'd like that."

Forty five minutes later, they emerged from the bathroom. Luke was wearing his sweats but he was topless and Lorelai was wearing shorts and a vest top.

"Do you feel relaxed now?" he asked.

"Hmm, very."

"I've got something that will relax you further," he said seductively.

"Really?"

"Yup, lay down," he ordered. Lorelai climbed onto the bed and lay on her back. "Turn over." She flipped over onto her stomach.

"Is this gonna be really kinky?" she asked. Luke straddled her from behind and tugged on her top. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"You need to take your shirt off," he said quietly.

"I need to?" she questioned.

"Well I can't give you a massage with it on can I?"

"Ooh a massage, so that's what the lotion is for." She quickly removed her shirt then settled back onto the bed. "I didn't know you could massage."

"I'm a man of many talents."

"Oh, I know," she assured. Luke opened the lotion and squirted some onto his hands. He rubbed his hands together then smoothed them over Lorelai's upper back and shoulders. She shivered when his hands touched her skin but soon relaxed again. "Mmm," she hummed into her pillow.

"Is that good?" he asked hopefully. He had never actually given anyone a massage before and he wasn't sure if he was doing it right.

"It's perfect, don't stop," she begged. He continued kneading her muscles with his hands and running his fingertips along her smooth skin. "Where did you learn to do this?" she asked contentedly.

"It's all god given talent," he replied softly. He put more lotion on his hands and massaged it into her now silky skin. She moaned when he leant down and kissed the back of her neck, moving up until he was at the sensitive part below her ear, the part he knew drove her crazy.

"Luke," she sighed, losing herself in his touch.

"Remind me to do this more often," he said against her neck. Shivers ran down her spine when his breath warmed her skin and she turned her head to look at him. He turned her over and ran his hands over her shoulders and collar bone. She put her hand at the back of his head and pulled him down to kiss her passionately. His hands moved lower and he began massaging lotion into her breasts as she moaned into his mouth. They pulled apart for air and stared into each other's eyes.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he replied breathlessly.

"Now make love to me," she ordered. Luke knew better than to argue with her, not that he would anyway, so he did exactly what he was told to do, slowly and lovingly.

**Finally :D this chapter seemed to take forever to write. I like it though and I hope you do too! I know there was a lot more explanation than dialogue but sometimes explanation is needed. Please review; you know how much I love them! And I got to 100 people who have added this to their story alert, thank you!!**

**Emily.**


	24. The First Snow of the Season

**A really, really fast update! Wow I only updated yesterday too. Thank you to all the lovely people that reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad you all loved the Halloween goodness :D So this is kind of a filler, but it has some stuff of importance too. There was a scene that I didn't know whether to include or not....but I put it in anyway lol. Also I didn't have time to proof read this cause it's late and I wanted to post it so sorry if there are any mistakes. Please enjoy! **

Luke rolled over on the morning of November 6th and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Today was his nineteenth birthday. It was also the first birthday he'd spent without his father. He looked over at Lorelai and sighed deeply. He hadn't mentioned his birthday to her and he hoped she hadn't remembered. He wanted it to be the same as any other day, no fuss and definitely no party.

He looked at the clock, it read five fifty. It wasn't his turn to open the diner today but he needed to busy himself with something to push the memories of his father out of his head. It was the first anniversary of his death at the end of the month and Luke still found it unbelievable that he had gone, forever. He climbed out of bed and quickly dressed before he scribbled a note to Lorelai, kissed both her and Rory goodbye then left.

"It's not your turn to open today is it?" asked Ben as Luke approached him in front of the diner.

"No I just thought I'd come and help out," he shrugged.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"What are you talking about?" snapped Luke.

"You and Lorelai, did you have a fight?"

"No we're fine."

"It just seems strange that you're here when you could be sleeping next to your hot girlfriend."

"Don't ever refer to Lorelai as hot again," he warned.

"Well she is," he said innocently.

"Let's just go inside ok?"

"Whatever you say boss."

"Actually, why don't you take the morning off?"

"Really?"

"Yeah I can run the diner without you."

"Thanks boss," he smiled.

"Be back by twelve." Luke watched Ben go then shook his head. Today he was going to focus on his business and feed the townspeople, just like a normal day.

Lorelai groaned when she woke up, she slung her arm across Luke's side of the bed and opened her eyes when she found it empty and cold. She sat up slowly and looked around the room.

"Luke?" she called. When she got no answer, she dropped back onto her pillow and sighed. She turned her head to the side and saw the piece of paper sat on the nightstand. She picked it up and found Luke's rushed handwriting.

_Gone to open the diner, see you for dinner tonight._

_Luke._

She read it three times over before she heard Rory waking up. She went to see to her and brought her back over to the bed, settling her on the sheets.

"Dada?" asked Rory.

"He's gone to work sweets," she said sadly but it was mixed with confusion. Why would Luke go to work today? It was Friday, the day they spent together. He had the day off today, why the hell was he at the diner? They had spent every Friday together since the day they met and Lorelai was a bit upset that he had left for work.

She knew it was his birthday today, she remembered it from the first day they met when she gave him the horoscope. She knew he thought she'd forgotten but she hadn't. She'd bought him a gift too. It was hidden in her closet along with the gift from Rory.

"Shall we go see Luke in the diner?" she asked Rory.

"Bwekfas," she demanded.

"Yeah, we can get breakfast while we're there," she promised. She got out of bed and quickly changed into her figure-hugging jeans and a red sweater. She changed Rory into the most recent outfit she had made and slipped her shoes onto feet. "Do you wanna walk into town sweets?" she asked.

"No mama," she replied, holding her tiny arms up to Lorelai.

"Ok, you can go in the stroller then." She unfolded it and lifted Rory into the seat. Once she was fastened in, she put some blankets over her, knowing Luke would kill her if she wasn't bundled up properly. She took the wrapped gifts out of the closet and put them under the stroller. "Ok, are we ready to go?" she asked.

"Go go go," said Rory excitedly.

As they walked by the dance studio, Miss Patty called her and rushed over to them.

"Lorelai honey," she said as she approached them.

"What's up?"

"Luke is very grumpy today," she complained.

"Oh I haven't seen him yet."

"Did he not get any last night?" she asked.

"Err....you know what, I'll go talk to him right now," she said, trying to get out of answering the question.

"Ok honey, if anyone can put a smile on his face, it's you and Rory."

"Ok, see ya Patty." She waved shortly then continued her walk to the diner.

"Mama?" addressed Rory from the stroller. Lorelai stopped walking and bent down in front of her.

"What sweetie?"

"Dada," she exclaimed, pointing across the square. Lorelai looked round to see Luke walking towards his truck. She stood up and rushed across the square the best she could with the stroller in tow.

"Luke," she called. He didn't hear her and slammed the door to his truck before driving away. The girls watched him speed off then Rory looked up at her, her eyes watery. "Hey don't cry baby," she soothed. She pushed the stroller over to a nearby bench and lifted Rory out.

"Dada," she said quietly.

"Shh, it's ok; daddy's just gone for a drive. He'll be back soon." She rubbed her daughter's back soothingly and kissed her forehead.

"Pesents," Rory whispered.

"We can give him the presents later ok? I know he's gonna love your gift," she assured. Rory sighed against her mother's shoulder as Lorelai focussed on the parking space Luke had just vacated. Something wasn't right. She knew he was avoiding her, but why? What had she done wrong? And why wouldn't he want to spend his birthday with them?

"Mama," whimpered Rory.

"Shall we go to the playground?" she asked excitedly. "I won't tell daddy you were playing in the cold," she promised.

"Sings."

"Yep, you can go on the swings and the slide." Rory smiled, her eyes were still watery but at least she was cheering up a bit. Rory had never cried over Luke before and it broke Lorelai's heart to see her daughter upset like that. "Come on babe." She put Rory on her feet but she clung to her leg.

"Up," she demanded. Lorelai sighed and lifted her up.

"You're a big girl now Ror, big girl's walk places."

"No." They went over to the playground and Lorelai sat Rory in one of the swings. "Push," she said excitedly.

"I was going to, don't worry." Lorelai smiled when Rory's face lit up and she started giggling as she swung back and forth.

"Weeeee," she screamed as Lorelai pushed her higher. As she watched her daughter having fun, she realised how much things have changed since she was at the park in Hartford on the swing with Rory, two weeks after she ran away from home. She had no money then, not that she had much now. She had no friends except Mia but now she knew the entire town. And most importantly, she had Luke. He was the one that built up her confidence; he helped her get properly settled in the new town and made sure she fit in perfectly. He made her feel at home and she loved him for it. No she didn't have much money at the moment but it was different than before, she had Luke there now. She knew he'd help out wherever he could. She knew it seemed like she was a charity case that Luke kept putting money into but it was nothing like that at all. She brought her attention back to Rory.

"You still need breakfast don't you hon?" she asked as she slowed the swing down. "Shall we go to Weston's?" She lifted Rory out and put her on the floor.

"Swide," said Rory, pointing her finger to it.

"How about you have a go on the slide then we'll eat? Mommy's hungry." Rory ran over to the slide and Lorelai helped her up the steps. "Wait till I get round there," she called as she went to the bottom of the slide to catch Rory. "Ok, come on." She held her arms out and Rory flew down the slide into them, giggling loudly.

"Agen," she said.

"Ok one more time but then we're getting breakfast." Lorelai watched Rory walk round the slide towards the steps.

"Lorelai?" she heard a voice behind her. She recognised that voice, it was all too familiar to her and she hoped to god that it was somebody else. She spun around and her eyes met his.

"Christopher?" she asked in shock. He stepped closer to her. "Rory come here," she demanded. Rory toddled over to her and Lorelai quickly picked her up and held her tightly. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I erm...."

"I still have that restraining order you know, you're breaking the law."

"I just wanted to see my kid before she's taken away from me forever." He sounded sincere but she wasn't buying it.

"You're not gonna see her, get away from us," she ordered.

"Lore..."

"No Chris, how many times do I have to say this to you? You are not going to see my daughter."

"Mama," said Rory as she looked at Christopher.

"Hey Rory," he said, reaching his hand out to touch her.

"Don't you dare touch her," said Lorelai, raising her voice as she stepped backwards.

"You can't do this," he said as he continued to step closer and closer to her.

"Go away," she whispered, a few tears spilling from her eyes. She clutched Rory tighter.

"I'm not going anywhere, not till you let me hold my kid."

"She's not yours," she shot back.

"She is, she's my daughter and I'm gonna be in her life. I'm gonna win this thing and then I'm gonna make sure you never see her again Lore, then you'll know how it feels."

"You're not gonna win," she said. She was crying now. "Rory is mine, I've been here for the last thirteen months and you haven't." Rory looked up at her mom and gave her a hug.

"No cwy," she said, wiping Lorelai's cheek with her tiny index finger.

"I'm ok sweets, don't worry about me." Rory smiled weakly then kissed Lorelai on the mouth. "I want you to leave Christopher."

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere," he replied angrily. "Now give her to me." He reached for Rory and Lorelai stepped back again in protest. Where were all the nosy townspeople when you needed them?

"I told you to stay away from her," she shouted.

"I want to hold my daughter." He grabbed Lorelai's wrists and she let out a loud cry when he tried to pry her hands off Rory.

"No Christopher," she screamed. Rory began to cry as Christopher tried to take her from Lorelai.

"I'm gonna see my kid," he said harshly.

Luke passed the 'Welcome to Stars Hollow' sign after going to fill up on gas and rounded the corner. He drove down the street then he saw it. Two people struggling in the playground. He didn't think much of it at first but when he took a second glance, he realised who it was. He pulled the truck up to the sidewalk and jumped out, not bothering to lock it. He ran up to them and pulled Christopher away from a hysterical Lorelai.

"What are you doing here?" he shouted angrily as he held onto Christopher's jacket.

"Oh look, lover boy to the rescue," snarked Christopher.

"I said what are you doing here?"

"I came to see my kid," he shouted back.

"You have no right."

"I have no right? You have no right you asshole, you're not her father."

"I'm more of one than you ever were."

"I'm going to win full custody of Rory," said Christopher. "Then it'll just be you and the slut over there, all alone." Luke couldn't stand this crap any longer. He brought his arm up and punched Christopher square in the face. Chris stumbled back from the impact and Luke shook his hand as Chris fell onto the floor.

"Don't you dare call my girlfriend a slut; you stay away from them, both of them." He turned around and looked at Lorelai and Rory. Lorelai was crying while she rocked Rory to calm her down. He stepped over to them and brushed his fingers through Lorelai's hair. "It's ok," he told her. He turned back to Christopher.

"I'm gonna get you done for assault," said Christopher, thinking he had the upper hand.

"Not if I get there first," replied Luke. "You realise that you disobeyed the restraining order against you don't you?" Christopher's smile faded.

"I..."

"You broke the law and you'll probably face a prison sentence. Along with that, you assaulted my girlfriend. I saw the way you were holding her wrists Christopher, you were obviously hurting her." Christopher looked between Luke and Lorelai before getting to his feet and walking away.

"This isn't over," he called over his shoulder. Luke watched him walk away before turning back to Lorelai. He wrapped her in his arms and she cried into his chest.

"It's ok, shh."

"He was gonna take her," she sobbed.

"I wouldn't have let him."

"But if you hadn't had seen us...."

"It's not worth thinking about," he soothed. He pulled away and took Rory from her. "Hey Ror, you're ok aren't you?" She nuzzled her face into his neck.

"Dada," she mumbled.

"I'm here, don't worry." He wrapped his free arm around Lorelai's shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"What if he comes back before the court date?"

"If he has any sense, he won't."

"But if he does, he could try to take her again."

"I'll be there ok; I'll look out for you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Ok."

"Come on, let's go to my place, it's cold out here."

"Wait, the stroller's over there," she said, looking over to the swings.

"Wait here, I'll get it."

"No I'm coming with you."

"I'm only going over here," he promised. She followed him over and linked her arm through his as he pushed the stroller over to the diner. He left it by the door and led Lorelai over to the curtain. They were getting some strange looks from some of the customers but they chose to ignore them. "Go upstairs ok? I'll be there in a minute."

"I just need to get something." She grabbed the gifts from under the stroller and went back over to him. "Happy Birthday," she said. So she hadn't forgotten then.

"Thanks," he said, a small smile on his lips. He kissed her forehead and gave Rory to her. "Now go, I'll be up in a bit." She nodded and took the gifts upstairs with her. He watched her go behind the curtain then poured some coffee, made Rory some juice, and grabbed two donuts before following her upstairs. When he got to his apartment, he saw her sat on the bed with Rory rested between her legs. "You feeling ok?" he asked.

"A little," she nodded with a sniffle.

"I brought you some coffee," he offered.

"Thanks." She took it and gulped half of it down quickly.

"Here you go Ror, orange juice for you."

"Tank you," she said as she took it from him.

"I brought donuts too."

"We haven't had breakfast yet," she said. "We were just gonna go to Weston's but...." She looked down at Rory.

"Shh it's ok, you can have donuts for breakfast right?" She nodded. He gave Lorelai hers then broke a bit off for Rory and put it in her mouth. "Do you wanna talk about what happened?" he asked softly. Lorelai shook her head quickly.

"Ok," he replied.

"Sorry, I'm ruining your birthday," she said.

"No you're not," he assured.

"Here, open your gifts," she said, handing one to Rory.

"You didn't have to buy me anything."

"It's your birthday, of course we bought you something."

"I'm not that big on birthdays," he shrugged.

"Is that why you left early this morning before we woke up?" she asked. Luke looked down at the bed nervously. "I don't get it, Friday's our day and when I woke up, you weren't there and I found a note saying you were at work."

"Sorry, I just....I don't want you to make a big song and dance about my birthday, it's just another day of the year."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I don't want any fuss, no parties or congratulations."

"Oh..."

"You planned a party didn't you?" he asked.

"Well...kinda. It's ok, I can cancel it. People won't mind."

"No we'll have the party if you want to."

"I don't know if I wanna be around a bunch of people after what happened today. I'd rather we were alone."

"How did you get us out of dinner?"

"I invited my parents to the party."

"Oh well they can still come over right? I'll cook them dinner."

"I'll call them later," she replied. "Now open your gifts."

"There," said Rory, giving hers to him.

"Thank you sweetie," he said, taking it from her. He read the tag. "To daddy, happy birthday, love from Rory." He smiled at Lorelai then began to peel off the paper carefully.

"Rip it off," said Lorelai "It's only gonna go in the trash anyway." Luke did as he was told and tossed the paper aside. He found a homemade picture frame with stars and hearts on it. It read daddy, mommy and Rory around the edge. Inside there was a picture of the three of them together. It was taken at Rory's birthday party a month ago. "Do you like it?" asked Lorelai.

"Yeah it's great, thanks." He leant over and kissed her on the lips.

"Don't thank me, it's from Rory remember."

"Thanks Ror." He kissed her cheek and she smiled widely at him. "Did you make this frame?" he asked Lorelai.

"Yeah, Rory helped. She passed me the glitter."

"It's nice, thank you."

"Ok now here's my gift." She passed it to him. He could tell by the shape of it what it was but he went along with it. He ripped it open and admired the blue baseball cap. "I know it's not much..."

"It's the thought that counts," he cut her off. "It's great, thank you." He took off his old cap and replaced it with the blue one. "Fits perfectly."

"Well there was only one size anyway."

"Are you ok now?" he asked, still concerned about her.

"Yeah I guess."

"Why don't you stay up here and get some sleep?"

"No I'm ok really."

"I insist."

"But it's your birthday," she protested.

"And I want you to rest," he replied. He stood up from the bed and picked up Rory. "I'll be downstairs if you need me ok?"

"Thanks babe," she said, falling back into the pillows, her eyes closed. He bent down and kissed her forehead then went downstairs to the diner.

"Luke is Lorelai ok?" asked Miss Patty as he went behind the counter.

"She's fine."

"She seemed a bit upset when you came in here earlier."

"It was just a misunderstanding, she's ok now."

"Is she coming down?"

"No she's sleeping." Why did they always have to stick their noses in?

"Oh. Happy Birthday by the way."

"Yeah yeah."

"Is that a new baseball cap Luke?"

"Yeah it was a gift."

"From Lorelai?"

"What's it to you Patty?"

"Just curious," she shrugged.

"Go sit down and leave me alone," he ordered.

"Ok but I'm taking this cutie with me." She went to reach for Rory but Luke stopped her.

"She's staying with me," he said firmly. Patty gave him a funny look then went to sit back at her table. "Ok Ror," he whispered as he sat her on the counter. "Let's look at you. Did that mean man from before hurt you?" he asked. Rory looked at him then crawled over the counter to get to the donuts.

"Mmm," she hummed, attempting to lift the lid off.

"No way," he said. "You just had a donut, they're bad for you. No more." Rory began to pout. "No," he said sternly.

"Dada," she whined.

"Rory," he warned. She looked from Luke to the donuts then let go of the lid. "Good girl. Shall we go buy some groceries to make dinner for your grandparents tonight?" he asked as he lifted her from the counter.

"Ganpa."

"Yep, grandpa's coming and if you ask him nicely he'll read you a story."

"Yesh."

"Ok, let's go." Luke walked towards the door. "Patty if Lorelai comes down, tell her I've taken Rory to Doose's and I'll be back soon ok?"

"Ok honey," she replied, not looking up from her magazine. He glared at her then left the diner.

"I thought I ran a diner, not a library," he complained to Rory. She chuckled in return as they walked to Doose's together.

When Lorelai woke up, it was almost two pm. She sat up groggily and took in her surroundings. The apartment was empty seeing as Luke and Rory were still downstairs and it took her a moment to remember why she was sleeping alone in Luke's bed during the day. When it all came rushing back to her, she had an overwhelming urge to hold her daughter, just to confirm that she was still there. She got off the bed, slightly disoriented because she hadn't woken up properly yet, then made her way down to the diner.

"Luke!" she called as she flew through the curtain.

"What's up?" he asked, rushing over to her.

"Where's Rory?"

"She's right there." He pointed over to the table he had been sat at with Rory. Lorelai rushed over and lifted Rory up to her, running her hand through the girl's hair possessively.

"Hey baby," she said softly. "You ok?"

"Mama," said Rory happily, the previous events of the day obviously wiped from her memory.

"Are you ok?" asked Luke, drawing circles on her back.

"I'm fine; I just wanted to see Rory that's all." Luke knew there was more to it than that but he decided to let it go.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby. Thanks for that by the way," she said gratefully.

"No problem," he said, his hand moving up from her back to her hair.

"I should be taking care of you, you're the birthday boy." Luke looked at her, less than amused.

"Don't call me that."

"Jeez, you're sensitive."

"Jeez? I think that's my line."

"Well then I've been hanging out with you too much."

"Yeah right, you can't get enough of me." They shared a smile. "So did you call your parents?"

"Way to kill the moment."

"Sorry, it's just that I bought some stuff for dinner and wanted to know if they were coming."

"What are you cooking?"

"The lamb chops."

"Really? Yay! They're my favourite," she said excitedly.

"I'm making extra for you."

"Wise choice."

"I know, now go upstairs and call them," he ordered.

"Yes sir." She walked past him towards the curtain, shot a glance at him over her shoulder then disappeared behind up the stairs.

At six, Luke, Lorelai and Rory walked downstairs to go to the truck. Emily had told them that it would be better for them to go to Friday night dinner as usual at their house rather than changing the tradition. Lorelai was disappointed because she was really looking forward to the lamb chops and she'd been sulking ever since she ended the call.

"I can't believe we have to drive all the way to Hartford," she complained.

"I have to drive all the way to Hartford," corrected Luke. "You just sit there and sing along to the radio."

"Well if I had a license I would drive."

"Maybe you should get one." A license? She'd never really thought about getting one after Rory was born but now it was making sense.

"Do you think I should?"

"It makes sense, I mean you're gonna need to learn someday so why not now?"

"There's the money part of it."

"It's not that expensive," he shrugged. "I'll pay for it all anyway."

"No you won't," she protested. "I'll find a way."

"Lorelai, I don't mind."

"Let me...let me just think about this ok?"

"Ok," he agreed. They went into silence as they drove along the highway and Lorelai turned the radio up.

"Ooh Journey!" she exclaimed. Luke rolled his eyes and waited for the karaoke session to begin. "_Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world, she took the midnight train going anywhere,"_ she sang. _"It goes on and on and on and on. Strangers, waiting, up and down the boulevard. Their shadows, searching in the night. Streetlights, people, living just to find emotion."_

"Lorelai, please stop," begged Luke.

"What's the matter? Is my voice bad?"

"No your voice is fine, I just really hate Journey."

"What? Journey are amazing!"

"Says the girl who wants to follow the Bangles on their tour."

"Hey, that's every teenage girl's dream," she defended. They smiled at each other then Lorelai looked out of the window. "Oh my god," she said.

"What?"

"Can you smell that?"

"What? Has Rory....you know?" he asked.

"No, I can smell snow! It's coming Luke, the snow is on it's way."

"Don't be ridiculous. You can't smell the snow."

"I can, I have a special relationship with the snow. We've been best friends for sixteen years," she explained.

"You're crazy," he said as he shook his head.

"Believe me, it's gonna snow."

"The weather report said it was gonna be a clear night, no rain, no clouds and definitely no snow."

"The weather reporter doesn't know snow like I do."

"You've lost your mind." She smiled to herself.

"It's gonna snow Ror," she said excitedly. "Tomorrow morning before I go to work, we can build a snowman and have a snowball fight. Ooh and we can make snow angels!" Rory giggled at Lorelai's excitement.

"Ok we're here, now get out and stop talking crap." They climbed out of the truck and Luke fastened Rory's coat. He walked over to the front door but Lorelai was stood by the truck, looking up at the sky. "What are you doing?"

"It's coming Luke." He shook his head and walked back over to her.

"It's freezing out here, let's go insi...." He was cut off by a snowflake landing on his nose, followed by another, and another. He looked over at Lorelai and saw the smile grow on her face as she looked up at the sky. That alone made him smile.

"I told you," she said, gazing at him.

"There," said Rory, pointing her finger out as she watched the snow.

"It's snowing Rory," she exclaimed. "The first snow of the season!"

"Sow," Rory repeated.

"We're not gonna be able to get home," said Luke.

"We will, don't worry."

"Can we go inside now?"

"Just two more minutes," she pleaded.

"It's cold," he complained.

"Luuuke." She pulled him closer to her and linked her arm through his. "Wonderful things happen when it snows you know."

"Like what?"

"Well for example, it's your birthday and it's snowing, that's magical."

"It's not that magical," he mumbled.

"It never snows on my birthday."

"That's because it's at the end of April," he said obviously.

"But it'd be so cool that if one year, I could have some snowflakes on my birthday. That would be the best gift ever."

"Ok crazy lady, let's go inside. Rory's gonna get a cold." She let him lead her to the door and into the house once the maid had answered.

"Ah there you are," said Emily as they walked into the living room. "Happy birthday Luke."

"Thanks Emily."

"Yes happy birthday," repeated Richard. Luke nodded in response. They seated themselves on the couch and Luke removed Rory's winter wear.

"Nooo," whined Rory as he took her coat off.

"Rory stop complaining," scolded Lorelai.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Emily. Usually her granddaughter was so upbeat and never complained.

"She skipped her afternoon nap so she's a little cranky," Lorelai explained.

"That can't be good for her, she needs her sleep at that age."

"It's ok, we're gonna put her down an hour earlier tonight."

"Oh well ok then," Emily replied disappointedly.

"So what would you like to drink?" asked Richard, attempting to kill the tension.

After dinner, the four retired to the living room where Richard handed them another drink. They had put Rory to bed just under an hour ago and she was sleeping upstairs in the nursery.

"So Luke, we got you a gift," said Richard.

"Oh, you didn't have to," he protested.

"Yes we did, you could be our son-in-law one day, it's only right that we get you a little something." Luke and Lorelai glanced at each other then blushed when marriage was mentioned. They had both thought about it, but they didn't know their partner had. Richard pulled out a wrapped gift from behind his chair and handed it to Luke. Luke unwrapped it carefully; it looked like nice wrapping paper after all, then found a small cardboard box inside. He looked up at Emily and Richard then opened the box.

"What is this?" he asked as he held it up.

"It's a key," stated Richard.

"What's it for?"

"Our house on Martha's Vineyard."

"You're giving Luke your house?" asked Lorelai in shock.

"No Lorelai, we're giving him a key to it. That way the two of you can go whenever you want."

"Oh thanks Richard and Emily, but I don't really have the time to go to Martha's Vineyard," said Luke. "With the diner and Rory and everything."

"We thought that after the custody battle is done with, you could go away for the weekend, just the two of you."

"But what about Rory?" asked Lorelai.

"We would take her of course," said Emily.

"But...."

"I think this time away will do you both some good," said Emily. "Give you a chance to get away and relax, get some fresh air."

"But I don't know if I could leave Rory for the whole weekend," she protested.

"Of course you can, you know she's safe with us," said Richard.

"It's not just that, I'd miss her," she said quietly.

"You have some time to think about this, the court date is on Thursday the 15th and you would leave on Friday 16th," Richard explained.

"That's so soon after the hearing though, with this whole thing with Christopher, I don't know if I can leave her so soon."

"Lorelai this is a wonderful opportunity," said Emily.

"I know."

"And it was a present to Luke, so he should decide."

"I'll do whatever Lorelai wants to do," he said.

"We'll think about it ok?" she asked.

"That's perfectly ok," said Richard.

"Great well we'd better get going," said Lorelai.

"Ok then," said Emily in disappointment again. They stood up and Lorelai went towards the stairs while Luke looked out of the window.

"Uh...Lorelai?" he called. She came back into the room.

"Yeah?"

"We're kinda...snowed in," he said.

"What?" She rushed over to the window and looked in shock at the thick white blanket that the truck was covered with. "What are we gonna do?" she asked.

"You can stay here if you like," suggested Emily.

"What?" they asked simultaneously.

"Sleep here tonight; your old room's still there Lorelai."

"Oh...uh..." She really didn't want to stay overnight at her parent's house. It'd be too much like old times. She looked at Luke who was looking just as horrified as she was. "We don't have anything to sleep in."

"Some of your old clothes are upstairs and Luke can borrow one of Richard's shirts," she offered. She was full of solutions tonight wasn't she?

"But what about.....underwear," she blurted.

"What about underwear Lorelai?" asked Emily impatiently.

"We don't have any. I mean we have the stuff we're already wearing but we can't put it on again tomorrow."

"Of course you can, you can change when you get back to Stars Hollow."

"Fine, we'll stay."

"Well good, follow me and I'll get you two settled." Emily grinned as Lorelai picked up Rory's diaper bag and followed her up the stairs. They reached Lorelai's old bedroom and Luke admired it. "Ok Luke, the guest room is down the hall, follow me." Emily walked away from the bedroom door and Luke looked over at Lorelai.

"Guest room," he whispered.

"Sorry," she whispered back. Luke rolled his eyes then followed Emily down the hall. Once she had shown him the guest room, she retired to her own bedroom, leaving Luke lost on what to do. He removed his shirt and slacks and climbed into the bed wearing only his boxers. Before he met Lorelai, he was an early bird. He went to bed early and woke up early. But now he couldn't get to sleep before at least ten and would find himself begging his alarm clock for five more minutes in the mornings.

He sighed as he adjusted his pillows and settled into them, only to find they still didn't feel right. He tossed and turned for over an hour before he finally gave up. He got up and slipped into the robe that was hung next to the dresser. He opened the door a crack to see if anyone was wandering around then quickly headed over to Lorelai's door. He didn't bother knocking; it would only wake Emily and Richard so he just went in and quietly closed the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Lorelai whispered loudly.

"I couldn't sleep," he said. "What are you still doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep either. My bed feels so big," she complained.

"Need some company?" he asked.

"Ooh yes please." She giggled and he cut her off with a searing kiss. The temperature soon got higher and Luke was removing Lorelai's pyjama top, revealing her pink and black bra. She smiled up at him then untied the robe he was wearing, to find he was only wearing his boxers underneath. "You came prepared," she said, as she slid it off his shoulders and tossed it on the floor. He captured her lips again and brought his hand down to play with the waistband of her pyjama bottoms. "Take 'em off already," she ordered.

"Someone's eager," he chuckled. He quickly relieved her of her bottoms then climbed back up her to reach her lips again. Just as he was bringing his hand up to remove her bra, the door opened suddenly. The two pulled apart immediately to find Emily stood in the doorway wearing her robe. Luke quickly pulled the covers over him to hide his almost nakedness and his obvious arousal and he looked at Lorelai in shock. She was just as speechless.

"Mom..." she said.

"I can't believe this," she said as she left the room. Lorelai pulled her pyjamas back on then followed her out and down the stairs.

"Mom," she repeated.

"What do you think you were doing?" she asked, her volume increasing.

"What did it look like?" she answered.

"Oh don't play that game Lorelai, you know what I meant. I put Luke in the guest room for a reason."

"You know that we're having sex, we talked about it remember?"

"I didn't expect it to happen under my roof Lorelai, I put the two of you in separate rooms to prevent this from happening but obviously you're too horny to wait." Lorelai laughed inwardly, did Emily Gilmore just say horny?

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Just go upstairs," she ordered. "And no funny business." Lorelai stood there frozen for a while then just nodded and made her way back up to her room. "I'm disappointed in you Lorelai," she called after her. Lorelai rolled her eyes as she ascended the stairs. She had heard that phrase come from her mother so many times that it didn't mean anything anymore, it was normal. She re-entered her room and saw Luke still laid under the duvet.

"Is everything ok?" he asked as she closed the door.

"It will be," she said. "She's just a bit shocked at the moment."

"Right, it's gonna be awkward in the morning."

"We'll leave early," she said.

"Ok, is it ok for me to sleep in here tonight?"

"I guess, she said no funny business though," she chuckled.

"I can't believe your mother walked in on us when we we're about to...you know."

"I'm really sorry, you must be so embarrassed."

"It's ok," he assured. "I'll never be able to look your parents in the eye again." She laughed then settled against him under the covers. "So you didn't tell them about what happened earlier," he said, more seriously now.

"I know."

"Are you going to?"

"I don't know. My dad will go nuts."

"He has every right to."

"He'll hear it at the trial anyway, he can find out then."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm not ready to talk about it with them yet."

"I understand," he said as he kissed her forehead. "You know you said good things happen when it snows?"

"Yeah."

"So far it's not true. First we get snowed in and we have to spend the night at your parents, then your mom makes us sleep in separate rooms and to top it all off, she catches us about to do it in your bed," he said with a chuckle.

"It's been a pretty awful night. It was funny though," she giggled. "Her face when she saw you on top of me in nothing but your underwear. I haven't seen her make that face since I told her I was pregnant."

"Oh hilarious," he said sarcastically but smiled anyway. "Let's get some sleep."

"Hmm ok."

"Is the baby monitor switched on?" he asked. Lorelai turned her head to see the green light on the little device.

"Yeah," she sighed. "It feels weird not having Rory in the room huh?"

"I guess," he mumbled.

"About this weekend at Martha's Vineyard, do you wanna go?"

"It's up to you. If you wanna go, we'll go and if you don't wanna leave Rory, we'll stay."

"I think I wanna go," she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"What about Rory?"

"My parents will take good care of her. It's only for the weekend anyway right? I mean, I'll miss her so much but it'll be good for us to get away from everything."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, positive."

"So we're going to Martha's Vineyard?" he asked.

"Looks that way." He smiled to himself. He was going to spend a whole weekend with Lorelai Gilmore, completely alone. He was the happiest man on the planet.

**So I wasn't sure about the Chris thing. I was debating about whether or not to have him pay a visit before the custody hearing but I thought...what the hell? He's a moron of course he's gonna pay another visit :D I also wanted Luke to punch him at some point so that turned out well. So at the moment I have 276 reviews....I want to be really ambitious and reach 300 with this! It probably won't happen cause that's like 24 reviews and I've never gotten that many for one chapter before, and this was a filler so that probably cuts off my chances. But if you don't normally review, please leave me a little comment this time to help me reach the 300 mark! Thank you :D**

**Emily.**


	25. A Family Tradition

**Okay, first of all thanks to all the reviewers from the last chapter! I can't believe I have 304 reviews lol. I think I replied to most of you but if I didn't then I'm sorry! Also there were some anonymous ones in there too so thanks to you guys! I really appreciate all the nice comments you sent me, made me feel a whole lot better.**

**Sorry for the wait for this, I know I was updating super fast before and I kinda got sidetracked this time. First I had work, then the doctors, yesterday I went to Alton Towers (a theme park) and today I went to the hairdressers! So busy week but I managed to write this tonight. It's a little shorter than usual and I'm sorry about that. It's kind of another filler. I was going to make this chapter the custody battle but I felt that there were some issues that needed to be resolved before that started. Hope you still enjoy this :D**

"Good morning Emily," greeted Richard as he joined her at the dining room table the next morning.

"Hmm," she agreed, not really paying attention to him. Richard looked over at his wife with creased brows.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh I don't know," she replied sarcastically. "Maybe the fact that I walked in on your daughter and her boyfriend in a very compromising position last night has something to do with my mood."

"What?" he asked, his volume rising.

"I went in to check that Lorelai had Rory's baby monitor and I found Luke assaulting our daughter in nothing but his underwear."

"Emily I doubt that he was assaulting her, I'm very sure that they were both willing."

"Did you not hear what I just said?" she asked in exasperation.

"Of course I did."

"Well aren't you going to do something?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, give them the talk."

"I think we're past the talk don't you? That part should have come before Lorelai found out she was pregnant," he pointed out.

"We have to do something; we can't let them carry on like this!"

"Surely you knew they were sleeping together Emily, we know for a fact that Lorelai isn't a virgin anymore so does it really surprise you that much?"

"I didn't expect them to go at it under our roof. I put them in separate bedrooms, all they had to endure was one night; one night without each other but they couldn't even manage that."

"Emily, I know the thought of our little girl doing....those things is not something we like, but it's already happened and it will continue to. There is nothing we can do to stop them."

"She's our daughter; we can do whatever we want!"

"That is why she left in the first place," he shouted. "You tried to control every aspect of her life because you thought you could, but Lorelai can make her own decisions and she proved that when she left this house with a ten month old baby and no money. If she's having sex with her boyfriend, then that's her business," he finished.

"She's seventeen; of course it's our business."

"No Emily, it's not. She doesn't live here anymore; we can't control what she does all the time. We can't know where she is at all hours of the day and we have to deal with that. If she and Luke are sleeping together, we can't stop them."

"I think you're wrong Richard, they need some boundaries or else we'll end up with another grandchild."

"I mean it Emily, if you interfere with this, you'll lose her again. We'll both lose her, is that what you want?"

"I want her to be happy."

"She is happy!" he shouted. "They're young and in love, you remember what that's like don't you?" Emily looked down at the table in front of her. "We used to be the same, we could never keep our hands off of each other, do you remember?" he asked softly.

"Yes I remember," she replied a small smile tracing her lips.

"Do you remember how crazy we used to drive each other? How besotted we were with each other?" Emily nodded. "That's what Luke and Lorelai are like now. They're going through the exact same thing we did."

"But she's our baby," she said quietly.

"I know, but she's growing up and there's nothing we can do about it."

"I still think we need to do something about this. I did not expect to walk into my daughter's bedroom to find her half naked with her boyfriend."

"We'll speak with them both when they come downstairs but you have to understand that you can't stop them from being intimate Emily. Lorelai is very mature for her age; she has to be, for Rory. She's living the life of a thirty year old, not seventeen. She has a child and a job, all things that seventeen year olds don't have to deal with in normal situations. We have to deal with the fact that our daughter is no longer a child, she's fully grown and we need to respect her decisions."

"I know," sighed Emily. "I just thought that after she had Rory, she'd be more careful. I thought she'd learn from her mistakes and not jump into anything again like she did last time."

"I'll chat with Luke about.....protection," he said.

"I'll talk to Lorelai; she has a few options she can choose from."

"I don't think that's necessary," said Richard.

"But it's not just Luke that has to think about contraception, Lorelai has to take some precautions too," she argued.

"It's not necessary because Lorelai is already prepared," he told her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's on the pill Emily," he informed her.

"How do you know?"

"She told me."

"She told you? She told her own father that she was on the pill?"

"Yes she did. The first time I went to see her in Stars Hollow; I had a talk with her about Luke. I told her I was worried about her and that she should take things slow with him. She assured me that I didn't have to worry and that she was already taking precautions, even though she wasn't having sex at the time."

"Why would she tell you and not me? I'm her mother." Emily was genuinely upset that Lorelai hadn't confided in her about this.

"If you remember, at the time, you and Lorelai weren't getting along very well. I don't think she felt comfortable talking to you about that kind of thing."

"Are you really ok with all this Richard?"

"I will never be entirely ok with the knowledge that my daughter is sexually active but like I said, we have to live with it."

"I knew," said Emily quietly.

"You knew what?"

"I knew that she was planning on sleeping with him, she told me."

"If you knew then why are you so mad about this?"

"I told her I was ok about it but I lied. I should have told her how I really felt."

"She probably wouldn't have listened to you if you told her you weren't fine with it."

"But she thinks I'm not bothered. She thinks I don't care about what she does but I do. She's my daughter and I care about her so much, I don't want her to get hurt."

"She's not going to get hurt, Luke loves her so much and she loves him."

"But this thing with Christopher is going to be hard, it's going to put a strain on their relationship and they might not survive it."

"They will, they're not worried about this Emily. They're going to stick together through this and come out of the other end stronger than they were before."

"I hope you're right," she sighed. She stood up from the dining room table and walked upstairs, leaving Richard to mull over what they had just talked about.

Luke and Lorelai lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. Both were awake but neither was saying anything. Finally, Lorelai broke the silence.

"That's quite a screaming match going on down there," she said.

"I know, what are they arguing about?" asked Luke.

"Last night, I think."

"Oh. So you think Emily told Richard?"

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"I'll never be able to talk to him again," he said worriedly.

"You will," she assured. "I mean, it was pretty obvious that we have sex right?"

"Maybe not to them. To them, you're still their little girl that braids dolls hair and wears little pink outfits."

"I did not wear pink outfits," she snapped jokingly. "And I think after I told them I was pregnant, they knew I wasn't a virgin anymore. It's not like I'm the Virgin Mary," she said light-heartedly.

"But knowing your kid is having sex and seeing it are two totally different things," he pointed out. "Plus before, I could act like they didn't have a clue about our sex life but now I know for sure that they know. It's gonna be awkward."

"It'll be fine," she assured.

"I thought we were leaving early today," he said as he rolled onto his side to look at her.

"It's Saturday morning, did you really believe that?"

"Now we have to face them."

"Better to do it now than in a week's time right?"

"I guess," he mumbled.

"Come on stud; let's go see if Rory's awake." Lorelai pulled Luke out of bed and they quickly changed into the clothes they were wearing the night before. "Don't forget to turn your underwear inside out," she joked.

"Yeah yeah." Once they were fully clothed, they walked down the hall and Lorelai pushed the door to the nursery open a crack. She peaked in and saw Rory still asleep.

"Come on," she whispered to Luke. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the nursery, over to the crib.

"Wow, this is some nursery," said Luke as he looked around the semi-dark room.

"Tell me about it; it's too much if you ask me." Luke nodded in agreement then went to stand next to her at the crib. They looked down at Rory as her chest and stomach moved up and down with every breath she took. "This is why I didn't wanna stay here last night," Lorelai whispered.

"Why?" he asked softly.

"It reminds me of when we lived here. I used to stand here and watch her sleep every night," she admitted.

"Things are different now, there's no point in dwelling on the past."

"I know, my life is so much better now." She smiled at Luke then looked down at Rory as she began to stir. They let her wake herself up and become familiar with her surroundings before they picked her up. "Good morning baby," she greeted as she brought the still groggy Rory to her body. Rory looked around the room then her eyes focussed on Luke and she smiled.

"Dada," she said quietly.

"That's right, I'm here this morning," he said as he took her from Lorelai. "How did my angel sleep last night?" he asked. He blushed after he said it, suddenly remembering that Lorelai was there and they weren't alone. She saw his uncertainty and was quick to reassure him.

"It's ok, you can call her whatever you want, don't let me stop you," she said. She looked at Rory. "Are you daddy's little angel sweets?" she asked.

"Bwekfas," she demanded.

"That's becoming a regular thing," said Lorelai. "Every morning after she wakes up, she demands breakfast."

"It's cause she's a Gilmore girl," he said with a smile. "Just like her mom."

"She's turning into her dad," she said. "Is that ok? Me calling you her dad?" she asked.

"It's perfect," he answered quickly. Luke guided her over to the rocking chair in the middle of the room and sat down in it. She took Rory from him then snuggled into his lap, settling Rory on hers. Luke reached his hand out and ran it through Rory's tousled hair. "I can't wait for her to be ours," he admitted quietly.

"Hmm me either." Emily walked up the hall and stopped when she heard them talking, making sure she was out of sight. "After what Christopher did yesterday, I can't wait for all this to be over."

"Are you ready to talk about it yet?" he asked. "We need to go to the police station and let them know. We've already put it off too long."

"I don't want to talk about it but if I have to then I will. I can't believe he acted so stupid, does he not know what a restraining order is?"

"Obviously not." Lorelai hugged Rory closer to her.

"The main thing is that Rory's ok," she said, a tear escaping down her cheek.

"Hey, hey don't cry," he soothed as he caught it. "I'm gonna be here ok? He will not come near you ever again."

"You said that last time, when Rory went missing. You promised he'd never get to us again and he did," she sobbed.

"I let my guard down ok? But that's all gonna change from now on. I will be there for you whenever you need me," he promised.

"I really need you, Rory does too."

"I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." Emily stood outside the room in disbelief. What happened with Christopher? From the way Lorelai was acting, it was something bad, but why wouldn't she tell them? Why would she and Luke keep it from them? She walked down the hall and into her bedroom as the wheels turned in her mind, trying to figure out what he could have done.

"Should we go downstairs?" asked Lorelai as she snuggled her head into Luke's chest.

"Just ten more minutes ok?"

"We have to face them sometime."

"I know but I just wanna sit here with the two of you for a while, do you mind?"

"Not at all," she answered quickly. "I'd sit here all day if I could."

"I wish," he chuckled. "You have to be at work in three hours."

"Hmm I know." They looked down at Rory who was watching them both with interest.

"What are you looking at?" asked Luke jokingly. Rory giggled and leant towards him.

"Hey!" shouted Lorelai as Rory pushed her aside to get to Luke. "I was here first," she sulked.

"Now, now, you can share me right?"

"I guess." Lorelai pouted at Rory and Rory did it back, copying her mom the way she always did.

"Dada." Rory pointed to Lorelai's pouting lips.

"I'm allowed to pout," said Lorelai as she stuck her tongue out at her daughter.

"No," said Rory. "Notty."

"I am not naughty," she replied.

"Yesh."

"Luke, your daughter is bullying me."

"So now she's MY daughter?"

"When she's bullying me she is."

"How old are you?" he asked in exasperation.

"Hmm," she pretended to think.

"You're acting like a four year old."

"Well if I'm four, then you were so breaking the law last night," she joked.

"Jeez."

"Thought so." She leant down and kissed him on the lips. "I love you really."

"Whatever."

"You know you love me too," she teased. Luke made a show of avoiding eye contact and focussing his attention on Rory. "Luke," she said as she hit his arm.

"Shall we get you dressed Ror?" he went to stand up; forcing Lorelai off his lap then took Rory over to the closet in the corner of the room.

"Lucas!" He continued to ignore her. He wasn't going to answer to Lucas was he?

"Ok what do you wanna wear today?" he asked Rory as he looked at the selection of clothes in front of them.

"Now you're making me feel unloved," she pouted. Luke turned around and smiled.

"Serves you right."

"What did I do?" Luke shrugged.

"You were making those inappropriate jokes again."

"But there was no one else here."

"But if I ignore you every time you make one, you'll stop saying them because you hate it when I ignore you, then I win."

"You are so mean," she pouted again. "It's not gonna work you know, I'm always gonna make those jokes and now I know your plan, I won't be bothered when you ignore me anymore."

"You will be."

"How do you know?"

"I know you."

"Humph," sighed Lorelai in defeat.

"Come on Crazy Lady, let's go downstairs and face the music." Luke quickly changed Rory then they padded down the stairs slowly together. They went into the dining room and saw Richard sat reading his daily newspaper.

"Morning dad," greeted Lorelai shyly. Richard looked up from his paper at them then took his attention back to the finance page. Lorelai looked at Luke and shrugged.

"Luke could I talk to you in my office?" asked Richard without looking up from his paper.

"Err....sure," replied Luke nervously. Richard stood up then walked in the direction of his study. Luke shot Lorelai a nervous glance that she returned with an 'I'm sorry' look in her eyes. Once the door had closed behind them, Richard turned to Luke.

"Take a seat," he demanded, rather than offered.

"Yes sir." Once they were both seated, Richard looked at Luke seriously.

"Now, Emily told me about what happened last night." Luke bowed his head ashamedly.

"I'm sorry," he said weakly.

"Please Luke, did you really think I didn't know?" he asked. Luke's head shot up.

"What?"

"My daughter is a parent; she's obviously not a virgin. I knew it was more than likely that the two of you are intimate together and last night proved my suspicions."

"I err...wow," he managed to reply.

"I asked you in here because I want to make sure you're using contraception." Luke's cheeks turned a bright shade of red as he answered.

"We've err....got it covered."

"I know that Lorelai is on the pill but that isn't always effective and you need to think about using other things."

"We've talked about that and we use erm...."

"Condoms?" asked Richard bluntly. Luke nodded, his embarrassment obvious. "Well we don't have condoms in the house and I'm certain that you didn't bring any with you, seeing as you didn't know you'd get snowed in. Were you planning on using one last night?" he questioned. Luke felt under pressure by Richard's interrogation. He hadn't even thought about using anything last night, partly because they didn't get that far before Emily walked in. This conversation was making Luke extremely uncomfortable.

"We didn't really get as far as that," Luke replied hesitantly.

"But when you realised you didn't have one, you would have stopped right?"

"Erm.....yeah," he said unconvincingly.

"Luke, my daughter will not get pregnant again, at least not until you're married." Luke's head shot up again; there it was again, that familiar subject of marriage.

"It won't," he promised. "We're careful. Lorelai always makes sure she remembers to take her pill and I double check to see that she has. She doesn't want to get pregnant again just as much as you and Emily don't want her to."

"What about you?"

"What?"

"How would you feel if Lorelai were pregnant?"

"Erm....I'd be shocked but we'd work it out."

"Do you want a child?"

"Well someday yeah," he answered honestly. "I'm adopting Rory so I kinda already have one but a kid with my blood would be nice."

"In the future?"

"Yeah, way, way in the future. But if I could choose anyone to be the mother of my kids, I'd choose Lorelai. She's a great parent to Rory and I really admire her."

"Well, I'm glad you've thought about everything," said Richard. "I'm sure you'll make a fine father to Rory."

"Thank you Richard," he said with a smile. They shook hands then went out to the living room to find Lorelai playing with Rory on the floor.

"Where's Emily?" asked Richard.

"I don't know," she shrugged.

"I'm here," she called as she came down the stairs. She settled on the couch in the living room then looked at Lorelai. "What happened with Christopher?" she asked bluntly.

"What?" asked Lorelai.

"I overheard the two of you talking in the nursery; now tell me what Christopher did." Lorelai looked at the floor then felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find Luke there. He pulled her to her feet and guided her over to the couch.

"You should tell them," he said quietly. Lorelai took a deep breath before she spoke.

"Yesterday, I took Rory to the playground in Stars Hollow," she began. She went on to tell them about the argument they had and how Christopher tried to take Rory again. She then told them about how Luke had come to their rescue and punched Christopher, warning him to stay away. Emily had picked Rory up halfway through the story and was hugging her close.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Richard softly. Lorelai shrugged.

"I didn't wanna talk about it yesterday," she said quietly, wiping the tears away that had fallen. Luke had his arm around her shoulders and had been constantly telling her it was ok as she reencountered what happened.

"We're going to the police station on our way home," he said.

"So you should," said Richard with a nod. "That imbecile broke the law and he is not going to get away with it. Once the courts know about this, Christopher will have no chance of getting custody of Rory."

"Really?" asked Lorelai, perking up a bit.

"Absolutely, if he can't follow simple instruction do you really think he's capable of taking care of a child?"

"So I'm gonna win?"

"I see no reason why you shouldn't." Lorelai smiled and wiped her damp cheeks with the back of her hand.

"We'd better go then," she said, standing up along with Luke.

"Lorelai, if anything like this happens ever, you need to tell us," said Emily. "We want to be a part of your life and this is a major development. Please don't shut us out."

"I won't, I'm sorry." Emily stood up and hugged Lorelai, sandwiching Rory between them.

"I'll see you on Thursday when I come to pick up Rory."

Luke opened the truck door for Lorelai and helped her put Rory in. When they were on the road, Luke reached his hand over to touch hers.

"Are you ok to go through all that again?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's gonna help us get custody of Rory, I need to do this." He turned into the parking lot of the police station and parked the truck near the door. They walked inside, hand in hand with Luke carrying Rory. They walked up to the front desk and addressed the receptionist.

"We'd like to report someone for violating a restraining order," said Luke.

"Ok can I take your name?" Lorelai cleared her throat.

"Lorelai Gilmore," she answered shakily.

"And what is the name of the person you have a restraining order against?"

"Christopher Hayden."

"Right, if you sit down over there an officer will come and collect you in a little while." Luke and Lorelai went to sit on the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area. Lorelai looked around at the variety of people sat there. Some of them looked like criminals and she unconsciously rested her hand on Rory's leg.

"You ok?" whispered Luke.

"Yeah, it's just a little scary in here."

"Just relax." They waited five or ten minutes, but it felt like forever, then an officer came out to collect them.

"Can you come in with me?" she asked Luke.

"What about Rory?"

"Is my daughter allowed to come in too?" she asked the officer.

"Yeah if she's not too disruptive."

"She's very low maintenance, don't worry." They followed the officer down a corridor then into a small interview room. They sat down opposite the officer and he introduced himself as Officer Chadwick.

"Ok so would you like to take me through what happened?" he asked Lorelai.

"Well I was at the park with Rory yesterday morning and she was playing on the slide. I heard someone say my name behind me and I knew who it was before I even turned around. He started stepping closer to me so I got Rory and held her tightly." She took a deep breath.

"It's ok Miss Gilmore, this is all said in confidence," he assured her. She nodded.

"So I told him to go away, that he was breaking the law but he didn't care. He continued stepping closer to us so I tightened my arms around Rory. Then we argued. He told me he was gonna win full custody of her and take her away from me forever. I told him he was wrong, I was gonna win but he wouldn't have it." Lorelai wiped the single tear away that escaped her eye. "So he grabbed my wrists and tried to get Rory from me, he held them so tight."

"Has he left any marks?" Lorelai rolled her sleeves up and showed Officer Chadwick the distinctive red marks on her wrists. Luke was shocked. He knew Christopher had been holding her wrists quite tightly but he hadn't even realised he'd left a mark there. He mentally kicked himself for not realising the night before when they were close to making love. "Do you mind if we take some pictures?" he asked. "It will help your case to have evidence." Lorelai nodded. "I'll get someone to get the camera while we carry on the interview." He dialled the reception, put in his request then turned his attention back to Lorelai. "Ok so he tried to take your daughter from you, then what happened?"

"I screamed at him to stop it but he wouldn't. Then Luke must have seen us struggling in the playground and he pulled Christopher away from us."

"Ok Luke, what did you do then?" he asked.

"I told him to stay away from them so he argued with me and then he called Lorelai a slut. That was the last straw for me and I ended up punching him," he admitted. He looked at Officer Chadwick both guiltily and smugly.

"You punched him?"

"Yeah, I couldn't stand it any longer, he wouldn't leave. When he upsets my girls the way he did, he deserves it." He looked at Rory. "Will I be charged for it?" he asked.

"Not under the circumstances," he said sincerely. "I understand that you did it to defend these two girls but you can't go around punching people every time somebody makes them upset, ok?" Luke chuckled.

"Yeah, believe me, if you met Christopher you'd wanna punch him too." Officer Chadwick chuckled with him then turned serious again.

"So after you punched him did he leave?"

"Yeah he walked away but he said it wasn't over," replied Luke. "I don't know what he meant by that. Did he mean the custody issue or is he planning on coming back to Stars Hollow?"

"Whatever he meant by it, it doesn't matter. We will make sure that Christopher doesn't get to you again ok?" Lorelai nodded and smiled at Luke.

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"We will arrest Christopher for violating the restraining order against him and keep him in custody. He will be released for the court hearing you have and then he'll face the court himself. He could have to pay a fine and/or go to prison," he explained.

"Ok," said Lorelai, nodding her head in understanding.

"We will track him down today and bring him to the station where we'll get his side of the story then we'll keep him in the cells."

"So we'll be safe up to the custody hearing?"

"Yes you have nothing to worry about."

"Ok thank you so much," she said gratefully.

"Take care of yourselves ok?"

"We will, thanks Officer."

They got into the truck and Luke smiled at Lorelai. She returned it with a mega-watt smile that instantly warmed Luke's heart.

"He's not gonna get anywhere near us anymore," she said happily. She kissed Rory's forehead then put her own seatbelt on. "Now let's go home, I wanna play in the snow," she pleaded.

"I guess we can do that," he shrugged.

"Do you wanna play in the snow sweets?" she asked Rory. "We can make a really big snowman!"

"Sow," said Rory excitedly after realising how excited Lorelai was.

"Like mother like daughter," muttered Luke with a shake of his head.

When they were back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai jumped out of the truck, picked up Rory then dragged Luke to the potting shed. She quickly changed her underwear from yesterday and put on some sweats, a warm winter coat, her woolly hat, scarf and gloves while Luke put Rory's winter suit on.

"Ok are you ready?" he asked.

"Are you not gonna change?"

"No I'm ok, I turned my underwear inside out like you said." She giggled then put Rory's tiny gloves on her hands and pulled the hood up over her head to keep her little ears warm.

"Right sweets, you're all set to go into the cold," she said, opening the door so Rory could step out.

"Sow," she said excitedly as she leaped around in it, as high as her short legs would let her. Lorelai and Luke watched her admire her own footprint in the thick white blanket. She bent down to pick up some snow, sniffed it then put it in her mouth. Luke rushed over and brushed it off her hand.

"No Ror you don't eat snow," he said.

"Especially if it's yellow," joked Lorelai. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Don't eat that again ok?" Rory looked at him the picked up some more snow. She looked at it in her hand for a while before she tossed it in Luke's direction. It hit him square in the face and Lorelai tried to hold back her laughter.

"Oh my god," she squealed as she bounded over to them. "Good shot Ror, you got him right in the face!" Rory was giggling but Luke didn't look amused. He picked up a small snowball and threw it lightly at Rory, making sure not to hurt her.

"No dada," said Rory excitedly as the snowball hit her leg. She smiled up at him and soon a snowball fight had begun. Lorelai joined in occasionally but she was too engrossed in watching Luke and Rory bonding in the snow. It was the perfect family portrait, the three of them messing around in the snow together. She was brought out of her thoughts by a snowball hitting her right in the chest. She looked at the two culprits to see Luke pointing a finger towards Rory. The little girl was looking at her innocently.

"Luke!" she exclaimed as she brushed the snow away from her coat.

"It was Rory."

"Oh yeah cause a one year old can throw that hard," she said sarcastically.

"Rory's really strong," he shrugged.

"Please, she has my genes; there is no way she can throw like that." Luke chuckled at her. "You really like my chest don't you?" she asked flirtatiously.

"What's not to like?" Lorelai stepped closer to him then glanced at Rory. She was sat in the snow, tracing her fingers through it, admiring the marks she was making. Lorelai continued to step closer to Luke and soon, she was stood inches away from him. Without warning, she pushed him over into the snow and landed on top of him in a heap. Rory toddled over and tried to climb on top of the giggling teenagers. "What did you do that for?" asked Luke through his laughter.

"Just felt like it," she shrugged. "Rory stop climbing on me," she said, still giggling to herself.

"Sow," said Rory.

"Yeah we're playing in the snow. What do you say we build a snowman?" Rory looked at her, not understanding what a snowman was. Lorelai put her on her feet then started rolling the snow up into a ball. "You've gotta roll it into a giant ball," explained Lorelai. Rory soon caught on to the process and helped Lorelai push the ball around, not that she really did anything. Luke watched them until they had finished then pushed it over to where they wanted it.

"Right, you've gotta roll another one now," said Luke.

"I think you should help."

"I'm not really into making snowmen," he shrugged off.

"Come on Luke, it can be a new tradition. We can make a snowman together every winter." Luke looked at her face. She wasn't pouting, her eyes were just pleading with him and he couldn't resist.

"Ok, our new tradition is that we build a snowman together in the first snow of the season."

"Yay thank you." They got to work rolling the next giant snowball to go on top of the one they had previously made then Luke lifted it on.

"Now it needs a head," he said, looking at the headless snowman.

"Are you gonna make it's head Ror?" she asked. Rory started gathering snow again as Luke and Lorelai sat and watched her. Luke looked at his watch, then at Lorelai in disappointment.

"You have to go to work," he said.

"What? No I wanna stay out here," she pouted.

"You need to go to work Lorelai, Mia needs you."

"But I don't want to."

"I know but we'll come outside when you finish your shift ok? Rory and I will go buy some supplies to finish the snowman then we'll come outside later and make snow angels like you wanted to."

"Ok, I'll miss you though."

"I'll miss you too." Lorelai stood up and went into the potting shed to get her uniform. She thought it best to change at the inn so she didn't get have to wade through the snow in her uniform. She went back outside and kissed Luke lightly.

"Love you," she said quietly.

"Same here," he replied. She picked up Rory and kissed her rosy cheek.

"I'll see you this afternoon sweets, mommy loves you." She put her down again and Luke stepped over to them.

"Say bye mommy," he said to Rory.

"Bye mama," Rory mumbled as she waved her hand around.

"Bye," called Lorelai as she walked up to the inn.

"Ok sweetie, it's just you and me now, what do you wanna do?" he asked. Rory looked up at him then fell back into the snow. She picked up a handful of it then threw it at Luke again. "Are you playing that game again?" he asked. "Ok then." Luke picked her up and spun her around quickly, causing Rory to erupt with laughter. He stopped then put her back on the floor. She immediately fell over from the dizziness and Luke chuckled at her. "That's what happens when you throw snowballs at daddy," he said, not being able to help the smile that formed his lips. He was so happy and nothing could change that fact.

**Okay really crappy ending but I wanted to end this chapter lol. I'm not really fond of it but I felt it should be written before the custody battle begins. So that'll be in the next chapter and I'm really looking forward to writing it! I'm not really sure what's gonna happen yet....but it should be interesting haha, well hopefully anyway :D Please review, even though it wasn't very long and kinda boring! Thanks again and hopefully the next chapter should be up either on Friday or sometime next week. I'm sorry if I make you wait a while but I'm not sure how long it's going to take to write. Just remember if it takes me a while, it should be good right? Thank you.**

**Emily.**


	26. Let the Battle Commence

**Ok so you know I told you I failed my driving test a few weeks ago? Well I just re-took it on Saturday and I failed AGAIN!! So third time lucky right? Anyway on with the A/N**

**This chapter is like the longest chapter I have ever written! Thank you for reviewing the last chapter :D I'm glad you all loved the snow scene. So as promised, this is the court hearing....now I'm seventeen and have never had any experience in the law industry so if I got something wrong or if it wouldn't really happen, I'm sorry! I can't know everything lol. And I didn't know what Mia's last name was and I've seen people use 'Holloway' in other stories so I stole it, sorry! I hope you enjoy this chapter :D **

It was the morning of the court hearing and Lorelai lay wide awake thinking about the day ahead of her. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand to see that it was three am. She sighed quietly. Since she had climbed into bed four hours ago, she had only had approximately twenty minutes of sleep and she was certain she wouldn't get much more than that. She turned her head to look at Luke who was snoring softly next to her. Hearing his snores always made her feel so safe and she found it easier to sleep, but not tonight. She shuffled closer to Luke and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her without waking up, something he would always do.

Lorelai felt tired but she couldn't get to sleep. She heard Rory sigh and then a sniffle came from her. She smiled at her daughter's sleeping habits, the ones that were so similar to her own. As soon as she thought of Rory, her mind drifted to where they would be going in six hours. She would have to face Christopher. She hadn't seen him since the incident in the park and she really wasn't ready to come face to face with him, but she had to. A single tear escaped from her eye and landed on Luke's shoulder. She quickly wiped it away, not wanting him to wake up but he had already started to stir.

"Lorelai?" he asked groggily.

"Hmm?"

"What's up?" he asked in concern.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about today."

"Everything's gonna work out, now go back to sleep."

"Ok," she said quietly. She settled into the crook of Luke's arm and waited for his breathing to slow, signalling that he was fast asleep once again. She felt sleep taking over her and closed her eyes slowly. Just as she drifted off, Rory's loud sneeze filled the room and her eyes flew open again. Soon after Rory sneezed, the little girl sat up in her crib and began to cry. Lorelai rolled her eyes and got out of bed while Luke woke himself up again. "Hey sweets," cooed Lorelai as she lifted her up.

"What's the matter?" Luke asked, just as groggily as before.

"I think she has a cold," she replied, cuddling Rory close to her.

"But we always make sure she's wrapped up when we go outside."

"I know but we have been playing in the snow a lot lately," she shrugged. Luke stood up and walked over to them.

"Is Rory sick?" he asked her softly. Rory was whimpering into Lorelai's shoulder quietly. "I'll get her some Tylenol."

"Shoot, we ran out a couple of days ago. I was gonna buy some more but...."

"It's ok, I'll go to the 24 hour store," said Luke.

"But it's the middle of the night," she argued.

"I don't mind, Rory needs it." He picked up his wallet from the nightstand as well as the keys to his truck.

"It's like a twenty minute drive."

"Lorelai relax. We know that Rory's not gonna sleep if we don't give her some medicine and we need to be well rested for tomorrow. I won't be long ok?" She nodded.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"Anything for my girls," he replied. He kissed both Lorelai and Rory's foreheads then left the potting shed, locking the door behind him.

"He's a special man your daddy," she said to Rory. "We're lucky to have him." She went back to her bed and climbed under the covers in an attempt to keep warm. Rory had quietened down and was staring up at her with semi-tired eyes. "What should we do while we wait for daddy to get back?"

"Book," said Rory.

"You want me to read you a story?"

"Yesh." Lorelai got up again and walked over to the bookshelves that Luke had made for Rory's books.

"Which book do you wanna read?" Rory examined her book collection carefully, taking her time in choosing the one she wanted.

"That." She picked the book out and showed it to Lorelai.

"Little Red Riding Hood?"

"Yesh." Lorelai tried to take the book from her but Rory protested. "No mine," she said.

"Ok Missy, you're so territorial when it comes to your books," she said with a shake of her head. She lifted Rory onto her bed and climbed in herself. She put Rory in her lap then pulled the duvet over them to keep the heat in as she read. Rory opened the book to the first page and pointed to the picture of Little Red Riding Hood.

"Mama," she said.

"No that's not me," she said as she chuckled. "That's Red Riding Hood," she explained.

"Wed Hood," said Rory.

"Something like that," she said, smiling down at a curious Rory. "Shall we start the story?"

"Sory," she said, clapping her hands together.

"Ok." She cleared her throat then began to read. "Once upon a time, there was little girl who lived in a village near a forest. Whenever she went out, the little girl wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village called her Little Red Riding Hood."

"Wed Hood," repeated Rory as she pointed to the picture.

"That's right," she praised. "One morning, Little Red Riding Hood asked her mother if she could go to visit her grandmother as it had been a while since they'd seen each other."

"Gama," said Rory excitedly.

"You're gonna go see grandma later today ok?" Rory smiled up at her then looked back to the book settled in her lap. Lorelai continued to read and Rory occasionally repeated some of the words that were in the story. "The woodsman knocked out the wolf and carried him deep into the forest where he wouldn't bother people any longer. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother had a nice lunch and a long chat," she finished. She closed the book then Rory looked up at her expectantly. "The end," she said. Rory turned around and crawled out of Lorelai's lap.

"Seep," she said as she lay her head down on Lorelai's pillow.

"Are you tired?" Lorelai asked, stroking Rory's fine hair away from her face.

"No," she replied. She sat up and lifted her foot to her mouth.

"You said you wanted to go to sleep," said Lorelai. She leant down to Rory and tickled her lightly. Rory burst into laughter and rolled around on the sheets. "The tickle monster's coming to get you."

"Mama," squealed Rory through her giggles. Lorelai stopped when she saw Rory's nose was running. She quickly got up and took a tissue from the pack she kept on the kitchen counter then came back over to wipe her nose clean.

"Your nose is dirty isn't it sweets," she said as she wiped it clean. Rory tried to protest but stopped once she realised that Lorelai wasn't going to give up until it was clean. "There we go, all nice and clean now." She disposed of the used tissue then climbed back into bed. Rory sneezed again. "Oops bless you." Rory looked at her curiously. "When somebody sneezes Ror, you have to say 'bless you'," she explained.

"Besh you," she repeated.

"You are so smart you know." Rory sneezed.

"Besh you," she murmured.

"Well done," exclaimed Lorelai in disbelief at how quickly Rory had picked it up. "When you sneeze you don't say 'bless you' you say 'bless me' but we'll teach you that another time," she said. She put her hand on Rory's forehead, it was quite warm. "You've got a fever sweets," she said softly. It was typical that Rory had gotten sick now, especially with the custody battle going on and Luke and Lorelai's trip to Martha's Vineyard in a couple of days. She really wanted to go away for the weekend with Luke but she didn't want to leave her daughter when she's sick. She was brought out of her thoughts when the door opened and Luke reappeared holding a pharmacy bag.

"I got it," he said. He took it from the bag and went to the kitchen. He opened the bottle and poured some onto one of Rory's spoons. "Were you ok while I was gone?" he asked as he prepared the medicine.

"Yeah we read a story didn't we Ror?" Rory looked up at them. "Can you remember which story we read?" She looked like she was thinking for a second before she remembered.

"Wed Hood," she said as Luke came over with the Tylenol. He looked at Lorelai quizzically.

"Little Red Riding Hood," she explained. He nodded then watched her lift Rory into her lap.

"Now are you gonna be really good and have some medicine?" asked Luke. Rory looked at the spoon that was dangerously close to her mouth then buried her face in Lorelai's neck.

"Come on Ror, you need some medicine cause we wanna get some sleep," Lorelai pleaded.

"No," protested Rory, shaking her head quickly.

"Come on sweetie, if you have some medicine now I'll get you some candy later," Luke promised. Rory turned her head to look at him.

"Caddy?" asked Rory questioningly.

"Yep you can choose whichever candy bar you like." Rory looked at him suspiciously then slowly opened her mouth. Luke and Lorelai smiled in accomplishment as he gave her the medicine and made sure she swallowed it.

"Well done sweets," praised Lorelai. Luke went to rinse the spoon then came back to sit on the bed next to them.

"Is she gonna go back to sleep now?" he asked.

"Hopefully."

"We have to be up in three hours," he groaned.

"Hmm I know," she replied. She was actually starting to feel a little tired now.

"I'll put her to bed." Luke took Rory from Lorelai then made his way over to the crib. He laid Rory down and covered her with the blankets. "It's time to go to sleep," he said quietly as she looked up at him. He ran his hand through her hair soothingly and watched as her eyelids became droopy. Luke could tell she was trying her hardest to keep her eyes open but she was rapidly losing the battle. "Close your eyes," he whispered. Rory stared at him a few seconds longer before her eyes closed and she became oblivious to her surroundings. Luke walked back over to the bed and climbed under the sheets as he exhaled deeply.

"Thank you for going to the store," said Lorelai quietly as she lay on her side to look at him.

"No problem," he replied. "Rory needed it to get better so I didn't mind. Anyway that's what dads are for right? Running out to the store in the middle of the night for medicine."

"I guess, at least we've found a use for you now."

"So I'm not good for anything else?"

"Well there's a certain thing that you are very good at," she said cheekily.

"Oh yeah?"

"Um hmm it involves a stove."

"Lorelai," he groaned.

"Kidding, you're really good at the other thing too."

"I'm not sure whether I should believe you or not."

"Oh I'm not lying," she assured him. She moved closer to him and threw her leg over his.

"Lorelai," he warned.

"What?"

"We should go to sleep; we have a big day ahead of us."

"But I don't wanna," she whined.

"Just go to sleep."

"No."

"Are we really gonna get into an argument cause I won't have sex with you at four in the morning?" Lorelai sighed in defeat.

"No," she repeated. "But tonight we should do it," she pouted.

"We will," he assured. "But right now we should sleep so we have enough energy to," he winked at her. She grinned back and settled into him.

"Night," she whispered. Before long, both of them were dreaming about what they were gonna do that night.

Later that morning, Luke, Lorelai and Rory were ready to set off for the Gilmore house. Luke was wearing a suit, not that he was happy with it, Lorelai was wearing a black dress and Rory was dressed in jeans with a floral top. Luke was putting Rory's coat on and making sure she was all wrapped up before they went outside as Lorelai slipped into her own coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck.

"You ready?" asked Luke. Lorelai nodded in response and they stepped outside. Luke watched her lock the door then they walked up towards the inn together. Rory was trying to pull the woolly hat from her head but Luke kept telling her to stop it so she pouted the whole way to the truck. Once they were on the road, Luke took Lorelai's hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Are you ok?" he asked, noting how silent she was.

"I'm fine," she dismissed.

"You sure?"

"Yeah stop worrying, I'm ok."

"Ok then." Lorelai smiled warmly at him then looked out of the window. Luke kept glancing at her. He knew she was hiding how she was really feeling but he wasn't gonna push her to talk about it if she didn't want to.

"Luke?" she addressed quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Will you promise me something?"

"Sure, anything," he replied.

"Whatever happens today, whatever Christopher says about you or me or anybody else, will you please stay with me?" Luke was taken aback. Did he really think he was gonna leave her?

"What?"

"I know Christopher's gonna say a lot of awful stuff today, stuff that's not true. I want you to promise me that whatever he says, you won't leave me. I don't want him to come between us, I want us to rise above it and ignore anything he says. I don't wanna lose you."

"You're not gonna lose me. I know Christopher's a scumbag and he's probably thought up a whole load of lies while he's been in that prison cell but he's not gonna break us up."

"Promise me."

"I promise I'll stay," he said sincerely.

"Ok, thank you." They drove the rest of the way to Hartford comfortably. They kept the conversation light after that, talking about Rory and their plans for the weekend. Luke pulled up into the driveway and helped Lorelai and Rory out. Emily greeted them at the door. "Where's the maid?" asked Lorelai.

"God only knows," complained Emily. "That girl is not going to last much longer."

"There's a surprise," mumbled Luke into Lorelai's ear. She smiled at him then followed Emily into the living room.

"So are you ready for today?" she asked.

"Yeah, as ready as we'll ever be." Emily nodded then looked at Rory who still had all her winter gear on as she sat in Luke's lap.

"Hello beautiful," she cooed. Rory grinned at her and held her arms out to her. "Come and see your old grandma." Emily settled her in her lap. "Why is she wearing so many layers?"

"It's cold outside," replied Luke.

"Luke's a little overprotective when it comes to the cold," explained Lorelai. "Plus she already has a cold."

"She's sick?"

"Yeah, she woke up at three this morning cause it was getting to her. Luke had to go to the pharmacy to get her some Tylenol to get her back to sleep."

"You went to the store at three o clock in the morning?" asked Emily in exasperation.

"Yeah, Rory needed it so I didn't mind," he shrugged.

"Well, it's nice to see you care so much about my granddaughter." Emily smiled at Luke who blushed slightly. "Let's take all these winter clothes off you Rory." She began to remove Rory's hat and gloves when Richard entered the room.

"Ah hello you two," he greeted.

"Hi dad."

"Are you all set for today?" Luke and Lorelai nodded simultaneously. Richard checked his watch. "We'd better get going." Lorelai took a deep breath then looked over at Rory.

"There's some Tylenol in her diaper bag if she gets agitated," she told Emily. "Do you have tissues too cause you'll probably need them. I should have brought some," she babbled.

"Lorelai it's fine, we have tissues."

"She needs them with all the maids she upsets," whispered Luke and again it made her smile.

"Everything will be fine here, I'll take good care of Rory," she promised. "Now you go and win the judge over."

"Thanks mom." The two shared a brief hug then Lorelai pulled back to look at Rory. "Ok sweets, I'm going now but when we come back, you should be all mine," she whispered so only Emily and Rory could hear her. "I love you." She kissed her forehead and smoothed her hand over her hair.

"Be good for grandma ok?" said Luke. "And if she wants to give you medicine, you'll take it, no arguments."

"Does she not take her medicine?" asked Richard.

"No she doesn't like it," replied Lorelai.

"Nobody does but it makes you feel better," said Emily to Rory.

"You hear that Ror, listen to your grandma she tells the truth," said Luke.

"If she won't take some, bribe her with candy. There's some in the diaper bag," said Lorelai.

"I will not bribe my granddaughter to take medicine by giving her candy."

"It's the only way," shrugged Lorelai.

"Just go Lorelai." Lorelai smiled at her then followed Luke and Richard into the foyer.

"Bye Ror," she said one last time.

"Say goodbye Rory," said Emily.

"Bye bye." The three of them made their way over to Richard's car and set off on their journey to the courthouse. Lorelai began to get nervous in the car, mostly about seeing Christopher again. She wasn't really worried about losing, she was pretty certain she was gonna win. She was just anxious about the lies Christopher was going to tell the judge. Luke looked back at her from front seat and smiled.

"You're quiet," he said.

"Just thinking," she replied.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, you don't have to keep asking," she said irritably.

"Sorry." He frowned and Lorelai saw the hurt look in his eyes.

"Luke I didn't mean it like that," she said softly. "I know you're just looking out for me and I love that you're here but I'm fine. And if I'm not I'll tell you." Luke nodded.

"It's ok; I know this is a lot pressure." Richard listened to them with interest. He had never really heard them talking to each other so seriously before. "But if you're not ok at all today, let me know."

"I will," she smiled.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

"Yeah a little, it's mostly about seeing Christopher again."

"There's gonna be lots of people around. A police officer will be there too, seeing as he's in prison," said Luke, not able to hide his smile at the thought of Christopher in a prison cell.

"You're so happy about that aren't you?" she asked, smiling also.

"About what?" he asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb. You're happy that Christopher's locked up, you got what you wanted."

"After everything that's happened do you blame me?"

"He's where he belongs," interrupted Richard, finding their conversation amusing.

"You can say that again," said Luke. He and Richard shared a knowing smile then Luke looked back at Lorelai again. She was looking out of the window, smiling that smile that always took Luke's breath away. He saw that she had relaxed a little and that made him happy, he didn't want her to be worrying, she had nothing to worry about after all.

They reached the courthouse and Richard found a space in the parking lot. Luke jumped out of the front seat and opened Lorelai's door for her, being the gentleman that he is. Richard smiled at his gesture; this was definitely the right man for his daughter. As they approached the building, Luke felt Lorelai take his hand and cling onto it tightly. He gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze that made Lorelai feel safe, the way it always did.

"Are you ready for this?" asked Richard as he held the door open for them.

"Too late to go back now," replied Lorelai. They took a seat in the reception area and Luke moved his hand to Lorelai's back and began drawing circles with his fingers. They were a little early so they had to wait ten or fifteen minutes before other people showed up. Lorelai had asked some townspeople from Stars Hollow to attend the hearing for support. The first to join them was Mia. She had brought Miss Patty and Babette with her and they followed her in.

"Are you excited sugar?" asked Babette.

"Excited?" asked Lorelai, wondering why she would be excited about something like this.

"Yeah for all drama," she replied, rubbing her hands together. "I love a bit of drama."

"Hmm sure," Lorelai agreed. "Are you ok to be a character witness still?" she asked Mia.

"Of course dear," she replied. "I want to do anything I can to help."

"Thank you," she smiled. She looked up and saw two police officers enter the reception with Christopher between them, his wrists joined by handcuffs. He looked over at the group and smiled, but nobody returned it. Christopher noticed Luke was glaring at him and smirked in return. Luke was determined to keep his temper in check today and nothing Christopher did was going to get to him.

Once they were called into the courtroom, people found their seats while Luke, Lorelai and Richard spoke with their lawyer and Christopher did the same with his. The judge was soon calling 'order', signalling for people to take their seats and settle down. Luke looked Lorelai in the eyes.

"Are you gonna be ok?" he asked softly, running his hands up and down her arms. She nodded her response. "I'll be right behind you ok?"

"Yeah."

"Love you."

"Me too." They smiled then Lorelai took her seat next to her lawyer at the front and Luke sat next to Richard in the first row.

"We are here for the Gilmore/Hayden custody case," announced the judge. "Miss Lorelai Gilmore is suing Mr Christopher Hayden for sole custody of their daughter Lorelai Leigh Gilmore." He looked up over the rim of his glasses and glanced at Lorelai then at Christopher. "Miss Gilmore," he addressed. Lorelai stood up and cleared her throat.

"Yes, your honour?"

"Please take the stand and present your case." Lorelai walked over to the stand and sat down. "Please take the oath." Lorelai put her hand on the bible in front of her.

"I swear to almighty God that the evidence I am about to give, shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." She looked at the amount of eyes on her and took a deep breath to calm nerves. Christopher's lawyer stood up and stood in front of her and she prepared herself for an interrogation.

"Ok Miss Gilmore, would you like to tell the court when you first met my client?"

"Erm...it was the first grade and we were in the same class," she answered.

"We're you friends?"

"Not at first. We were in that stage when you girls think boys are stupid and vice versa. But halfway through the year, he started being nice to me. We used to play together all the time and we became friends."

"And how old were you when you began dating?"

"It was our junior year at high school, we were almost fifteen."

"Ok, now how old were you when you first slept together?"

"Erm...." Lorelai remembered her father was sat there and suddenly became embarrassed talking about this in front of him.

"Miss Gilmore?"

"Hmm....we were fifteen."

"I see and how long after you started dating was this?"

"About nine months."

"So you waited nine months before you took your relationship further. Was this a mutual decision?"

"It was for the first couple of months," she replied. "But after we'd been dating for five months, Christopher started trying things."

"Trying things?"

"After our dates, we'd go back to each other's houses and he'd start something."

"Did you want to?"

"No, I didn't feel ready."

"Did you tell my client this?"

"Yeah, I pushed him away and told him to stop."

"Did he?"

"Yes but he always seemed mad at me. I didn't think he'd act like that, I thought he'd understand."

"How often did this occur?"

"Well it didn't happen every time we went out but he tried it at least once a week."

"Ok so when you did sleep together, was that mutual?"

"Erm...I'm not sure." She was drunk that night, they both were, how was she supposed to remember a detail like that?

"You're not sure?"

"No erm....we were drunk," she admitted.

"You'd been drinking?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to tell the court what you do remember from that night?" Lorelai cleared her throat again.

"I remember that Christopher had come to my house after school and we hung out in the living room for a while. Then we took a bottle of tequila from the drinks cart and took it upstairs to my room."

"Is that all you remember?"

"No, there's more."

"Would you care to continue?" Lorelai looked over at Richard. He wasn't looking back; he was focussing his attention on the floor. Lorelai nodded at the woman stood in front of her. "Go ahead."

"We stayed in my room for a few hours. I left my parents a note saying I was at Christopher's house for dinner so they didn't know we were upstairs. We went out to the balcony when we heard them come home so they didn't hear us."

"Were you drunk by this point?"

"Not really. We took the tequila out with us and drank most of it out there. I can't remember much after that."

"You can't remember much? So you remember some things?"

"Just snippets."

"And what would these 'snippets' be?"

"Erm..." She looked over at Luke who looked uncomfortable. She knew he didn't want to hear about that night, why would he? She cleared her throat and averted her eyes from his. "I remember kissing Christopher and him touching me," she said in shame.

"Is that all?"

"I remember some other parts but it's personal," she said quietly.

"Miss Gilmore, are you telling me that you are going to withdraw evidence because it's 'personal'?" asked Chris' lawyer.

"Objection!" Lorelai's lawyer stood up. "Your honour is it really important whether my client tells the court or not? We all know how it works," he said light-heartedly.

"Very well." The judge indicated for Christopher's lawyer to ask something else.

"So the night on your balcony was your first time?" she asked, getting back on track.

"Yes," Lorelai confirmed.

"Were you ready to have sexual relations?"

"No," she whispered.

"Did you feel forced into it?"

"I don't know, I was drunk. I didn't know what I was doing."

"So if you had not stolen the tequila, you wouldn't have slept together that night?" Lorelai looked over at Christopher. He was awaiting her answer.

"No," she whispered.

"Right so on this night, did you use contraception?"

"No," she repeated. "We were too drunk to think about it."

"So on this night, your daughter was conceived?"

"Yes."

"Did you and my client have any sexual encounters after this night?"

"No, we only did it once."

"So when you found out you were pregnant, what did you do?"

"I called Christopher and asked him to come over."

"Did you tell him straight away?"

"Yes, as soon as he got to my house, I told him."

"And what was his reaction?"

"Initially it was shock but he said we'd sort it out and that he'd always be there for us."

"Did he live up to that?"

"No," she replied.

"I am right in understanding that my client proposed to you after he found out you were pregnant?"

"He didn't propose to me. Both our parents were arguing about our situation after we told them and my dad suggested that we get married because apparently it was the right thing to do."

"Did you agree?"

"No, we were sixteen years old; we would have ended up getting a divorce because we were too young."

"What was my client's opinion on the matter?"

"He went along with it."

"He wanted to get married?" Lorelai nodded. "And what did you do."

"I refused. I didn't want to get married and I know that Christopher was only going along with it to please our parents."

"So my client was prepared to take responsibility for his mistake?"

"Getting married was not taking responsibility," she argued. "Just because I had a ring on my finger didn't mean things were ok again."

"Miss Gilmore, what happened after you refused to marry my client?"

"Well I saw him around school and we acted pretty much as normal but there was always an awkwardness between us. Then when I started showing, I dropped out of school and I saw Christopher less and less. He promised he'd come and see me after school but he never did."

"How often did you see my client after you left school?"

"Once a fortnight, if that," she replied truthfully.

"Did he come to doctors appointments with you?"

"No, not once. I went alone." There were some gasps from the audience and people began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Order," called the judge hitting his gavel against the block. The crowd quietened down and took their attention back to Lorelai. "Continue."

"So you're saying that my client was absent throughout your pregnancy?"

"That's correct."

"Was he present at the birth of your daughter?"

"No, I was alone then too." Gasps could be heard again but people had learnt from the last time and quickly composed themselves.

"Did he visit you in the hospital?"

"Yeah, he came for a half an hour."

"Did he hold his daughter?"

"For a short while, yes."

"How long is a short while?"

"Five minutes."

"So my client held his daughter for five minutes?" Lorelai nodded. "Then what?"

"He gave her back to me and we sat there in silence for ten minutes. Then he made small talk for a while, not really paying attention to the baby. When she started to get hungry, he realised what I was about to do and he left."

"Let's move on from the hospital, how often did he visit when you were at home?"

"Once a week, maybe a little less."

"Does the baby know who he is?"

"No, she doesn't have a clue."

"As I understand it, you didn't play a massive role in your daughter's life for the first few months."

"Objection," said Lorelai's lawyer, rising from his seat again. The judge looked from Lorelai's lawyer to Christopher's.

"Let her continue," he said. Lorelai looked at Christopher's lawyer; hurt was present in her features as she remembered how she wasn't allowed to take care of Rory.

"So Miss Gilmore, would you like to explain to me why you weren't an active role in your child's life? I mean, you've been sitting here talking about how my client has been absent but we haven't really talked about you."

"You don't understand," said Lorelai, trying to keep her anger in check.

"Well enlighten us."

"My mother was never ok with the fact that I got pregnant so young. When I was in the hospital, I told her about how I planned to take care of my baby but she didn't take anything on board. When I took my daughter home from the hospital, I found a nanny waiting for us. My mom hired her, even though I told her I was going to do it all myself." Lorelai sniffled a little and wiped her eyes before continuing. "Turns out my mother had told the nanny not to let me near the baby. I really wanted to take care of her myself, I wanted to be a good mother but my own mother took that away from me. Don't stand there and try to turn this around, I wanted to be there but I couldn't be. Christopher always had the chance to be there, I never told him to stay away." Lorelai's voice had risen and a few tears were running down her cheeks.

"Miss Gilmore, I suggest you calm down. We will take a fifteen minute break and pick up from here afterwards. Court adjourned." He hit the gavel again and the crowd began to file out of the room. Luke walked over to Lorelai and put his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace.

"It's ok," he whispered. He led her out of the courtroom and over to a bench. He brushed her hair from her face and wiped her tears away with his fingers. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, she just hit a nerve that's all," she said, smiling weakly. "I guess bringing all this stuff up from the past is harder than I thought it would be."

"You're doing well," he said. "You're nearly done presenting your case so the hard part is almost over."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?"

"You had to listen to me talk about that night with Christopher; I know that must have been weird for you."

"Don't worry about it, I can handle it." Richard saw them talking and chose to leave them to it, rather than disturbing them. It looked like Luke was comforting her anyway. Christopher stepped out of the courtroom with the officers next to him. Richard glared at him as Christopher offered him a small smile. Luke looked at him and he actually looked kind of guilty for Lorelai being so upset. He didn't believe it though.

The fifteen minutes were up and everyone found themselves back in their seats. Lorelai took her place on the stand again and Christopher's lawyer stood in front of her to ask more questions.

"Ok so you didn't get to take care of your daughter the way you wanted to?" she asked.

"No, as I said, my mother wouldn't let me."

"Why do you think she did that?"

"I don't know, I guess she was upset that I didn't get to finish high school and go to college like I was meant to, but I always got this feeling that there was more to it. I used to think it was just because her reputation had been affected. I thought that all she cared about was what other people thought and me getting pregnant at sixteen wasn't something she wanted people to know."

"Do you still feel this way?"

"No, recently she and I have worked out our differences and we're trying to have a normal mother/daughter relationship."

"Would you like to tell the court how you managed to escape your mother's criticism?"

"I left."

"You left?"

"Yes, I moved out." She glanced at Richard who had his head bowed again. "I packed mine and Rory's things and we left the house."

"Did you have a place to go?"

"No but I thought we'd be able to figure something out."

"Did you have any money?"

"I had about $100 on me when we left."

"And how old was your daughter at this point?"

"Ten months old."

"So you left the safety of your parent's house with a ten month old baby and little to no money?" Lorelai could only nod. She knew it sounded really bad and probably wouldn't help her case but it was true and she was under oath.

"I thought about it a lot before we left," she justified.

"When you closed the door behind you, what did you do?" he asked.

"I went to the nearest bus stop. I had no idea where we were gonna end up but when I looked at the timetable and the next bus was going to Stars Hollow, the name just stood out to me and that's where I wanted to go."

"So you got the bus to Stars Hollow?"

"Yes."

"What happened when you got there?"

"I found an inn, the Independence Inn actually. I walked in and I asked if there were any job vacancies. I knew I'd need some kind of job if I was going to support my daughter so that was the first thing I did."

"Did you find one?"

"Yeah, Mia, the owner of the inn, hired me as a maid. She saw I had a baby and she wanted to help."

"Where did you stay that night?"

"At the inn."

"What about the night after?"

"Mia set up the potting shed out back and we moved in there. It's not much but it's got a kitchen and a bathroom, it's our home."

"And you are still living there now?"

"Yes."

"Miss Gilmore, may I ask about your feelings towards your daughter?"

"Of course."

"Do you ever feel like she's holding you back from being a normal teenager and being something great in this world?"

"No," said Lorelai in exasperation. "I have never once wished that Rory had never been born. She means the world to me; I can't imagine my life without her."

"So if you could back in time, would you change the fact that you had unprotected sex with Mr Hayden?"

"As much as I dislike Christopher right now, I would do it all over again if Rory's life depended on it."

"So you love your daughter?"

"More than I love coffee and that's saying something. I wouldn't be who I am today without Rory. I'd still be a stupid, irresponsible teenager with no responsibility. I grew up so much after Rory was born, I realised I needed to step up and be there for the tiny person I created. Nothing else mattered, Rory was my life."

"You say was..."

"Yes because when I moved to Stars Hollow, new people came into my life. She will always remain at the top of my priorities but she has to share me now."

"So you would do anything for your daughter?"

"Anything and more," she replied, not realising how cheesy she sounded. "Rory is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me and I wouldn't change her existence for anything. I would take my own life if it meant Rory would be safe." Christopher's lawyer sighed.

"No more questions, your honour." She was finding it really hard to find something to hold against Lorelai. Truth was, she knew Christopher was in the wrong but she had to represent him, he had hired her after all. She took her seat and Lorelai looked at the judge.

"You may return to your seat Miss Gilmore."

"Thank you, your honour." She took a seat next to her lawyer and he gave her a reassuring smile. She turned around and Luke and Richard each flashed her a similar one. Lorelai's lawyer stood up and walked over to the stand.

"I would like to call up my first witness, Ms Mia Holloway." Mia made her way up to the stand, smiling at Lorelai as she walked past.

"Please take the oath," said the judge. Mia recited the oath, the way Lorelai had then waited for the first question she was going to be asked.

"Ok Ms Holloway, you are the owner of the Independence Inn, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you are the woman that gave Miss Gilmore a job?"

"That is correct," confirmed Mia.

"Would you like to tell the court what happened the day Miss Gilmore arrived in Stars Hollow?" Mia cleared her throat.

"It was a pretty normal day actually. I went about things the way I usually would with hardly any distractions. That afternoon, I was watching the front desk and a young girl appeared in the lobby holding a baby. She had bags as well and a stroller. She approached me at the desk and I realised just how young she really was. Then she asked me if I had any job vacancies. My heart broke for her, she obviously had no place to go and she had a baby. I automatically felt that I had to help her. She looked scared and alone, I couldn't send her away." She glanced at Lorelai and saw she was smiling, her eyes glistening with tears. "I offered her a job as a maid and she gladly took it."

"So she accepted the job then what happened?"

"She thanked me and I told her we'd discuss it the next day. Then she turned around and began to walk towards the door, that defeated, scared look was back and felt a pang in my heart. I didn't know where she'd come from but I knew she needed a place to stay that night. I couldn't let her wander the streets with that baby; I had to give her a place to stay."

"So you gave her a place to stay the night?"

"Yes I put her in one of the rooms and provided a travel crib for her daughter to sleep in. She was so grateful and wouldn't stop thanking me for what I was doing for her."

"So she began working at the inn?"

"Yes she's the best maid I have. She's so hard working and works faster than any of my other staff. She was quiet at first and kept to herself but as time has gone by, she's become more and more confident."

"What happened to the baby while Miss Gilmore was working?" he asked.

"Well Lorelai would generally take Rory to work with her."

"And you allowed that?"

"Yes, Rory is very low maintenance. She will sit in a corner and play with her toys for hours without a peep. Lorelai usually takes her around the rooms with her, Rory even helps with the dusting sometimes."

"So what happened when Miss Gilmore didn't take the baby to work?"

"I would take care of her. My job involves a lot of paperwork so she sat in my office with me. She would just sit and entertain herself all afternoon, all I had to do was feed and change her."

"How would you describe Miss Gilmore's relationship with her daughter?"

"Unique," answered Mia. The lawyer was expecting more than that.

"Would you care to explain a bit more?"

"Of course," she replied. "The two of them are wonderful. Lorelai loves Rory more than anything else in the world and she would do anything to keep her safe. I have never known a seventeen year old to be as mature as Lorelai is, she is an inspiration."

"How would you describe the way the girls settled into their new home?"

"Well Rory seemed to settle in very quickly, she's quite a confident baby but she can be shy when she wants to be. She won everyone over with her gorgeous blue eyes and she soon got to know everyone. Lorelai took a little longer though. At first she was quiet and I think that was down to her situation. She wasn't really interested in talking about her previous living situation and her life was a mystery to everyone. But after a couple of days, she cheered up a bit. She gained some wittiness and became more confident with her surroundings."

"What is Miss Gilmore's situation like now?"

"How do you mean?"

"Like finances, social behaviour and her day to day mood."

"Well I don't feel comfortable discussing her finances with you, if that's ok?"

"I understand that is a personal matter," he agreed, nodding his head. "So how is she generally?"

"She's more than ok. She's happier now than I've ever seen her and she's made many friends in Stars Hollow. Not to mention the man in her life."

"Man?"

"Yes his name is Lucas."

"So are they an item?"

"Yes, they have been for a couple of months now."

"And tell me about this Lucas." Lorelai turned around and giggled at Luke. He was scowling at the fact they were calling him Lucas.

"He is a year or so older than Lorelai. He owns the local diner in town," she explained.

"Still in his teens but owns a diner?"

"Yes Lucas' parents erm...." Mia looked over at Luke and smiled when she saw him nod his head as permission. "His parents have passed away," she told the court. His mother died when he was a young boy and his father died only last year. Since the death of his dad, Lucas has kept to himself. He converted his dad's old hardware store into a diner last February and he's been a hermit ever since."

"How so?"

"He would wake up early in the morning, usually at five am, and have the diner open for six. Then he would work all day, every day until closing. He'd close the diner then go to bed and that has been his routine. But then he met Lorelai in August. She changed him, she made him come out of his shell and now he's a completely different man."

"How does Lucas feel about Miss Gilmore's daughter?"

"Oh he loves her very much. Luke has never been big on children, he hates jam hands," she said with a chuckle. "But he acts so differently with Rory. He loves that girl more than his business, more than his life, he's her protector. The way he interacts with her melts your heart. How many nineteen year olds do you know that would rather take care of a baby than go partying?"

"What about when he and Miss Gilmore go out on dates?"

"They don't go out very often by themselves; they take Rory with them almost everywhere they go. They're always so reluctant to leave her even though I offer to babysit. I never thought I would see a soft side of Lucas but Lorelai and Rory have brought it out in him. He is one great guy, probably the greatest." Lorelai was smiling so widely she thought her face was gonna break apart. She glanced over at Christopher and saw the anger in his face. He looked like he was going to explode at any moment, now that would be a mistake.

"One last question Ms Holloway," said Lorelai's lawyer. "Is Rory happy where she is?"

"Oh absolutely, I have never seen a baby so genuinely happy. She loves her mother very much, her little face lights up when she walks in the room. She's the same with Lucas too; you can tell she is more than happy with how her life is right now."

"Thank you Ms Holloway." Mia smiled and returned to her seat, flashing Lorelai as smile as she walked past her. The judge called order on the noise that had fallen over the room before Lorelai's lawyer called another witness, Mr Lucas Danes. Luke took the stand and took the oath, the way both women had before him.

"I know you weren't an original witness Lucas but I would like you to answer some questions."

"Sure and uh...please call me Luke?"

"Absolutely," he smiled. "So I understand you are dating Miss Gilmore, how long have you been together?"

"Two and a half months," he replied, he didn't even have to think about it.

"And how do you feel about Miss Gilmore?"

"I uh....love her," he said. Yes he had said it a hundred times before but he felt nervous with all these people listening to him.

"How long have you felt that way?"

"Since the first day I met her," he admitted. Lorelai's eyes went wide and he just shrugged his shoulders at her. Typical Luke, treating it as if it was no big deal."

"And that was two and a half months ago, correct?"

"Yes."

"What about Miss Gilmore's daughter?"

"I love Rory too. I don't just tolerate her because I have to, I want to. Rory is like a daughter to me, I would never let anything happen to her. I was so angry and so upset when Christopher took her away from us."

"Mr Hayden took her away?" He already knew this but he wanted the court to hear.

"Yes, he came to the inn asking to take his daughter out so Lorelai, being the great person that she is, let him take her. She said he had one hour, one hour before he had to bring her back and I thought that was reasonable, seeing as he hadn't been around the past eleven months."

"So he took her out, then what happened?"

"Lorelai was reluctant to let him go, she didn't know whether she could trust him or not. Anyway about fifty minutes later, Lorelai got a call from her mother. Someone she knows saw Christopher in Hartford with a baby and Lorelai specifically told him to stay in Stars Hollow."

"So Mr Hayden took the baby without telling her mother where he was going?"

"Yes," replied Luke, knowing he was giving good evidence that Christopher was an incapable father.

"Did you find them?"

"It took seven hours; half the town were searching Hartford with us."

"Where were they?"

"Christopher was hiding in a public bathroom in a park. Rory wasn't wearing a coat or a jacket, she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since they left the inn and she was terrified. And Christopher thought it was ok that he did that to her."

"Did you take her to the hospital?"

"Yeah, she had mild hypothermia and she was dehydrated. They put a drip in her arm to send fluid back into her body, it was horrible. She had to stay overnight too. I vowed to protect her after that incident."

"So after that Miss Gilmore filed for a restraining order against Mr Hayden, correct?"

"Yes, but he ignored it." Lorelai saw Christopher shake his head angrily, he was so close to breaking point and she knew he wouldn't be able to hold off any longer.

"Did he come back to Stars Hollow?"

"Yeah, I went to get gas for my truck and as I was driving back into Stars Hollow, I saw two people wrestling in the playground. I didn't realise who it was at first but as soon as I saw Lorelai, I stopped the truck and ran over as fast as I could."

"What was he trying to do?"

"He wanted to take Rory again. He was trying to get her from Lorelai's arms, he left marks on Lorelai's wrists where he grabbed her," he informed. Gasps came from the audience again.

"Do you have evidence of these marks?"

"Yes, we have pictures." Luke pulled some prints from inside his jacket and passed them to the lawyer, who then passed them to the jury.

"What did you do once you got there?"

"I pulled him away from them. They were both crying, I bet he thought what he did there was ok too."

"Objection," shouted Chris, shooting up from his chair. The officer at his side grabbed his shoulders quickly.

"Mr Hayden you cannot call an objection, that is what you have a lawyer for," informed the judge.

"Get up and say objection," Chris ordered his lawyer. She simply shrugged her shoulders. "What the hell am I paying you for if you're not gonna defend me?" he spat.

"Christopher I suggest you sit down," she said calmly. "You are making a fool of yourself. Anyway you're not paying me, your parents are and I don't see them here." Christopher slumped into his seat, still held secure by the policeman.

"Carry on Luke," said Lorelai's lawyer once Christopher had calmed down and order had been called once again.

"I admit that when I pulled him off them, I punched him. He was saying so much garbage about Lorelai, he called her a slut. That was the final straw for me. I'm not a violent man but when somebody is hurting the two people I love the most, they are gonna get hurt."

"Stop your bullshit," shouted Christopher from his seat. The judge hit his gavel against the block hard.

"Mr Hayden I suggest you stop right there," he said in a warning tone. Chris sighed and quietened down again.

"So Luke, tell me about Rory."

"I don't know where to begin," he said with a smile. "She's so great, she's really smart too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's thirteen months old and she can walk properly, talk, not in sentences but she's getting there, and she loves books. I had to build her a bookshelf cause her collection was taking up so much space. Every time we walk by the bookstore she looks up at me with those pleading blue eyes and pouts, she get's that from her mother. They know I can't resist them when they're pouting at me like that. One time we went in the bookstore and she went around making a huge pile of books on the floor. When I asked her what she was doing, she pointed to the books and said 'mine'. There were at least twenty five books on that pile," he chuckled. So now we go in every Saturday and buy two new books to add to her collection."

"That seems like a nice tradition."

"It is. Lorelai works on Saturdays so I take care of Rory."

"Do you enjoy taking care of her?"

"Yes I love it, we have a good time. She likes to watch me cook too. Everybody knows Lorelai wasn't made to cook, she'd burn toast if I let her make it." A few chuckles erupted from the crowd. "So I'm the cook. I make Rory's meals then I make mine and Lorelai's. Rory usually eats the same thing as us, just at a different time. I hate those baby food jars, you don't know what's in them and it's so much better to know what she's actually eating." The judge, the lawyers and the jury were shocked at the extent of Luke's love for Rory, especially since he had only known her for a couple of months.

"Do you think Miss Gilmore is a good parent to Rory?"

"Without a doubt. She cares for that girl more than anything in the world and I really admire that. She's amazing and I don't know how Rory would live without her, I know I couldn't." Luke smiled at Lorelai shyly before bowing his head.

"Thank you Luke, you may take a seat." Luke nodded and brushed his fingers across Lorelai's shoulder as he passed her. Her whole body tingled and she found herself wanting him, right there and then. She felt her cheeks getting hotter until she realised where she was. She immediately banished all the thoughts of Luke from her mind for now. They could resume this that night like they had agreed earlier. She didn't dare turn to look at him though, just in case she couldn't control herself.

Christopher was taken up to the stand next. The officer stood next to him as Lorelai's lawyer prepared for an intense interrogation. He was going to throw questions at Christopher until he couldn't catch them anymore and he surrendered. Christopher took the opportunity to glare at Luke some more before he was asked his first question.

"So Mr Hayden, you like partying huh? A bit of music, booze, hot girls, sound like your kind of thing?" Christopher looked taken aback at the forwardness of this lawyer, was he allowed to talk like that in court?

"Err...yeah," he answered.

"Hmm I thought so, the typical teenage boy. Although most teenage boys don't have a daughter do they?"

"What are you getting at?" asked Chris, ready for an argument.

"Answer the question Mr Hayden," warned the judge.

"I guess not," he mumbled.

"You see, teenage boys with daughters have a responsibility. They have to take care of their child, they have to make sure their kid takes the right path and they have to be there. Tell me Mr Hayden, have you ever changed a diaper?" he asked curiously. Chris looked up as if it was the most stupid question in the world.

"No," he answered in a 'why the hell would I wanna do that' voice.

"Hmm." He swung around and looked at Lorelai. "Miss Gilmore, how many diapers have you changed?"

"More than I can count," she answered.

"Mr Danes," he acknowledged.

"I've had my fair share," replied Luke. The lawyer turned back to Christopher and gave him a smile.

"So tell me Mr Hayden, why have you never changed a diaper?" Christopher looked down at the table. Lorelai's lawyer didn't wait for him to answer. "When is your daughter's birthday?"

"October," replied Christopher.

"What date?"

"Erm..." he looked at the table in defeat again.

"I think there is something seriously wrong if a father doesn't know when his child's birthday is, don't you agree your honour?" he asked the judge.

"Indeed," he replied monosyllabically.

"What was her first word?" he asked. Christopher sighed.

"I don't know."

"Miss Gilmore, care to enlighten us?" he asked, turning around again.

"It was coffee," she said proudly, without looking at Christopher.

"Did you hear that Mr Hayden? Your daughter's first word was coffee."

"I'm not stupid," Chris spat angrily.

"Let's move on to why you weren't around. Tell me something, where were you the night of your daughter's birth?"

"I don't remember," he muttered.

"Come on, I'm sure it's in there somewhere, think really hard," he pushed. Chris squeezed his eyes shut tight then opened them as he answered.

"I was at a party," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry we can't hear you."

"I was at a party ok? Is that what you wanna hear?"

"Mr Hayden I suggest you calm down," said the judge before he gave the lawyer a nod to continue.

"A party?" Christopher nodded. "So while you were out doing god knows what, Miss Gilmore was laid in hospital giving birth to the child you impregnated her with?" It was a rhetorical question. "It's bad enough that you tried to force her to sleep with you but you get her pregnant then don't face up to the consequences of your actions."

"Hey I wasn't the only one, it takes two to tango ya know."

"Yes but as I remember it, the man wears the condom not the woman." The judge hit his gavel again.

"Could we move to a less graphic subject?" Lorelai's lawyer nodded.

"So why didn't you take responsibility for your actions?"

"I tried to! I offered to marry Lorelai."

"Are you sure you didn't just do that to please your parents."

"A little but I loved Lorelai, I still do."

"It's a shame you don't love your daughter like that."

"I do, you don't know anything," Chris shouted.

"Mr Hayden, if I have to tell you one more time to keep your temper in check I will end this hearing right here," the judge threatened. Christopher took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Ok so if you love your daughter so much, why did you kidnap her?"

"I didn't kidnap her."

"You took her away from her mother for a significant amount of time and you didn't tell her where you were. That amounts to kidnapping."

"I wanted to spend some time with her."

"Miss Gilmore gave you an hour to be with her. That's generous to say you hadn't seen her since the night she was born."

"I saw him," he glared at Luke, "with my kid and I didn't like it," he said through clenched teeth.

"I assume you're referring to Mr Danes. That's what you get for not getting to know your daughter. Babies don't automatically know people, they know the people they see on a regular basis and they grow attached to those people. How did you expect your daughter to know who you were if she hadn't seen you in eleven months?"

"I don't know," Chris mumbled again.

"And from what I've heard, Miss Gilmore never kept your daughter away from you. She left the invitation open for you to visit her anytime you want, why didn't you?"

"I wanted to."

"But you didn't."

"I was scared; I wasn't ready to be a father."

"Do you think Miss Gilmore was ready to be a mother?"

"No," he whispered.

"I beg your pardon?"

"No," he repeated, a little louder this time.

"But she got her priorities straight. She couldn't run away like you did."

"She could have gotten rid of it." Loud gasps came from the crowd and Lorelai stood up, anger taking over her.

"You know that was never an option for me Christopher," she shouted.

"Order, order," called the judge. Lorelai took a deep, shaky breath as everyone quietened down. "Miss Gilmore please take your seat."

"Yes your honour." She sat down and waited for her lawyer to speak again.

"So after eleven months of contemplating whether you're ready to be a father or not, you came to the conclusion that you were?"

"Yes," replied Christopher.

"You know fatherhood isn't something you can abandon until you're ready to deal with it, it's always there and it's not ok to ignore it because you're too much of a coward to face it."

"I made a mistake ok? Is that what you wanna hear?"

"I can see I'm not getting anywhere with you Mr Hayden. No more questions your honour." He reclaimed his seat next to Lorelai and the police officer guided Christopher back to his chair.

"Your honour," addressed Christopher's lawyer. "Mr Hayden has no witnesses to testify," she announced.

"Very well, the court is adjourned until the jury have come to a decision. We will call you in when we are ready." People began to pile out of the room again and gathered in the waiting room. Luke took Lorelai's hand as they left the courtroom, Christopher following shortly behind, scowling at Luke as he watched his hand move to Lorelai's lower back. Once they were outside, Luke pulled Lorelai into a tight hug.

"You did great in there," he said. "I'm so proud of you."

"What about you? The things you said about us in there were amazing," she gushed.

"I was just telling the truth," he shrugged. She kissed him lightly and hugged him again. They were interrupted by a tap on Lorelai's shoulder. She turned around and saw Richard smiling down at her.

"You were marvellous in there Lorelai; I can't tell you how proud I am."

"Thanks dad," she said with a wide smile. "I hope I did enough."

"Please, there's no competition." Lorelai hugged Richard then she turned to her lawyer.

"I can't thank you enough, you did really great with Christopher," she said.

"That's what you're paying me for," he replied with a chuckle. "I wish you the best of luck though."

"Thank you so so so much." She leant in and gave him a kiss on the cheek then went to join Luke and Richard on the bench. Luke smirked at her then leant over to whisper in her ear.

"Stop flirting with lawyers," he teased.

"Jealous?"

"Definitely." They shared a smile as they waited for the jury to come to their decision.

A long half an hour later, well it felt long to Lorelai, they were called back into the courtroom. They took their seats again and Luke gave Lorelai a kiss before the verdict was given.

"All rise," called the judge. Everybody got to their feet. "The jury has come to their decision." He turned to the jury and one of them stood up.

"We have come to an unbiased decision based on the things we have heard in this courtroom today. After listening to details from witnesses, we have decided to award sole custody of Lorelai Leigh Gilmore to Miss Lorelai Gilmore. Mr Christopher Hayden's rights as a parent will be taken away from him and he will have no contact with the child in question."

The crowd had erupted in applause and Lorelai was overjoyed. She was soon surrounded by Luke and Richard and everyone else that had shown up to support her and was given lots of congratulations. Christopher on the other hand was the opposite. He was hurt and angry. He still had no idea what he did to deserve this. People began to leave the courtroom and Lorelai skipped along, gripping Luke's hand as they made their way through the parking lot. She stopped when she saw Christopher being taken towards a police car and let go of Luke's hand.

"I'll be right back ok?" Luke nodded and watched her walk over to Christopher, as did Richard. "Wait, Christopher," she called. Chris turned around and saw her approaching him.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice filled with hurt. She had to admit she felt kind of sorry for him.

"I just wanted to give you this." She handed him a small picture and he stared at it, showing no emotion. "I thought you might want it to remember her, you know, just to look at now and again?"

"Thanks," he said, still staring at the photo.

"Goodbye Chris." She looked at him one last time before walking back over to Luke and Richard.

"Everything ok?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, everything's perfect," she replied. He smiled at her and they walked back to Richard's car. Luke cast a glance over his shoulder and saw Christopher being driven away in the cop car. He sighed then helped Lorelai into the car before getting in himself.

Lorelai burst through the door of the Gilmore house and immediately called for Rory, Luke and Richard hot on her heels.

"Where are you?" she called. She rushed into the living room to find Emily reading a magazine, the baby monitor resting on the coffee table in front of her.

"Ah you're back," she exclaimed. "How did it go?" Judging by Lorelai's smiley face, she already knew the answer.

"I won!" she said happily. She bounced into her mother's arms and they shared a meaningful hug. "Where's Rory?"

"It's her naptime, she's upstairs sleeping."

"Oh," said Lorelai, clearly disappointed. How did she not realise what time it was? "I'm just gonna go upstairs and tuck her in," she said, excusing herself from the group. She walked into the nursery and saw Rory breathing softly as she slept. "Hi baby," she whispered as she stood over the crib. "You know where mommy went today? I went to court and I won. And do you know what that means? It means that you're all mine," she whispered, leaving a kiss on Rory's soft cheek.

**I bet you all knew what the outcome was going to be anyway right? I mean why would I give Chris custody of Rory? I thought Lorelai would feel a little sorry for him so I made her give him the photo; she's always had a soft spot for him anyway. So I hope you liked this, I do! And you should like the fact that Christopher will be out of the story now, forever and ever :D Please review, I love reviews but you all knew that! And the chapters won't always be as long as this, they will go back to their normal length, I just couldn't stop writing haha.**

**Emily.**


	27. How Much Do You Love Me?

**This took me a while, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. I've been kinda busy lately, even though it's the Easter holidays. This is a little shorter than usual too, I apologise for my abandonment of this story! I hope to update within the next week though. Thank you to all the reviewers of the last chapter, there were a lot of you! There is some M stuff in this....not really bad but as I've said before it's good to warn you about it in case you don't like reading that stuff or if you're too young! **

"Hey, is she ok?" asked Luke as Lorelai re-entered the room after tucking Rory in.

"Yeah she's dead to the world," she replied.

"We have champagne," exclaimed Emily, offering a glass each to Lorelai and Luke.

"Ooh thanks," said Lorelai as she eagerly accepted it.

"You can both have one glass, it is a special occasion after all," said Emily.

"Gee thanks mom," she replied sarcastically.

"What was that supposed to mean?" asked Emily.

"Nothing," sighed Lorelai.

"Come on, this is a special day," interrupted Richard. "There will be no arguing," he said sternly. Emily and Lorelai nodded. "Now I would like to make a toast," he began.

"Can't we just drink?" asked Lorelai. Richard glared at her then raised his glass.

"Rory is special to all of us and I wish her a lifetime of love and happiness, to Rory," he exclaimed.

"To Rory," everybody repeated before taking a swig from their glass. Lorelai gulped hers down and Luke looked at her sceptically. She caught his eye and shrugged.

"Long day," she said. They took their seats in the living room and continued to drink from their glasses.

"I have the adoption papers in my study if you still want to go through with it," said Richard.

"Of course we do," replied Lorelai, glancing at Luke to make sure he was in agreement. When he nodded, she visibly relaxed, relieved that he hadn't changed his mind after what they'd been through that day.

"Very well, I'll go get them." Richard wandered off into his study and Emily looked at Lorelai expectantly.

"So tell me the details, what happened?" she asked, unable to contain her excitement about them winning. Lorelai explained the events of the day to a curious Emily and she listened intently. When Mia was mentioned, Emily interrupted. "Mia?"

"Yeah, you've met her. She owns the inn."

"Ah yes," said Emily, avoiding eye contact with her daughter.

"She's really helped us out since we moved to Stars Hollow and the things she said about us really won the court over."

"Well, that's nice." Emily resented this Mia, although she wouldn't admit it to anyone. She and Lorelai were getting along and she didn't want to ruin that by bringing up the past. How Lorelai described it, Mia had been like a mother to her over the past few months and Emily was jealous. She was the mother, not Mia. But she was keeping quiet about it, at least for now. Lorelai sensed the subject of Mia was a little sensitive and was glad when Richard emerged with the papers.

"Ok, now I filled in the details with the information you gave me Luke and all you need to do is sign them." He looked between Luke and Lorelai. "Are you ready?" They both nodded and he gave Lorelai a pen. "Right you need to sign here," he pointed to the page and Lorelai quickly signed it. "And here." He turned the page and she signed again. "Now Luke you sign here." Luke did as he was told. "And here." He took a breath before signing on the dotted line. He put the pen down and smiled over at Lorelai as Richard put everything into the envelope. "I've put the recommendation letter in here as well so everything is there," said Richard.

"Thank you so much dad, this is really important to me."

"You're welcome Lorelai. I will post this tonight for you."

"Can we post it?" asked Luke. "It just seems more personal that way."

"Of course," replied Richard, handing the now sealed envelope to Luke.

"How long will it be till we hear from them?" asked Lorelai.

"Well because this is a simple case, I would say five days." Lorelai smiled. "It might take a little longer though so I would probably say two weeks at the most."

"Two weeks," said Luke quietly. "That seems like forever away."

"It'll soon pass by," said Richard.

"I hope so," said Lorelai as she put her empty champagne glass on the coffee table. Rory's mumbling could be heard through the baby monitor and Luke automatically stood up. "I'll go with you," said Lorelai. They walked towards the stairs and made their way to Rory's nursery. Rory was starting to get worked up when she saw there was nobody around her and was whimpering, tears brimming in her eyes. Luke was the first to enter the room and saw Rory sat in the crib crying to herself.

"Hey Ror, what's up?" he asked as he made his way further into the room, Lorelai following close behind him. Rory looked up at them and an instant smile appeared on her face as she held her arms out to them. Luke lifted her up and she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Hi baby, what's going on huh?" asked Lorelai, stroking Rory's cheek with the back of her finger.

"Mama," she mumbled into Luke's shirt.

"We missed you today," she said. "Did you miss us?"

"No," she replied.

"You didn't miss us? Well that's not very nice is it?" She took Rory from Luke and held her in the air, making Rory laugh. "I bet you missed us really didn't you?"

"No," said Rory through her laughter.

"I bet you did," she pushed.

"Yesh," she gave in and Lorelai sat her on her hip.

"I knew it," she said, tapping Rory's nose. "You love us too much don't you?" Luke smiled at Lorelai's use of the word 'us'. He was scared that after the trial she would want Rory to herself for a while but he was glad she was still in on the adoption.

"Wove you," said Rory.

"We love you too Rory," said Luke. "We should get back to Stars Hollow so we can get her something to eat."

"Or we could go out for dinner," she suggested.

"Where?"

"Ooh Sniffy's! We can go on the way home."

"How about we go to your place and get take out? We can have some privacy then."

"Sounds good. What do you think Ror? You want some take out?"

"Yesh," she replied, not really understanding.

"Won't she be hungry soon?" asked Luke.

"We can give her a snack to keep her going till the food arrives."

"What are we waiting for?" he asked. They went back downstairs to find Emily and Richard sitting in silence. They had been listening to their conversation through the monitor and they knew that Luke was a capable parent for Rory.

"We're gonna take off," said Lorelai as she put Rory on the couch so she could put her coat on. She took Rory's coat and put it on her then lifted her up again. Luke gathered Rory's things as Lorelai picked up the large envelope from the coffee table. "Thanks for watching Rory all day mom."

"You're welcome, I love spending time with her," she said enthusiastically as they all walked to the door.

"Are you still going on the trip to Martha's Vineyard tomorrow night?" asked Richard.

"Yeah I think so," said Luke as he looked to Lorelai for confirmation. She nodded and smiled at the prospect of spending a whole weekend with Luke. Alone.

"Good, if you come by tomorrow around five we can get Rory settled before you head off."

"Ok we'll see you tomorrow then," said Lorelai.

"Bye Emily, Richard," said Luke politely. Luke could sense that Lorelai needed some time with her parents alone so he offered to take Rory to the truck. Once he left, Lorelai threw her arms around both of them.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What for?" asked Richard in bewilderment as Lorelai released them.

"For accepting Luke. I know when you first met him you didn't like him because he isn't from the same world as you are but I'm so grateful that you tried so hard to like him and accept him."

"We've seen that Luke is good for you, he makes you happy and that's all that matters," said Richard.

"Thanks, it also means a lot that you're both ok with what I'm doing here. I know we haven't known each other long but it just feels so right and I know that having Rory binding us together can only make us stronger. I just wanna say thank you for all the support you've given me, us I mean."

"You're welcome Lorelai," said Emily.

"Well I'll see you both tomorrow night I guess."

"Yes you will."

"Does this mean we get out of Friday night dinner?" she asked hopefully. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Yes Lorelai, you get out of dinner," she replied.

"Score!" she shouted. "Bye," she called as she exited the Gilmore house and joined Luke and Rory in the truck.

"You look happy," he commented.

"I am, I really am." They shared a smile and Luke leant in to kiss her.

"We need to post that envelope," he said, gesturing to it in Lorelai's hands.

"There's a post box on the next street." Luke nodded and drove round there. The two got out of the truck, leaving Rory inside, and walked over to the post box. Lorelai held the envelope tightly between her fingers as she looked over at Luke. "This is it, are you ready?"

"Yeah, are you?"

"As I'll ever be, here goes." She held the envelope up to the slot and pushed it through quickly. They listened as it dropped to the bottom then turned to look at each other.

"Now we wait," he said. He stepped closer to her and pulled her towards him. He kissed her lightly then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. She complied and buried her head in his chest. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"You're quiet," he observed. She pulled away to look at him.

"I was just thinking," she shrugged.

"About?"

"About how great things are gonna be from now on." Luke smiled which Lorelai returned.

"Things will be great, no scratch that, things are great," he corrected himself.

"Yeah they are," she replied. She glanced over at Rory in the truck to see her watching them curiously. "We're being watched."

"What?" He followed her gaze and he too saw Rory staring back. "I guess she feels left out," he said. "Come on, let's go get some food."

"God yes." When they reached Stars Hollow, they walked into the potting shed and put all their things down.

"You must be starving Ror," said Luke as he went over to the kitchen. He came back with a banana and peeled it for her.

"Nana," she exclaimed as she greedily took it and had a huge bit. "Mmm," she hummed. Lorelai sat her on the floor and went to the phone.

"I'll call Joe's." He watched her dial the number then sat down next to Rory, watching as she devoured her banana. "Hey Joe it's Lorelai. Yeah I know I call here a lot. A girl's gotta eat. Ok so can I have two pizzas, one with every vegetable you have and the other with bacon, mushrooms, pepperoni and extra cheese please." Luke shook his head at her order. "Side of garlic bread and chicken strips. Yeah I've got company, why would I eat a pizza with lots of vegetables? Ok see you soon. Bye." She hung up and sighed. Luke had been chuckling at her side of the conversation. Man he likes to ask questions.

"Why did you order two pizzas?" he asked.

"One for you and one for me," she said in a duh tone.

"I'm never gonna eat a whole pizza to myself."

"Oh I know, you're sharing with Rory." Luke looked down at Rory who was about to put the banana skin in her mouth.

"No," said Luke as he took it from her fingers.

"Hugwy," she whined

"The pizza is on it's way ok?" he promised. Rory pouted.

"You'll just have to wait sweets," said Lorelai. "It won't be long." She stood up and turned her radio on to her favourite station. 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' by Cyndi Lauper came blasting through the speakers and Lorelai sang along, slightly out of tune for the high pitch of the song. Rory giggled at her and Luke rolled his eyes at her silliness. She picked up Rory and stood her on her feet as she danced around the room. _"They JUST wanna, they JUST wannaaaaaa, girl's just wanna have fun," _she sang loudly. Rory laughed loudly as Lorelai swung her around the room. The song changed to Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' and Lorelai fell to the floor with Rory still attached to her. "This song's a little inappropriate for you Ror," she said as someone knocked on the door. Luke got up to answer it and Lorelai turned the volume down a little. He swung open the door to find Joe holding two pizza boxes and a bag.

"Hey Luke, pizza delivery," said Joe.

"Yeah err....I see that, thanks." He took them and passed them over to Lorelai.

"Hi Joe," she called as she set them down on the coffee table and eagerly opened them.

"Hey Lorelai, long time no see," he joked.

"Ha ha."

"So that's eighteen fifty altogether." Luke handed him the money and thanked him again before closing the door and sitting down next to Lorelai and Rory who had already dug into the food. Luke grabbed some plates from the kitchen and came back over to them.

"Who's washing those?" she asked. He rolled his eyes and put them away again. Lorelai broke a piece of pizza into little pieces for Rory and they watched as she ate them greedily.

"Don't forget to chew," said Luke as he watched Rory gulp down the food. He got a piece for himself and ate at a much slower pace than the two Gilmore girls sat beside him. He swallowed his food then looked at Lorelai. "You need a table," he commented.

"I got one," she replied, gesturing to the coffee table.

"I meant a dining table; you shouldn't sit on the floor to eat meals around the coffee table."

"But it's fun, it's the true way to eat take out."

"It's uncomfortable," he complained.

"Come on Luke, live a little." She picked up her fourth slice of pizza and took a huge bite. "So today went really well," she said with a mouthful of pizza.

"Sorry, I couldn't understand you." She swallowed her food then said it again. "Oh yeah, it did. I knew they'd be on your side anyway."

"How could you be so sure?"

"Christopher didn't even have any witnesses. Everything your lawyer asked him brought out the bad side of him. And then he was shouting and calling objections. Everything he said and did made him out to be a bad person, of course you were gonna win."

"I'm so glad it's over."

"Me too."

"When Christopher's lawyer brought up all those months I lived at home and wasn't an active role in Rory's life I thought we'd lost her. She was being so cruel; she didn't understand what it was like for me."

"I know but you corrected her right? You told her what really happened." He moved to sit closer to her, noticing her mood change.

"Yeah she just got to me. They think they know everything then throw it all in your face, but they don't know anything."

"That's just their job; it's what Christopher was paying her to do."

"You mean his parents."

"Well yeah, where were they today?"

"My mom said they don't want anything to do with him after the way he's been acting. It'll ruin their reputation if they interact with him."

"Wow, I know Christopher did some really awful stuff but if it were my kid, I'd still stick by them. Who cares about reputations?"

"That's the life of the elite for you."

"I can't believe you used to live like that."

"Yeah well I got out didn't I?"

"So you're ok after today?"

"Yeah I guess. We never have to deal with Christopher again," she said, a smile creeping across her lips.

"I know, how great does it feel?" he replied, returning her smile.

"It's kinda sad though."

"Why?"

"Just the thought of Rory never knowing her real father." Luke's face fell visibly and Lorelai noticed. "Don't get me wrong, I would much rather you were her father, I really want you to be but I don't know, it's just weird. If my dad wasn't actually my dad I'd be upset and mad and..."

"Hey, you don't have to worry about Rory being mad or upset. We can talk to her about it when she can understand."

"I guess, I want her to know about all of this."

"She will know, but we don't have to think about that yet." They looked over at Rory who was trying to bite into a piece of pizza but only succeeding in getting covered in tomato sauce.

"Rory you're so messy," cooed Lorelai. Rory grinned at her. Luke took her slice of pizza and broke it apart as Rory sat there pouting that it had been taken away from her. He put the pieces in front of her and watched as she picked them up and popped them in her mouth.

"We'll have to clean her up when she's finished," he said.

"Rory loves bath time don't you?" asked Lorelai.

"Yesh," she replied as she chewed her pizza.

"Are you ok with leaving her for the weekend?" asked Luke.

"I guess so, she'll be ok right?"

"Of course she will. You'll have fun with grandma and grandpa won't you Rory?" he asked.

"Gama," she exclaimed.

"See she loves going there."

"I don't know why," said Lorelai.

"It'll be fine, we'll leave tomorrow night and spend a whole weekend with no interruptions."

"Hmm it sounds amazing. We can go to the beach too!"

"It's mid November."

"We can still take a walk on the beach, it'll be so great." Lorelai finished off her last slice of pizza and closed the box. "Are you done with that?" she asked, gesturing to the three slices of pizza left in the box.

"Yeah," he answered. She broke another piece up for Rory then began picking the vegetables off. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I can't eat it with all this on, it spoils the pizza."

"You're eating more, how do you fit it all in?"

"I can't believe you're even asking me that question."

"Right sorry, you have a stomach made of iron."

"Yup and I'm proud of it." He shook his head then looked at Rory who was frowning at her pizza.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"No more," she answered, shaking her head.

"Have you had enough?" he asked. She nodded. "Ok you don't have to eat anything else."

"She is so not my daughter," said Lorelai.

"Don't listen to her Ror, it doesn't matter that you don't have an iron stomach." He stood up and lifted Rory with him. "I'll go run her bath while you finish your food. And clean up after yourself too."

"Yes sir." Luke went into the bathroom and set Rory on the floor as he turned the tub on.

"What bubbles should I use?" he asked, holding two bottles out to her.

"That," answered Rory looking at the pink bottle that was raspberry scented. Luke poured some in and waited for the tub to fill up. He removed Rory's pizza stained clothes and threw them in a pile before lowering her into the water. Rory starting splashing around the way she always did and Luke sat and watched her enjoy herself for a moment.

"You know Ror; your mommy did something really brave today," he said.

"Mama."

"She's really great you know and what she did was all for you." Lorelai heard him talking as she was cleaning things up and went to stand next to the half closed door. "You won't be mad at her when you find out will you? She was only making sure you had the best possible life and she thinks you'll have that if I'm around, and you will," he promised. "Everything's only gonna get better from now on and I hope nothing get's in the way of that." Lorelai smiled to herself then pushed the door open and walked in.

"Hey, I cleaned everything up," she said as she dropped down next to Luke on the floor.

"I thought I'd never see the day," he joked.

"I can clean; I'm a maid aren't I?"

"Well if you showed your cleaning skills at home this place would definitely benefit."

"Nah, it'd be like my work has come home with me." She looked at Rory who was watching her rubber duck float around in the water in amazement. "What are you doing Ror?" she asked. Rory looked up at her and pointed to the yellow object.

"Duck," she said. Luke poured water over her hair and Rory turned her head away. "No," she said. Luke took the duck from the water and Rory pouted at him.

"This is distracting you," he said. "You can have it back when you've been washed ok?" Rory continued to pout as Luke massaged shampoo into her hair and washed it out. He then rubbed soap into her skin and proceeded to wash that off too. Once he had made sure all the pizza sauce had been washed off of her skin, he gave the duck back to her. The pout immediately vanished from her face and she hugged the duck to her.

"Duck," she exclaimed. She put it in the water and watched it float around again.

"It's still early," said Lorelai. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure, go set one up and I'll get Rory out." Lorelai stood up and went back into the main room while Luke lifted Rory out of the water.

"No," she complained.

"You can't stay in there forever," he said. "You're already getting wrinkly." She admired her wrinkled fingers and pulled a funny face at them. He wrapped her in a towel and took her out to the living room where Lorelai was searching through her video collection. "Find anything interesting?" he asked.

"I was thinking Back to the Future cause we never watched it."

"Sure." He dried Rory off while Lorelai put the movie in.

"Here I'll dress her," said Lorelai. She took Rory from him and walked over to the dresser. She pulled out a diaper and a sleeping suit then laid Rory on her bed. She quickly applied the baby lotion and dressed Rory then returned to the couch where Luke was watching the trailers.

"Can we skip the trailers?" he asked as Rory climbed into his lap. Lorelai sat beside him and shook her head.

"No way, on movie night you must always watch the trailers, it's in the rules."

"What rules?"

"No talking through any part of the movie, which by the way we're breaking now, no pausing, no bathroom breaks, no rewinding or fast-forwarding, there's more but I think you get the idea."

"We talked during the last movie we watched," he said, remembering when they watched 101 Dalmatians.

"That was different."

"How?"

"It just was, now shut up and watch the movie." They sat in silence for the rest of the movie. Rory had even obeyed the rules and fallen asleep about fifteen minutes from the end. When the credits rolled, Lorelai lifted her head from Luke's shoulder and looked at him. "Did you think that was good?"

"It was ok, you?"

"Completely mockable," she said. "I mean, how the hell can you get sent back in time thirty years and have to fix your parent's relationship before you can back to the present? It just doesn't make sense. You'd think they'd make it more believable wouldn't you?"

"Lorelai shut up," said Luke. "Rory's asleep."

"She is?" She looked down at her daughter who was laid across Luke's lap. "Huh I'm not surprised." She stood up and lifted Rory up carefully. Luke followed her over to the crib and watched her tuck her in.

"I can't believe she's gonna be my daughter," said Luke quietly.

"It's too late to go back now."

"I don't wanna go back, I want this to happen. It's just unbelievable."

"I know what you mean," she said. "Three months ago I would never have thought I'd be doing this. I didn't think I'd meet a guy like you."

"What's a guy like me?" he asked curiously.

"Well I've met a few guys since I had Rory, we talked and laughed but when they found out I had a kid, they ran away, every single one of them. Even Christopher ran away. But you're different. When I told you about Rory, you asked questions about her and you listened to the answers. You even fed her the first day you met. I thought I'd never meet a guy that I could be happy with, I thought I was gonna be a cat lady but then you came into my life." Lorelai shook her head as she realised how much she had blurted her heart out to Luke. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling just ignore me."

"No Lorelai," he began. He had been touched by her speech and didn't think she was rambling at all. "I didn't run away because you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever met. When I found out about Rory I was shocked but I figured that if your daughter was anything like you, she'd be great and she is." He looked down at Rory. "Don't ever hesitate to tell me what's on your mind, you can ramble to me all you like, I'll always be listening," he said softly.

"I didn't think guy's like you existed," she said as a few tears escaped her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking her tears the wrong way.

"Nothing, it's just that you always know what to do and what to say. You always do things for me and I don't do anything for you."

"You do," he assured. "You being here with me is enough, you don't need to do anything else to make me happy."

"There you go again," she said, wiping her eyes. "Stop being so sweet, you're making me all emotional," she scolded.

"Sorry, I can't help it."

"Don't I know it?"

"How about we get an early night? We've had a long day today and we've got a long drive ahead of us tomorrow."

"I can't wait to get to Martha's Vineyard," she admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we used to go there when I was a kid. I used to go off by myself and sit on the beach for hours."

"Sounds like fun."

"It was, until I had to go back to the house and my mother yelled at me for getting sand on my stupid dress."

"Oh well, it was fun in the moment right?"

"Yeah I guess." She opened her dresser and pulled out a pair of pyjamas. "Luke?"

"Yeah?" he asked as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"Do you remember this morning when Rory woke up and you had to go to the store?"

"Yeah..."

"Well do you remember when we got into bed again and I asked if we could...you know and you said we had to save it for later?" She looked at him with a devilish glint in her eye and he grinned pathetically.

"Yeah." She stepped closer to him.

"It's later now," she said. She wrapped her arms around his waist and ran her hands over the smoothness of his back. He looked down at her and inched his face closer to hers in a passionate kiss, one that told her how much she meant to him. She pushed him back until the back of his legs hit the bed; it was then that he broke the kiss.

"Let's slow down a bit," he suggested. "I want this to be slow and meaningful, not rushed."

"Ok," she answered breathlessly. He kissed her again as he traced his fingers down her t-shirt covered spine and dipped his hand under her shirt to feel the skin at the small of her back. She moaned into his mouth and he brought his hand back up, trailing the path it had just taken. He brought both his hands up and cupped her neck, then moved them across her shoulders lightly and down her arms. He reached her hands and entwined their fingers as he deepened the kiss.

Lorelai took her hands out of his and rested them on his chest, running them up and down over his hard abs. He groaned as she dug her fingernails in, but not enough for it to be painful. He tugged at the bottom of her shirt and pulled apart from her long enough to remove it, then his mouth covered hers again for another emotional kiss. They were soon in a horizontal position on the bed and Luke was pulling her pants down her lean legs. Lorelai reached for him but he stopped her and caught her gaze.

"This is all about you," he told her before carrying on with his ministrations. Clothes were no longer an option for Lorelai as Luke had removed them all and thrown them to an unknown area of the room. She sighed and moaned and called his name as he drove her crazy in every way he knew how. Using his tongue, his fingers, his hands, anything he could think of that would show her how he felt about her. When she came crashing down, he crawled back up to her face and kissed her gently.

"Wow," she whispered as he lay on top of her. "You're on top form tonight." Luke shrugged, unable to hide the smirk on his face.

"I'm not finished," he promised. Lorelai threw her head back in exhaustion and breathed heavily.

"Just give me a minute ok?" Luke nodded and as she recovered, he removed his pants and boxer shorts, relieving himself as he was set free. He settled back down on top of Lorelai and she could feel his nakedness against her leg. "That's my job," she whispered as he kissed her neck.

"What is?" he asked between kisses.

"Taking off your pants, you got to take off mine."

"Well it's too late now, what's done is done."

"Hmm." He moved slightly so he was looking directly into her bright blue eyes, determined to be staring at her from start to finish.

"You ready?" he asked. Lorelai nodded wordlessly and smiled up at him. Luke pushed forward a little so they were touching and Lorelai looked down at their almost joined bodies. "Look at me," he whispered. Lorelai moved her eyes back up to meet his and struggled to keep them open as the intimate contact was made. He made love to her slowly and passionately. Nothing was rushed, everything was perfect. Luke didn't even pick up speed when they got closer to their climax, he kept it slow throughout.

He looked down at her as she came with so much love and adoration that she thought she was dreaming. She closed her eyes for a brief second before opening them again to see him still watching her with that look in his eye. That look that always gave her butterflies. Lorelai cried when they had finished because it was so meaningful and beautiful. Luke kissed her tears away then moved out of her, settling next to her under the sheets.

"Are you ok?" he asked softly, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Yeah, that was amazing," she whispered. "Sorry I just got a little emotional there."

"It's ok, it was something."

"That it was." She sighed and turned onto her side to look at him. He did the same so they were facing each other. "You know what you said earlier today in court?"

"Hmm."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"I just told the truth," he shrugged.

"Everything you said was wonderful, especially the things about Rory."

"She's special, I wanted to let them know that," he said.

"I know, she's the best daughter I could have wished for."

"You can say that again."

"She's the best daughter...."

"Lorelai," he cut off, rolling his eyes.

"What? You said I could say it again."

"It's a figure of speech," he informed, knowing she already knew it.

"Oh, well you caught me off guard; I just had the best sex ever."

"Jeez," he complained.

"We're alone," she reminded him.

"It doesn't matter with you." She smiled at him.

"You know when my lawyer asked you how you felt about me and you said you loved me?"

"Yeah," he answered, dreading what was coming next.

"Did you mean it when you said you've felt that way since the first day we met?" Luke took a deep breath.

"I noticed you," he answered. "As soon as I looked at you, I saw how beautiful you were. I was attracted to you but I don't know if it was love at first sight. I don't believe in that stuff but when you left, I found myself waiting for you to come back. The next morning when you stepped into my diner, I couldn't stop smiling, my heart warmed when I saw you," he admitted.

"Luke," she replied. "You're just full of sappy lovey dovey comments tonight aren't you?" she teased.

"Lorelai," he groaned. "Why do you always turn it into a joke?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll be serious now." She cleared her throat. "Ok pour your heart out to me."

"You're mocking me."

"No I'm not mocking you," she said a smile on her face. "Now tell me how much you love me."

"You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"What? It's cute, come on don't you think it's cute?"

"I am not cute," he argued.

"Lighten up," she said. "If you're not gonna say it I guess I'll have to. Duke Danes, I love you more than coffee," she said, the most giant grin on her face as she looked at him.

"Shut up," he huffed.

"Oh come on, I said more than coffee, that means a lot."

"Go to sleep," he ordered.

"Not until you say it."

"No."

"Then I'm gonna mock you all night."

"Fine, I love you. Will you go to sleep now?"

"You love me more than what?"

"I just love you, is that not enough?"

"Nope you have to compare it to something."

"Fine, I love you more than my truck," he replied.

"Your truck? Is that all I'm worth?" she asked, appalled.

"What I really like my truck!" he answered.

"Think of something better," she begged.

"Fine I love you more than...."

"More than what?"

"I'm thinking," he said in irritation.

"More than..." He sighed. "I love you more than life itself."

"Aww you big softie, that wasn't so hard was it?"

"How much are you gonna mock me for this tomorrow?"

"So much, get ready for an interesting road trip."

"Jeez."

"Ok burger boy, I'm going to sleep."

"Thank god."

"Thanks for tonight, it was the perfect end to a long, long day."

"No problem, night." He leant over and kissed her lips then settled down again, pulling her closer to him. Their still naked bodies pressed up against each other's as they fell asleep together, their breathing falling into the same rhythm.

**Bit of fluff/smut there for you. I know you all like the fluff! So this was pretty uneventful....just a filler. I seem to have a lot of fillers recently. Anyway please review and I hope to update soon. Don't hate me if I can't though! And if you haven't already....check out my new fic....it's just a short one based on Rory but I've had some positive feedback on it. So if you have the time, take a look :D**

**Emily.**


	28. Trip to the Vineyard

**The reviews have been coming a little slow lately, I don't know if it's because of Easter or whatever but I'm kinda disappointed. I only got 10 for the last chapter, oh well. Maybe I can get 20 this time? Wishful thinking haha. Thank you to everyone that did review though, you are all faithful readers! Okay so let the trip to the Vineyard begin....**

"Mama," said Rory as she held out one of her outfits to Lorelai.

"You want me to pack this one?" she asked.

"Yesh." Lorelai took it and packed it into Rory's Paddington Bear suitcase.

"Ok one more set of clothes and we're good to go," she said. Rory searched through some more and pulled out her next choice.

"That," she said as Lorelai took it from her. She put it in the case as Luke entered the potting shed.

"Hey," he greeted. "Nearly finished packing?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just finished packing Rory's stuff," she replied as she zipped up the bag and put it next to hers. She turned around and kissed Luke hello before he pulled away and eyed her luggage.

"Who's is all that?" he asked.

"Well this little suitcase with a cute picture of Paddington Bear on is Rory's and these two are mine."

"You have two suitcases?" he asked.

"Yeah," she shrugged.

"We're going for the weekend," he reminded her. "Friday night to Sunday night, two days and two nights."

"Your point?"

"What have you got in there?"

"Clothes, underwear, shampoo, deodorant, shower gel, body lotion, makeup, makeup remover, cleanser, condoms, jewellery, bathing suits..." she listed.

"Bathing suits?" he asked, cutting her off mid rant.

"Of course," she replied.

"Why do you need a bathing suit? It's the middle of winter."

"Luke this is a house my parents own, there's an indoor pool."

"There is?"

"Yes and I was planning on using it."

"Oh well I guess I'll go back to my apartment and get my shorts," he said.

"You don't need them, you can just skinny dip. It's a private pool, nobody can see you."

"I'd rather wear shorts."

"Come on, I'll go skinny dipping if you will," she said flirtatiously.

"Maybe," he replied. "But I'm still taking shorts for when I wanna do a few lengths."

"Fine, there's a hot tub as well you know."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, I wonder what we could use that for," she said sarcastically.

"Hmm it's a mystery," he replied. He'd never had sex in a hot tub before; it would definitely be an interesting experience.

"Now go get your shorts, I'm gonna put Rory down for her nap." She shooed him out of the potting shed and her and Rory waved goodbye to him as he walked up to the inn. Luke returned as Rory was just waking up. "What took you so long?" asked Lorelai. "I've been bored out of my mind," she complained.

"Sorry, I did some last minute checks on the truck to make sure it'll get us to Martha's Vineyard. I went to get gas too."

"Oh well Rory's awake now so I guess we should get her some dinner before be set off for my parents."

"We have to be there in an hour," he reminded.

"I know, which is why I bought premade baby food." She pulled out a jar from the cupboard and held it up to Luke.

"Chicken casserole?" he asked as he examined the label. Lorelai lifted Rory up and sat her in the high chair.

"Yep it's just liquidised."

"Rory can eat normal food; she shouldn't have to eat this liquid crap."

"As you pointed out, we don't have much time and this only takes a few minutes to heat up." She walked over to the stove and pulled out a pan. "Now, remind me how I turn this on again." Luke rolled his eyes and lit the stove for her. He watched as she put the pan on the burner and poured the orange liquid into it.

"That looks gross," he said, scrunching his nose up.

"What did you expect? It's chicken and vegetables in liquid form." Luke turned around and stood in front of Rory.

"Sorry I don't have time to make you something proper to eat," he said. She looked at him and grinned.

"She doesn't care, as long as it's food, she'll eat it."

"I'm not sure it is food though. It could have allsorts in that you don't know about."

"Like what?"

"Salt, sugar, preservatives, flavouring, colouring," he listed. "Most of those things will send her hyper."

"Well it's a good job we're not having her tonight then isn't it? My parents can deal with it." She grabbed a plastic bowl from a cupboard and a pink spoon from the drawer before pouring the vile liquid into the bowl. She put it in front of Rory as Luke fastened a bib around her neck. He scooped some 'food' onto the spoon and watched as Rory ate it willingly.

"Is it good?" he asked. She answered with a smile before taking the spoon from him and feeding herself.

"See I told you she'd like it."

"Babies are strange," he commented as he watched Rory gulp down the liquidised casserole.

"They'd probably say the same thing about you," she said as she walked over to her closet. "I'm gonna change, I wanna be comfortable on our trip."

"It's only a two hour drive to Boston," he reminded her.

"Yeah but then we have to wait at the airport then there's the flying time."

"It's a thirty five minute flight to Martha's Vineyard."

"I know but when you get off you feel all gross and planed out."

"Planed out?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes now don't you think you should be loading the bags in the truck while I get ready?"

"Fine," he sighed in defeat. He picked up the Rory's suitcase and one of Lorelai's before leaving the potting shed again. Lorelai smiled in accomplishment then chose a cute top from her collection. She slipped into it then glanced over at Rory to see the bowl up to her face and she was licking it clean.

"Wow you must really like that orange stuff," said Lorelai as she walked over to her.

"Ummy," said Rory.

"Was it yummy?" she asked. "Daddy didn't think so did he? No he didn't," she cooed. She removed the now orange bib from around Rory's neck and grabbed a wipe to clean her face. "Ok, now what do you say about a banana huh?"

"Nana," she exclaimed.

"You want one?"

"Nana, nana, nana," squealed Rory as she hit the high chair with her tiny hands.

"Ok calm down, it's fruit. What is there to get so excited about?" Rory watched patiently as Lorelai peeled off the banana skin in front of her then reached out for it. "Ah, ah, say please."

"Nana," she said longingly.

"Ror if you want the banana you have to say please." Luke reappeared in the potting shed and picked up Lorelai's second suitcase.

"Pease," said Rory innocently.

"Good girl," praised Lorelai, giving the banana to her.

"Another new word?" asked Luke.

"Yep, she's gotta learn to say please."

"You're getting smarter Ror aren't you?" he asked. Rory didn't even acknowledge him; she just carried on munching her banana. He sighed and began to walk towards the door.

"Hey Luke?" she asked. "What are we doing for dinner?" Luke stopped and put the bag down then turned to look at her.

"Well I bought you some snacks to keep you going till we get to Boston."

"What did you get?" she asked curiously.

"Wait and see."

"Fine," she huffed. "So what do we do once we get to Boston?"

"Well there are two choices. We can grab something to eat in the airport after we've checked in."

"Or...." she pushed.

"Or we can wait till we get off the flight and stop on the way to the house."

"Depends what restaurants there are in Martha's Vineyard."

"Well I looked on the map and the house is about an hour from the airport. I even looked up some restaurants and there's a Golden Corral on route to the house."

"There is?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah, it's about ten minutes from the airport."

"Ooh can we go there?" she begged.

"Go on then."

"Yes! Ha Rory had to eat disgusting orange stuff and I get to go to Golden Corral," she exclaimed jumping up and down on the spot.

"Jeez it's just a place to eat," he complained.

"But it's all you can eat, meaning I can have all the steaks I like!" Luke shook his head before opening the door.

"You'd better be almost ready by the time I get back, we still have to say goodbye to Mia."

"Ok hold your horses." Luke once again left the potting shed and Lorelai took Rory from her high chair. "Right, let's get your coat on Missy," she said. Rory smiled up at her, curious at where they were going. "We're going to see Grandma."

"Gama," shouted Rory as Lorelai fastened her coat.

"Ok you're good to go." She put Rory on the floor then put her own coat on, just as Luke came back into the potting shed.

"Nearly ready?" he asked.

"Rory's ready, I just need to grab my hand luggage for the flight."

"What, there's more than what I just put in the truck?"

"Just a small one," she said innocently. She picked up her small backpack from the bed and slung it over her shoulder. "Now I'm ready."

"Ok are you sure you have everything?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Everything and more," she answered.

"Figures." He picked up Rory then Lorelai locked the door, making sure everything would be secure for the weekend. Little did she know that when she came back, Rory would have her own bedroom. Luke had told the construction guys that had been helping him to finish off what they started and they promised to have it done by Sunday afternoon, at the latest. As they walked into the lobby of the inn, Mia walked around the front desk and enveloped Lorelai in a hug.

"Are you all set to leave?" she asked as they pulled away from each other.

"Yeah the bags are in the car," Lorelai answered.

"Have a lovely weekend won't you both?"

"Yeah we will, thanks Mia," said Luke.

"Let me see this girl," she demanded, reaching over to lift Rory from Luke's arms. "Hello beautiful," she cooed.

"Me," said Rory. She hadn't quite grasped the word 'Mia' but it was close enough.

"I'll miss you so much this weekend," she continued. "You'd better be a good girl for your grandparents," she warned.

"Yesh," replied Rory.

"Aww I knew you would be anyway, you're an angel." Rory looked up at her, grinning widely. "Can I have a kiss?" she asked.

"Kiss," said Rory, pointing to Mia's lips.

"Yes that's right, can I have one?" Rory looked up at her a couple of seconds longer before she reached up and left a wet kiss on Mia's lips. "Thank you." She handed Rory back to Luke then kissed Lorelai's cheek. "I'll miss you too," she said. "And you Lucas." She saw him blush out of the corner of her eye and pulled him in for a hug. "You make sure she has a good time," she whispered in his ear. She pulled away and Luke nodded at her.

"Right well we should get going," said Lorelai.

"Yes don't be late. What time is your flight?"

"Eight," said Luke.

"Well you'd better hurry if you have to drive all the way to Boston."

"It's fine, it said two hours with traffic and I don't think there's gonna be any tonight so it should take us about an hour and half."

"Right well you'd better get going." They went out to the front porch and Mia watched as they strapped Rory in and got comfortable. "Bye," she called as Luke started the engine. Both Lorelai and Luke waved as they drove away, towards the Gilmore house.

When they got there, Luke jumped out and got Rory's suitcase from the back while Lorelai unbuckled her. They went to the front door and rang the bell, waiting patiently for the maid to answer. They were shocked when Emily answered the door but hid it well with wide smiles.

"There you are," she exclaimed. "Come in; don't stand out there all night."

"We can't stay mom, we have to get going," said Lorelai.

"Oh well, hold on I have something for you." Emily ran off in the direction of the kitchen as Richard appeared from the living room.

"Are you all set?" he asked.

"Yep everything's ready," answered Luke. "Do you have the plane tickets?" he asked.

"Yes I came out to give you them." Richard gave him the tickets he had purchased for them and the keys to the house then took Rory's suitcase. "I trust everything Rory will need is in here."

"Yeah there are a few sets of clothes, some pacifiers, a couple of her favourite bears and some diapers and wipes, just in case you run out. There's some other bits and pieces in there too, just things that'll keep her occupied really."

"I'm sure we'll be just fine won't we Rory?" he asked. He took her from Lorelai.

"Ganpa," she said.

"Are you looking forward to spending the weekend here?" he asked.

"Yesh," she replied, not fully understanding. Emily came back from the kitchen with two plastic containers.

"I had the maid prepare you both a snack for the journey. Lorelai's there's triple chocolate cake for you and a fruit salad for you Luke." She smiled at them.

"Thanks Emily," said Luke as he took the containers from her.

"It's just something to keep you going until you get a proper meal."

"Well it's much appreciated mom, thank you."

"You're welcome. Hadn't you better get going?" she asked.

"Yeah we should actually," said Lorelai. "Ok Ror, I'll see you in a couple of days." She leant over and kissed the top of Rory's head. Luke did the same then they opened the door to leave. "Bye," she said. Rory looked at them as they waved at her, her eyes filling up with tears.

"Mama," she said as a sob escaped her. Lorelai's heart broke as she watched her daughter getting upset about their departure.

"It's ok honey, I'll only be gone a couple of days." She continued her walk to the truck, Rory's cries getting louder.

"She'll be ok once we're gone Lorelai," said Luke.

"I know it's just hard to ignore her when she's crying for me."

"Come on, she'll be fine." Emily took Rory from Richard as Luke and Lorelai climbed into the truck. She didn't understand why Rory was being so clingy all of a sudden. Lorelai left her with Emily every week and she didn't cry then, why was she now? She rocked Rory from side to side as the truck set off and Luke and Lorelai waved one last time before pulling out of the driveway. Richard closed the door then looked down at Rory.

"What's going on?" he asked softly, using the voice he saved only for his granddaughter.

"Mama," whimpered Rory.

"It's ok Rory, you're going to spend the weekend with us, doesn't that sound fun?" asked Emily, a hint of excitement in her voice. Rory looked up at her, her face blank as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "How about we play a game?" she asked. She and Richard took Rory to the living room where they had set up a Twister mat. They figured that Rory was smart and she would get the hang of the game after a few tries.

"Right you and Rory play and I'll spin the hand," said Richard as he took a seat on the couch. He watched as Emily sat on the floor with Rory then spun the hand. "Left hand blue," he said.

"Ok Rory you have to put this hand on this colour," said Emily. She guided Rory's hand down and told her not to move it. Rory looked at Richard curiously as he gave a direction to Emily.

"Right foot yellow," he said. Emily put her right foot on a yellow circle as Rory watched her carefully, not fully understanding why they were stood on a multi-coloured mat.

In the truck, Lorelai had an open road map rested in her lap. Luke looked over at her with a smirk as she tried to figure out which highway they needed to be on.

"Ok I've got it, we need to take the eighty-four to the Massachusetts border then join the ninety and follow it to Boston," she said proudly.

"I could have told you that," said Luke.

"Whatever smarty pants, just drive ok?" He smiled at her again then took his eyes back to the road. Lorelai opened the container with her chocolate cake and took a huge bite.

"That was for later," he said.

"But my stomach wants it now, so what can you do?" she asked as she took another bite.

"Why am I not surprised?" he asked himself.

"Ooh Taco Bell," she exclaimed. "Stop here; I could really use a taco right now."

"No way," he protested.

"Why not?" she pouted.

"Because you're currently eating triple chocolate cake and in no longer than fifteen minutes you're gonna be digging into the snacks I brought for you."

"But I need a taco."

"You don't need, you want."

"Same thing!"

"Sit there and shut up," he ordered. It was like travelling with a child. Lorelai slumped back into her seat and proceeded to pout for the next ten minutes until she was hungry again.

"Luke?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes Lorelai?" he asked patiently.

"Where are the snacks?"

"In the glove compartment." She opened it to reveal two bags of gummy bears, a pack of Mallomars, a box of Pop Tarts and some Reese's.

"Ooh thank you, one problem though."

"What?" he asked.

"I like my pop tarts toasted," she said.

"Then save them and eat them when we get there," he answered logically.

"Great idea." She ripped open a bag of gummy bears and stuffed them into her mouth shamelessly. "Want one?" she asked, holding the bag out to him.

"No I'd rather eat my own hand," he grunted.

"Whatever floats your boat," she shrugged. There were a few minutes of silence, the only sound being the rustling of the candy bag. "Look!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"What?" asked an alarmed Luke.

"These gummy bears are attached, like you and me," she said happily.

"Jeez Lorelai you nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought there was something in the road."

"Sorry," she said sincerely. "I just thought it was cute," she shrugged. "They're my two favourite flavours too." Luke rolled his eyes; it was gonna be a long ride to Boston.

Back at the Gilmore's Rory had quickly caught on to the game of Twister and currently had her left hand on red, her right hand on blue, her left foot on blue and her right foot on yellow. She wasn't exactly covering the circles but Emily and Richard let it slide because she had a short body. Emily had swapped with Richard and he was now playing the game as Emily gave them indications.

"Ok Richard, right foot red," she said. Seeing as all of Richard's hands and feet were currently on green and yellow, he had to stretch to get his right foot to the other side of the mat. His leg got tangled in his arm and he fell to the floor causing Rory to giggle at him.

"Rory wins again," Richard exclaimed.

"Wowy win," she said excitedly. "Agen," she said, clapping her hands. Emily checked her watch. It was seven ten and they should probably give her a bath now if they wanted to get her to bed on time.

"That's it now," said Emily. "We can play again tomorrow," she promised. "I'm going to go draw Rory a bath, will you bring her and her luggage up in five minutes?" she asked.

"Can't the maid draw her a bath?" asked Richard.

"She could but I want to do it myself," she replied. She went upstairs and walked into the bathroom, turning the hot tap on as she walked past. Doing all this stuff for Rory reminded her of when she used to take care of Lorelai at that age. Lorelai only remembered the times when the maid was looking after her and she didn't know that Emily was very involved in the first year of her life. Yes she had a nanny but she insisted on doing things herself during the night. She would bathe Lorelai, feed her, sing to her and watch her fall asleep in her arms. She was interrupted from her thoughts by Richard entering the room.

"Are you almost ready?" he asked.

"Yes I just need to test the temperature." She stuck her elbow in as Richard began removing Rory's clothes. "Perfect," she said. Richard took off her diaper then sat her in the warm water. They watched Rory splash around then look up at them both.

"Duck," she said loudly.

"Duck?" asked Emily. "Richard look in Rory's suitcase to see if there's a rubber duck in there," she ordered. He nodded then came back in holding the yellow duck that Rory loved to play with at bath time.

"There we go," he said as he sat it in the water.

"Duck," exclaimed Rory as she picked it up and held it in the air. She sat it back in the water and watched it float around while Emily poured water over her hair. Rory was going to protest but she remember that her mommy and daddy weren't here and she couldn't get away with it. Instead she sat contentedly as her grandmother shampooed and rinsed her hair.

"You're very well behaved Rory aren't you," asked Emily.

"Yesh," she said.

"I hope you're this good when Luke's taking care of you, I hope you don't run circles around him."

"Dada," she said happily.

"Yes he's your dad," said Emily in realisation. She knew Rory called Luke 'dad' but she had never thought as addressing him that way when she was talking to Rory. The situation was going to take a lot to get used to."

About forty minutes away from the airport, Lorelai closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn't intending on falling asleep, just rest her eyes but it didn't work out that way. Luke pulled up to a gas station along the highway and looked over to see her sleeping. He rolled his eyes, they'd only been travelling an hour, not even that. He couldn't stop the smile forming on his lips at how peaceful she looked; she always looked so beautiful when she slept. He moved closer to her and gently shook her to wake her up. She stirred and opened her eyes slowly, blinking rapidly as they adjusted to bright lights of the gas station.

"Hey sleepyhead," he whispered.

"Hmm," she vocalised.

"I was just wondering if you needed to use the restroom, I'm going so you might as well."

"Yeah," she answered groggily. Luke got out of the truck and walked around to her side, helping her out as she fell into his arms. "Mmm sleepy," she said.

"We've only been on the road an hour, come on go to the restroom and you can sleep the rest of the way to the airport." Luke supported her weight as she leaned on him all the way to the restrooms. "Ok you're gonna have to stand up by yourself now, I can't go in there with you." She groaned and lifted her head up to look at him.

"Come in with me," she asked.

"What?"

"We can start the weekend off in style," she winked.

"I am not doing....those things in a public restroom," he hissed.

"Why not?"

"First of all, it's in public and second, I have way too much respect for you."

"Who wants respect? Come on Luke, it's spontaneous."

"It's disgusting," he remarked. "Do you know how many germs there are in these places?" Lorelai could sense a rant coming on so she decided to interrupt.

"Fine we can start the weekend later," she huffed.

"Ok, good. I'll meet you out here," he said as he walked over to the men's. Ten minutes later, Lorelai still hadn't emerged from the restroom and Luke was getting impatient. He inched closer to the entrance and stuck his head forward. "Lorelai, you almost done?" he called.

"Luke?" she answered.

"Yeah it's me."

"I'm stuck," she called.

"Stuck where?"

"In the cubicle," she replied. "Can you come and get it open?" 'Dirty,' she thought to herself.

"Erm....it's the female restroom," he said.

"But I'm stuck, we're gonna miss our flight if you don't get in here," she reasoned. Luke sighed.

"Alright...I'm coming in." He was unsure of himself. "Are you the only person in there?"

"Yeah it's just me." Luke hurried into the restroom and was surprised when he found himself pushed against the wall with Lorelai's lips on his, her body pressing into him.

"Lorelai," he murmured between kisses.

"Hmm," she said distractedly.

"We can't," he said. Lorelai ignored his protests and moved her lips to his neck where she began to suck hungrily. "This....is wrong....on....so....many levels," he stuttered, finding it hard to ignore her actions. She moved back up to kiss him senseless and he found himself losing control of the situation. His hands went in the back pockets of her jeans, pulling her body flush against his. She moaned through their kiss and moved her hands up to tangle in his hair. Just as she was going to remove his belt, they heard someone clear their throat. Lorelai jumped away from Luke quickly and Luke wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"There is a motel across the highway, I suggest you check in," said the gas station attendant. Lorelai nodded and tried not to laugh at the awkward situation they'd gotten themselves into, well, she'd gotten them into. Luke quickly left the restroom, Lorelai following close behind and he didn't stop until he was sat in the truck.

"That was hilarious," said Lorelai as Luke turned the ignition on.

"Try embarrassing," he grumbled.

"Come on, we're not gonna see her again. Wasn't that spontaneous?" Luke pulled back onto the highway and picked up some speed.

"We are never doing that again," he said.

"Oh it was fun."

"Yeah until we were interrupted."

"It was a good experience though," she reasoned.

"Can we just forget about it?" he asked, feeling more and more embarrassed as she went on about it.

"Sure." She sat back in her seat and watched the road for a few minutes. "So does that mean we're not gonna be joining the mile high club tonight?" she asked.

"Jeez."

"It was worth a shot," she defended. "I've always wanted to have sex on an airplane."

"Can we stop talking about sex; I'm finding it hard to concentrate here." Lorelai eyed his slightly raised crotch.

"Sorry." She couldn't help but laugh a little at how hard Luke was gripping the steering wheel. "You ok there?"

"Yeah, it'll go away. Now forget about it." Luke couldn't help the red that made it's way into his cheeks.

"Ok but if it makes you feel any better; I'm a little turned on too. It's just easier for me to hide it." Why did she have to tell him that? It's just gonna make him more worked up. He was relieved when she turned the radio on; it helped him think of other things. 'Relax' by Frankie Goes to Hollywood was playing and Luke rolled his eyes. 'How ironic,' he thought.

Before long, they were driving through the entrance to Boston Springfield Airport. Luke followed the signs to the multi-storey car park and found a suitable space on the third floor.

"I'm so excited," squealed Lorelai as they unloaded the bags from the truck. "When we get inside can we find a pay phone? I wanna call mom before Rory goes to bed."

"Sure, I'm sure they're doing fine."

"She seemed so sad when we left."

"She'll be having the time of her life now, you'll see." Lorelai smiled weakly as they walked into an elevator and descended to the ground floor.

"Let's check in first, then we'll call Rory." Lorelai nodded and took his hand as they dragged their suitcases up to the check in desk.

"Which airline are we with?" she asked. Luke pulled the tickets out of his jacket pocket.

"Delta," he replied.

"That's over here." She took his hand again and dragged him over to the check in desk. They got in line and Luke pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

"Have you brought some ID?" he asked, knowing there was a good chance she could have forgotten it.

"I've got my passport," she replied, fumbling through her bag for it.

"That should do." He retrieved his driving license from his wallet then took her passport from her. Once they were checked in and knew their flight was on time, they went in search of a phone.

"I found one," called Lorelai excitedly as she bounded over to it. "She opened her carry-on bag and searched through her for her wallet.

"Here," said Luke, handing her some quarters.

"No it's ok I have my wallet somewhere," she protested.

"Just take it." She put her bag down and smiled gratefully at him.

"Thanks." She put the money in then dialled her parent's house. It rang six times before somebody answered.

"Gilmore residence," she heard a soft voice on the line.

"Hi is Emily or Richard there?"

"Yes who may I ask is speaking?"

"It's their daughter Lorelai." She waited patiently as the maid informed her parents who was on the phone. It was three minutes before anybody picked it up.

"Lorelai?" asked Emily's unmistakable voice.

"Hey mom, what took you so long?" she asked as Luke slipped some more quarters into it.

"We were upstairs with Rory."

"Is she ok?" she asked eagerly.

"She's absolutely fine," she assured. "She's in the bathtub playing with that duck you put in her bag. She's been in there for the last twenty minutes; she just doesn't want to come out."

"Yeah she loves that damned duck," said Lorelai.

"Lorelai that was inappropriate," Emily scolded.

"What? Every time she plays with it, it takes ten times longer to wash her hair."

"She's been very well behaved tonight actually. She sat there while I bathed her, no protests, and she's been in there playing ever since."

"Well she's putting on a show for you then; she's a lot more stubborn when Luke and I are there. So what have you been doing?"

"We played Twister," she exclaimed. Lorelai did a double take.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Twister Lorelai, it's a board game. You have a mat with coloured circles...."

"Yes I know what Twister is mom; I'm just surprised that you do."

"Of course I know what it is," she retorted.

"So err....did Rory get the hang of it?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yes she did wonderfully; she's a very smart girl."

"She is isn't she?" asked Lorelai proudly. "So she's still in the tub?"

"Yes, did you want to talk to her?"

"I just wanted to say goodnight but it doesn't matter," she dismissed.

"I can go get her for you if you like, just hold on a few minutes."

"No mom, don't worry. I'm on a pay phone so I have to go, kiss Rory goodnight for me?"

"I will Lorelai, have a safe flight. And say hello to Luke for me."

"I will, I'll call you from the house in the morning, bye." They both hung up and Luke noticed the sadness in Lorelai's eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

"Nothing, Rory was in the tub so I'm gonna talk to her tomorrow."

"She ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, they played Twister," she said.

"What is Twister?" he asked curiously.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you just asked me that," she said as they walked towards the security gate.

"What?"

"Twister is a classic; did you never play it as a kid?"

"No what's the big deal."

"When we get to Martha's Vineyard, we're buying Twister."

"What have I gotten myself into?" he asked. She smiled at him as they removed their shoes and put them, along with their hand luggage, on the conveyor belt. They approached the metal detector and Luke gestured for Lorelai to go through first.

"Thanks." She sauntered through with no problems and waited for Luke at the other side. Luke walked through but the beeping held him back.

"Oh the key for my truck was in my pocket," he explained. He gave it to the guard then tried again. Once again, the sound pierced their ears again. The security guard rolled his eyes and Lorelai watched in amusement as Luke removed his belt. He tried again, for the third time, and made it through successfully. He grabbed his belt and key from the guard as Lorelai waited for their shoes to come through.

"That was amusing," she chuckled as they put their shoes on.

"Embarrassing you mean," he grunted.

"You seem to be getting embarrassed a lot today don't you?" she asked.

"That'll teach me to listen to you when you tell me you're stuck in a restroom."

"I can't believe you fell for it."

"What? You sounded panicked, like you were actually stuck."

"Thank my great acting skills." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked through the airport, heading towards their gate. "I'm gonna get some coffee, you want anything?" she asked as she stopped outside Starbucks.

"That place is ridiculously overpriced," complained Luke.

"But the coffee's good."

"I'll just have a bottle of water," he shrugged.

"Ok I'll be right back." She turned around to enter the coffee shop but Luke pulled her back.

"Here." He handed her a ten.

"It's ok I'll get them," she protested.

"Don't worry about it."

"Luke, you don't have to keep buying me things."

"I do it cause I want to, not cause I have to." She looked at him cautiously for a second before accepting the cash.

"Thanks," she smiled. "You sure you don't want some tea? Or hot chocolate?"

"Water's fine."

"Ok wait here." He watched her hurry into the shop. She hadn't had any coffee in two hours and he knew she needed her fix. She returned with a large to-go cup and some bottled water. "There you go," she gave the drink to him. "And there's your change."

"Keep the change," he said.

"I'm not a charity case Luke," she said, a little defensively. Luke realised she was getting angry with him.

"I know, I just hate change is all, it gets in the way. I'll take the dollar bills though." She smirked slightly and put the coins in her pocket.

"Which way do we go?" she asked.

"I checked while you were getting coffee, it this way." He took her hand tightly in his and led her though the airport. "Here we are," he said as he set their bags on the floor next to some chairs.

"It's not boarding for another fifteen minutes so I'm gonna use the restroom," she said as Luke took a seat. She gave him her coffee cup. "And don't drink my coffee."

"As if I would," he rolled his eyes.

"I'm trusting you to look after it, treat it better than you would Rory."

"Lorelai just go," he said, trying to seem irritated but just sounding amused. She leant in to kiss him then disappeared off to the restroom. Luke watched after her, noticing she swung her hips a little as she walked, obviously knowing he was watching her. He almost didn't realise the middle-aged man watching him from the seat opposite. When Luke caught his stare, he smiled politely.

"On your honeymoon?" he asked curiously. Luke was caught a little off guard.

"Err....no just a weekend getaway," he replied.

"Ah must be nice, so you heading to the Vineyard?"

"Yeah."

"Where are you staying?"

"We have a house, well my girlfriend's parents have a house," he corrected. "They're letting us stay there."

"Sounds wonderful. So is it just the two of you?"

"Yeah, we left the little girl with her grandparents," he explained. It suddenly hit him that he could tell people Rory was his daughter now, she technically was, they were just waiting for the adoption to be finalised.

"Oh you have a daughter?" he asked in surprise. He thought the man in front of him was no older than nineteen, maybe he was wrong.

"Yes she's called Rory," said Luke proudly.

"How old is she?"

"Thirteen months," he replied.

"Ah wonderful age that is." Luke looked towards the restrooms for any sight of Lorelai. He didn't know how much longer he could stand talking to his man.

"Yeah, great age," he answered distractedly. Lorelai reappeared and took a seat next to Luke.

"Who's your friend," she whispered, she had seen Luke talking to him as she made her way over.

"Dunno he just started talking to me," he replied. Lorelai smiled at the man and held her hand out to him.

"Hi I'm Lorelai," she said politely.

"I'm Vince," he greeted, shaking her hand. "Lorelai...what a pretty name," he complimented.

"Thank you, it's a family name. It's my grandmother's name and my daughter's."

"I thought your daughter was called Rory," he said confusedly. Lorelai looked at Luke, he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, Rory's short for Lorelai," she explained. "It's so it doesn't get to confusing, you know having the same name."

"Makes sense, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name," he said, addressing Luke.

"Luke," he replied monosyllabically. Vince was about to say something else when the person at the desk informed that Flight 132 to Martha's Vineyard was now boarding. Luke looked at their tickets to find it said first class. "Lorelai did you know we were in first class?" he asked.

"Seriously?" She took the tickets from him. "Cool."

"I told your dad we wouldn't mind going in coach."

"But this is my parents were talking about, they like the best. It's a shame this is only a half an hour flight, I doubt we'll be travelling first class ever again." The first class passengers were called up to board next. "It was good talking to you Vince," said Lorelai as Luke gathered their bags.

"Bye." They hurried over to the gate and Lorelai quickly tossed her empty coffee cup into a trash can. Luke showed the attendant their tickets and ID then they walked down the tunnel onto the plane.

"Ha look at those people in coach and we're in first class!" she exclaimed.

"Calm down," he said. "These are our seats." He gestured to two seats with a lot of leg room. "You wanna sit by the window?" he asked.

"Is that ok?"

"Yeah, I don't mind." Lorelai collapsed into her seat and grasped Luke's hand.

"This is gonna be a great weekend," she said.

"Yeah, it's gonna be fun."

"Did you just say fun?" she asked.

"Yeah why?"

"I have never heard you refer to anything as fun before."

"Sure you have," he brushed off.

"No Luke, I haven't."

"Well anything with you involved is fun," he shrugged.

"Aww you're so sweet." She kissed him lightly then sat back in her seat. The flight attendant told everyone to fasten their seatbelts as they were about to move then the safety video appeared on their screens. As the airplane began to move along the runway, Luke grabbed Lorelai's hand and held it tightly. "You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah I just don't like flying," he admitted, scared that she would think he was a loser.

"It's ok, nothing's gonna happen," she said.

"I'm ok once we're up in the air, it's just taking off, I hate it." She squeezed his hand reassuringly and rested her head on his shoulder. The safety video got to the oxygen mask information. "Oh god, why do they have to show you that?"

"In case of an emergency," she replied.

"Yeah but it scares you half to death," he complained.

"Don't worry, we'll only be on here for a half an hour," she soothed. "Then we can go to dinner and to the house. When we get there we can finish off what we started earlier," she whispered in his ear.

"Really?" he asked, temporarily forgetting they were currently flying through the sky.

"Yep after I've had coffee of course."

"Hmm I suppose I'm making this coffee for you?"

"You would suppose right." After another ten minutes, the seatbelt sign went off and Lorelai climbed over the arm rest onto Luke's chair.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Getting comfortable," she replied as she draped her legs over his thighs. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

"You comfortable now?" he asked.

"Very," she replied sleepily. Before they knew it, they were fast asleep and the cabin crew were awing at them. The women were disappointed when the seatbelt sign reappeared, signalling that they were landing. One of the hostesses reluctantly woke them up and they blushed when they realised how they'd been sleeping the whole time.

"I bet they were staring at us," groaned Luke.

"Aww but I bet we looked so cute," she gushed. She clicked her seatbelt on the relaxed back into the seat. "Good nap," she commented.

"Yeah."

"It's given me plenty of energy," she hinted.

"Really?" he asked, getting her hint.

"Yep, I'm not tired at all."

"Well that's good," he said, unable to hide the grin on his face.

Once in Martha's Vineyard Airport, they collected their luggage from baggage claim and checked in at the hire car company. Richard had hired a car for them to use to get around the island; he hadn't told them what it was though. Luke was given the keys after presenting his ID and they were given the registration of the car so they could find it. They reached the car park and began looking around for the registration plate. Lorelai thought she's spotted it but when she saw the car, she quickly dismissed it. 'It can't be,' she thought. She double checked to see that it was in fact their car.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed as she ran over to it.

"Whoa," said Luke.

"I can't believe it, this is ours!" Lorelai ran her finger along the perfect red paintwork on the 1984 Corvette that sat before them.

"I get to drive this," said Luke in disbelief.

"This vacation is so amazing," she gushed. "Open it, I wanna get in," she said excitedly. Luke put the key in the lock and twisted it. All the doors unlocked and Lorelai jumped into the driver's seat. "This is awesome." She gripped the steering wheel and pretended to push the pedals down.

"How old are you?" asked Luke. "Five year olds do that."

"I wanna learn to drive," she pouted.

"You will, you need to get a learner's permit first."

"I'm gonna apply for one when we get back to Connecticut." Luke opened the trunk to see there wasn't much room, definitely not enough to fit both of Lorelai's suitcases never mind his as well.

"Err....there's not much space in here," he called. Lorelai emerged from the car and eyed the trunk space.

"Hmm, I can keep one suitcase on my lap," she shrugged.

"Seriously? You're luggage is massive and heavy."

"I don't mind, it's not far right?"

"Not really." Luke managed to fit his luggage and one of Lorelai's suitcases in the trunk then rested the other on her lap in the passenger seat. "You ok like that?" he asked as he climbed in.

"Yeah, can we get dinner now? I'm starved."

"It was only a matter of time," he said shaking his head. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared, causing Luke grin like a little boy.

"Can you believe you just did that?" she asked.

"No, I can't believe I get to drive a corvette for two days."

"Get used to it, now dinner, please." Ten minutes later they parked up outside Golden Corral and Lorelai rushed to the entrance, dragging Luke along with her.

"Lorelai slow down, it serves food till ten," he said as she pulled him along.

"I'm hungry."

"When are you not?" The ten minute drive from the airport consisted of Lorelai listing every bit of food she was going to put on her plate and Luke was fed up of hearing about it. They paid for their buffets and drinks then followed the waitress to a table. Once seated, Lorelai grabbed a plate from the middle of the table and stood up.

"You coming?" she asked.

"Yeah." He took a plate and followed her over to the food. She headed over to the steak but Luke changed direction and went for the salad bar.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Salad," he said in a 'duh' tone. She frowned as he picked up some lettuce and arranged it on his plate.

"Luke how do you like your steak?" she called.

"I don't eat steak," he replied.

"You do tonight, now how do you want it cooking?"

"Medium," he said, knowing she wouldn't back down. She ordered one medium and one rare cooked steak before heading over to Luke at the salad station. "Seeing as I'm having steak, I think you should eat some salad," he said.

"I don't think that's necessary," she said, shaking her head.

"Oh I do," he insisted. She rolled her eyes and held her plate out as he piled on lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onions and peppers. The chef announced that their steaks were ready so they collected them and returned to their table.

"This is nice," said Lorelai as she cut into her steak.

"It is, I'm enjoying this weekend already."

"Only because you get a corvette," she retorted.

"Well there's that and I get to spend time with you, no work, no Rory, just you and me." Lorelai smiled but it quickly turned to a frown.

"I miss Rory already," she said. He took her hand over the table.

"Me too, but she's ok."

"I know, it's just weird," she shrugged. Luke squeezed her hand then released it.

"I've nearly eaten all my steak, you have to eat your salad now," he reminded her.

"Fine." She drenched it in dressing then shovelled it into her mouth as Luke watched in accomplishment. Five trips to the buffet and three trips to the dessert stand later, Lorelai was full to the brim. "Why did you let me eat so much?" she complained.

"Don't blame me, there was no stopping you," he said in surrender.

"I feel like I'm gonna burst."

"You only have yourself to blame."

"It was all you can eat; at least I got my money's worth." Luke helped her into the car and arranged the suitcase so it was resting on her again. "How long till we get to the house?" she asked once they were on the road.

"According to your dad's directions, it should take about forty five minutes. We could probably get there faster in this car though."

"I'm gonna sleep a little, wake me up when we're almost there."

"Ok," agreed Luke. He turned the radio on to keep him alert as he drove the fancy sports car through Martha's Vineyard. "Lorelai, I think we're here," he said, gently shaking her. She opened her eyes slowly to look at the house in front of them.

"Yeah that's it," she said, her voice thick with sleep.

"Come on, we'll get our luggage tomorrow, let's go to bed."

"But what about pyjamas?" she asked.

"I don't think we'll need them," he answered as he helped her out of the car, laying her suitcase on the seat.

"Really?" she asked seductively.

"Really, really," he replied, lifting her up and carrying her into the house, bridal style. They both knew this was going to be a great weekend.

**So......how was that? It was long, back to the normal length I would say. I had fun writing this actually, sometimes I get a bit bored and get distracted by facebook, that's why it takes me so long to update sometimes. I stayed off facebook this time though just so I could post this for you! Please review....I'm aiming for 400 now, not with this chapter, cause that would never happen unless there was some kind of review fest...but anyway, within the next couple of chapters, I'd like to get to 400, think it can happen? I'm not too sure......that's all for now, sorry for rambling!**

**Emily.**


	29. The Pool and the Hot Tub

**Wow so 21 reviews for the last chapter....thanks guys! I'm glad you liked the fluff :D I didn't get one negative review for the last chapter and that's really built up my confidence. Usually at least one person picks up on something that I did wrong but nobody did this time....so thank you!! I haven't proof-read this chapter cause it's long and I'm kinda tired but I hope there's not many mistakes. Oh and I nearly got a tattoo today! I was just gonna get a little flower on the back of my shoulder but the guy asked me for ID and I'm not 18 till another 4 weeks so I'm gonna get one then! Anyway, the weekend begins....**

Lorelai woke up to an empty bed the next morning. She sat up and remembered where they were, the events of the night before flowing through her mind. She smiled and untangled her naked body from the sheets, grabbing the flannel Luke was wearing the day before and slipping into it. She walked downstairs, fastening the remaining buttons of the shirt, and made her way to the kitchen.

"Luke," she called.

"Kitchen," he replied. She found him stood by the stove, wearing only his swimming shorts.

"Something smells good," she said as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his exposed waist.

"I thought you'd want some bacon," he said.

"You know me so well." She picked up a slice of toast and nibbled on it as she watched Luke cook.

"I brought our luggage in, it's in the foyer."

"Ok, I'll unpack later." She seated herself at the breakfast bar and watched as he put the bacon onto a plate in front of her. "Where's your breakfast?" she asked.

"You just ate it," he replied.

"What, the toast was yours?"

"Yeah don't worry about it, I'll get some cereal."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to eat your breakfast," she said with a grin.

"Sure you didn't." He grinned back then went to prepare his breakfast.

"So what do you wanna do today?" she asked.

"I was thinking we could hang out in the pool this morning then go for a walk on the beach after lunch, you know, explore the area a little," he shrugged.

"Sounds good to me. Are you wearing those in the pool?" she asked, pointing to his shorts.

"Do you want me to?" he asked flirtatiously.

"Not really."

"Well then I might be persuaded to take them off." He walked back over to her with some cornflakes and left a tender kiss on her lips.

"Mmm I'm gonna take my stuff upstairs," she said, taking her plate over to the sink then leaving the kitchen. "I'll look for my bikini."

"Oh I don't think you'll really need it." She shrugged then disappeared into the foyer. Ten minutes later, Luke heard groaning come from the stairs. "Lorelai?" he asked.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get my suitcase upstairs," she replied, as if it were obvious.

"Have you been stood in that same position for ten minutes?" he asked incredulously. She was stood facing downstairs, her luggage rested on the third step as she held the handle, trying to drag it upstairs.

"It won't move," she complained.

"Why didn't you call me? I would have helped."

"I thought I could do it," she shrugged. He smiled then joined her on the steps.

"Step aside, I'll do it." She moved out of the way then watched Luke lift the large suitcase with what looked like very little effort. He walked up the stairs and deposited it in their bedroom.

"How did you do that?" she asked. "You made it look so easy." Luke shrugged modestly. "I'm so glad I have a strong man to carry things for me," she gushed.

"Don't start," he warned.

"But Luke, I wanna shout from the rooftops what a wonderful guy you are."

"Do it and I'm gone," he said gruffly.

"Aww you don't mean that," she teased as she followed him downstairs. He lifted her other suitcase and carried that up to their bedroom as well. Lorelai began searching through them until she pulled out two black scraps of material and dropped them on the bed. "Are you gonna stand there and watch me change?" she asked as she began unbuttoning the shirt she wore.

"Hell yeah," he replied, a slight blush rising in his cheeks. She pulled her bikini bottoms up her slim legs then took the shirt off and held the triangles in place.

"Will you tie me up?" she asked. Luke nodded and was stood behind her in a heartbeat. She closed her eyes as his fingers grazed her back while he tied the knot. He moved up to the halter strap around her neck and tied that too, showering kisses over her neck and shoulders in the process. "Luke," she moaned. "Save it for the pool." He pulled away and took her hand, guiding her back downstairs.

"Are you gonna call Rory?" he asked. "It's almost nine so she'll be awake."

"Yeah." She took the phone from the counter in the kitchen and dialled her parent's number. The maid answered again and they exchanged the usual pleasantries before she went to collect Emily.

"Lorelai hello," said Emily happily. She almost didn't sound like Emily Gilmore.

"Mom, you sound happy."

"I am, it's a great morning."

"Did you and dad....eww I don't even wanna think about it."

"Lorelai be quiet," she scolded.

"Well then what would be the point of calling you if I have to be quiet?" Emily sighed.

"Did you get to the house ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, did you know what car dad hired for us?"

"No," she replied.

"It's a corvette, it's amazing," she gushed. "You should have seen Luke's face when he turned the engine on; he was like a kid in a candy store." Luke gave her a stern look and shook his head.

"I had no idea Richard had hired such an expensive car."

"Well we love it; we can travel in style now."

"So are you having a good time so far?"

"Yeah we arrived about ten last night so we went straight to bed." There was a silence on the other line and Lorelai knew she had made the conversation awkward. "So err...we're gonna lounge by the pool this morning then walk on the beach after lunch."

"It sounds wonderful. Make sure you wear something warm, the wind will freeze you to death."

"We will. Is Rory there?" she asked.

"Yes she is, would you like to talk to her?"

"Of course," she replied excitedly. Lorelai heard Emily tell Rory her mom was on the phone then she passed it over. "Hey sweets," she said enthusiastically.

"Mama," said Rory, looking around for Lorelai, not realising she was talking through the phone.

"Are you having a good time with grandma and grandpa?"

"Yesh," she replied, still looking around.

"Are you being a good girl?"

"Yesh."

"Did you have fun playing Twister last night?"

"Yesh."

"Are you just gonna keep answering yes to everything I ask?" she asked knowingly.

"Yesh," she replied. Lorelai laughed and Rory began to giggle too. She'd missed that sound. She looked at Luke who was gesturing towards the phone.

"Rory I'm gonna put daddy on ok?"

"Dada," she exclaimed. Luke took the phone from her.

"Hey Ror," he said softly.

"Dada," she repeated.

"What did you have for breakfast?" he asked.

"Nana," she replied.

"Banana? I never would have guessed." Lorelai smiled at him.

"Nana ummy," she said.

"Was the banana yummy?"

"Yesh."

"Well I'm sorry I couldn't be there to make you breakfast this morning," he apologised. "We'll be back soon."

"Shoon," she repeated.

"Yes soon. Ok I'm gonna put mommy back on now, bye."

"Bye bye," she said, waving her hand. It had become a habit. Emily took the phone from her.

"Rory?" asked Lorelai.

"No it's me again," said Emily.

"Oh put her back on, I just wanna say something else," she begged. Emily agreed and gave the phone back to Rory.

"Is that Rory?" she asked.

"Mama," she exclaimed.

"I really miss you babe, we both do but we'll be back soon ok?"

"Shoon," she said.

"Yeah, we'll bring you a really good gift home," she promised. "Love you," she said sadly.

"Wove you," repeated Rory.

"Bye."

"Bye bye." Lorelai eyes filled up with tears and she quickly gave the phone to Luke.

"Lorelai?" asked Emily's voice.

"No it's Luke," he said.

"Oh where did Lorelai go?"

"To the bathroom," he lied. He pulled Lorelai into his arms and she buried her head in his chest.

"Ok well have a good weekend and make sure you both have a wonderful time."

"We will, thanks Emily." He put the phone back on the cradle and wrapped his other arm around Lorelai. "What's going on?" he asked.

"It's Rory, she's too damn cute. It makes me miss her even more," she sobbed.

"Hey come on, we'll be seeing her tomorrow night," he soothed.

"I know but it seems so far away."

"It'll fly by, the weekend's gonna be over before we know it so we should enjoy ourselves while we have the time alone right?" Lorelai looked up at him.

"Yeah I guess."

"I miss Rory too but she's ok where she is, we don't have to worry about her."

"I know, I just...I can't help but worry." He kissed her temple.

"Come on; show me where this pool is." She smiled weakly and took his hand, guiding him towards the indoor pool they were gonna have so much fun in.

"So this is it," she exclaimed as they walked through the big glass doors into the pool area.

"Wow," he said in awe. There was a big rectangular pool with steps leading down into the shallow area. On the pool floor, there was a deep blue mosaic dolphin with small orange mosaic fish surrounding it. "Your parents are rich," he said.

"Did you just figure that out now?"

"No but my god this place is like a palace."

"The Gilmores wouldn't have it any other way." He looked to the deep side of the pool where a circular pool was joined to it. Lorelai followed his gaze and smiled. "That would be the hot tub," she said excitedly.

"Well I gathered that," he replied sarcastically.

"I wonder how you turn it on," she frowned.

"You don't know?" He sighed in disappointment, maybe they wouldn't be getting up to anything in the hot tub after all.

"Well I know there are some controls somewhere," she said thoughtfully. "But I have no idea where and I don't know how to use them anyway."

"How about we go in the pool for now and call your dad later about the hot tub."

"Ok," she shrugged. Without warning, Luke picked up Lorelai and ran over to the pool, causing her to yelp in surprise. "Luke," she shrieked. "Put me down, don't you dare throw me in!" she warned. He stopped at the edge of the pool.

"Oh what are you gonna do?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I'll...." she hesitated. "I'll...I'll think of something later, when you least expect it."

"Ooh I'm scared."

"Well you should be, now put me down," she begged.

"As you wish." He put her on her feet in front of him and just as she began to steady herself, he pushed her backwards and she landed with a small splash in the pool. He watched her splutter as she recovered then open her eyes to glare at him.

"Luke," she said, feigning anger as she wiped the water from her eyes.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You pushed me!"

"I did not," he replied.

"Oh come on I didn't just fall in myself did I?"

"You were stood very close to the edge of the pool," he shrugged.

"That's your fault, you put me there."

"You were gonna go in anyway so what's the big deal?" She pouted at him.

"I could have died!" she exclaimed.

"Oh please."

"For all you know I might not be able to swim."

"Seeing as we've been to the pool before, I think you can," he replied sarcastically.

"It was still mean."

"You still love me though." She glared at him and he grinned in return. She couldn't stand it for much longer and a smile curved her lips too.

"You coming in?" she asked.

"I might sit here and watch you for a while." He sat on the edge of the pool, his legs dipping into the water.

"Aww but you have to get in." She swam over to him and pulled his legs apart, settling herself between them, using them to keep her afloat in the deep water. "I'm all lonely in here by myself," she pouted.

"Stop pouting already," he complained.

"But it works." Luke sighed and gestured for her to move away. She complied and watched as he dropped his body into the water gently. "Finally." She wrapped her arms and legs around him and kissed him softly.

"This water's freezing," he complained.

"Wuss."

"You have goosebumps," he said, running his fingers up and down her forearms.

"They're not cause of the water, they're cause of you."

"Likely story."

"No Luke seriously, you give me goosebumps," she said shyly. Luke blushed.

"So do I make you shake too?" He wrapped his arms tighter around her shivering body and skimmed his hands over her ass.

"Of course you do," she replied. "You give me the shivers."

"I think you're cold."

"I think I know the perfect way to warm up," she said, arching her eyebrows suggestively.

"I think I do too." Their lips came crashing together and they made out in the pool for a long ten minutes. When they found it hard to get into position in the water, Lorelai gave up and moved away from him.

"This isn't gonna work," she said with a frown. She saw the disappointment written across Luke's face.

"Ok uh...I guess I'll just stay here for a while, you know, to cool off a little," he said in embarrassment. Lorelai looked down into the water then an idea popped into her head.

"Wait here ok? I'll be right back." She pulled herself out of the pool and disappeared into the house, water dripping from her slim body. She emerged a few minutes later with two inflatable rings, an inflatable mattress and a beach ball.

"What are those?" he asked.

"Well these are for later," she said, dropping the rings and the ball. "But this," she held up the mattress. "Is for right now." She smiled cheekily as she waited for Luke to catch onto her idea. When realisation crossed his face, she put the mattress in the pool and sat down on the side.

"Is that gonna be big enough?" he asked, sizing the mat up.

"Yeah, it'll work," she shrugged. "You get on first," she ordered.

"Why do you get to go on top?" he argued.

"Because it was me that thought of this genius idea," she reminded him. He sighed in defeat then climbed out of the pool.

"Fine." He pulled the mattress to the edge of the pool and rolled onto it, failing miserably and landing in the water. Lorelai laughed loudly.

"Good show," she applauded.

"I'm glad you find this so amusing." He tried again and this time he successfully lay on his back on the firm mattress. "Right, I'm ready," he said. Lorelai nodded then carefully climbed on top of him but was also unsuccessful and the mattress flipped over, sending them both into the water.

"Ah," she screamed. They both laughed when they resurfaced. "This is fun," she exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled in irritation at the suspense. He was secretly happy that she was enjoying herself though, even if it was a strange situation. They climbed out of the pool and Luke lay on the mattress again. "Ok, try again," he said, giving her the go-ahead.

"Gladly," she replied enthusiastically. She swung her right leg over his body then brought her left over but she brought it too far and lost balance, once again falling into the water. "Damn it," she cursed when she reached the surface. Luke sighed heavily from his place on the mattress.

"Maybe we should just go upstairs," he shrugged.

"No, this is gonna work, it will work," she told herself. She carefully climbed onto him and this time found herself safely laid on top of him, the mattress dipping under the water slightly from both their weights. "Perfect," she whispered before they kissed passionately.

"We still have our bathing suits on," said Luke when they pulled away.

"Oh guess we didn't think about that huh?" Lorelai looked down at their bodies then pulled his boxers down at the front. Luke watched her then caught her drift and pulled her panties aside, granting him clear access. When he pushed forward slightly, Lorelai spoke up. "Can you imagine what my parents would say if they knew what we were doing right now? In their pool on their inflatable." She chuckled then looked into his exasperated eyes.

"Please don't talk about your parents right now," he said, not wanting to think about Emily and Richard at this moment in time.

"Their faces would be hilarious though," she gushed.

"Lorelai," he warned.

"Ok, ok, now let's do this." Luke smiled and they did exactly what she said.

Not ten minutes later, Luke and Lorelai fell into the cool water, breathing heavily. They floated on top of the water as they caught their breath then swam over to meet each other.

"I told you that'd work," she said happily.

"That was some experience," he observed.

"Yes it was, one we might have to re-enact before we leave."

"I have no objection to that," he replied cheekily.

"How about we find out how to work that hot tub now?" she asked eagerly.

"What are you some kind of sex addict?" he asked.

"No I'm getting chilly and the hot tub has warm water." Luke pulled Lorelai over to the side of the pool and climbed out, then helped her out too.

"There's gotta be some kinda switchboard around here somewhere," said Luke.

"Just call dad, he'll tell you where it is." Luke walked back into the house to get to the phone but something caught his eye on the wall. He pulled open the small door to find a series of switches, all with letters above them.

"I found it," he called. Lorelai hurried into the house and examined the switches.

"Which one's for the hot tub?" she asked. Luke looked at the letters above each switch.

"It's probably the one that says 'HT' above it," he said logically.

"Hmm, what if we break something?"

"We'll fix it," he shrugged. "It doesn't look like there's any other letters that relate to the hot tub so we might as well try it."

"Ok but I'm blaming you if the house burns down."

"The house is not gonna burn down." He flicked the switch and Lorelai rushed out to the pool to see bubbles start to form in the previously calm water.

"It's working," she exclaimed, running over to it and hopping in. She settled on the seat and relaxed in the warm water.

"I told you it was the right one didn't I?" he bragged.

"Alright you were right, I was wrong," she admitted.

"Did I just hear you admit that you were wrong?" he asked in surprise.

"Shut up and get in here," she ordered. Luke smirked then took a seat opposite Lorelai in the bubbling water. "Why so far away?" she asked longingly.

"Just in case," he said, putting his hands up.

"Scared you'll have the urge to jump me?"

"It's you I'm worried about, now I know what a huge sex addict you are."

"I am not a sex addict!" she argued.

"You keep telling yourself that, the only reason you wanted to get in the hot tub was so you could have your way with me."

"I'm appalled that you think that of me," she said in mock surprise.

"You'll get over it," he shrugged.

"Luke!" she exclaimed, kicking him in his private area under the water.

"Ow! If you do that then there won't be any sex at all," he warned.

"Why will I damage the goods?"

"Yes now behave." She grinned cheekily then brought her feet up to rest on his knees.

"This is great," she said happily.

"Yeah," he agreed blissfully.

"I'm hungry," she sighed.

"What's new?"

"What time is it?"

"I have no idea."

"I'm going to get a snack." She stood up from the water and Luke watched it cascade down her body. She walked into the house and into the kitchen in search of food. She looked through the fridge and found a king size Hershey bar. "Perfect," she said to herself. When she made it back out to the pool, she had already eaten half of it.

"Did you have to choose chocolate?" he asked as she settled back into her previous seat.

"Yep, it's yummy."

"It's full of sugar."

"Luke when has that ever bothered me before?" He sighed in defeat, once again. "It's an aphrodisiac," she said flirtatiously. His eyes shot up to meet hers and he smiled slightly.

"I know," he replied, moving forward a bit to get closer to her.

"I'm planning on eating the whole bar, imagine how horny I'll be," she said.

"Jeez, you have to ruin the moment don't you?" Lorelai laughed.

"I just like annoying you," she replied.

"Well it works," he grumbled.

"Come on, let's start over. Chocolate is an aphrodisiac you know," she repeated.

"Lorelai just eat it," he ordered.

"Ok but when I'm finished, things are gonna happen in this hot tub," she said. Luke couldn't help but smile as he sat in anticipation, waiting for her to finish the giant Hershey bar so they could explore another new found experience.

In Hartford, Rory was in living room in the pack and play that Emily had bought. She didn't like the small space she was in; she wanted to walk around freely like she did at home. Emily was on the phone in the other room and Rory could hear her faint voice arguing with somebody on the other line. She sighed to herself as she picked up Kermit the Frog and mumbled to him quietly.

Emily put the phone down; tired of arguing with the agency she hires her maids from. She had just fired another and the agency was getting fed up of it. She walked into the living room and saw Rory gurgling to her soft toy so she decided to leave her to it. Rory looked up as Emily turned around and left the room. Her eyes began to fill up with tears, she wasn't used to getting so little attention and she just wanted her mommy and daddy back. She began to cry and heard Emily's voice.

"Richard!" she shouted.

"I'm busy," replied Richard's faint voice from the study. Rory continued to sob.

"Richard can you see what's wrong with Rory? I'm in the middle of something." Richard sighed and stood up to see to his granddaughter. He opened the door of his study and walked into the living room to find her face red from crying so much.

"What's the matter darling?" he asked. Rory looked up at him and her sobs quietened a little. "I have work to do you know." She held her arms up to him, begging to be picked up. Richard lifted her to him and Rory smiled slightly. "Did you just want some attention?" he asked softly.

"Mama," she whispered.

"Are you missing your mom?" He had a feeling Rory was going to get a little upset that Lorelai wasn't around; they were very close after all.

"Mama gone," she said sadly.

"She's coming back tomorrow," he promised.

"Dada?" she questioned.

"He's coming back too," he replied, still getting used to referring to Luke as Rory's dad.

"Richard is she ok?" called Emily.

"Yes she's fine, she was wanted some attention," he informed. Emily didn't reply. "Why don't you come into my study and we'll read a book?" Rory grinned up at him.

"Wed Hood," she said, meaning Little Red Riding Hood.

"Wed Hood?" asked Richard in confusion.

"Wed Hood," she repeated. Richard sighed and carried her into his study.

"I bet you like children's books don't you?"

"Book," said Rory excitedly.

"Let's read something a bit more advanced," he suggested, scanning his book collection. He put Rory in his office chair and she admired it with interest. "Ah, To Kill a Mockingbird," he exclaimed. "Perfect." He took the book from his collection and settled Rory into his lap as he got comfortable in the chair.

"Book," repeated Rory.

"I bet you haven't read this one before," he said knowingly. Rory opened the book, wondering why it was so much bigger than the books she normally read, and pointed to the first page. "No, that's the title page," he explained. He skipped a couple of pages then settled on the beginning of the first chapter. As he finished the first page, he reached his hand out to turn the page but Rory stopped him.

"No, me," she said, quickly turning the page over herself before Richard had a chance.

"Oh do you like to turn the pages?" he asked. "Soon you'll be able to read it all by yourself won't you?" Rory looked up at him and pointed to the next page.

"Wead," she ordered.

"Sorry I've gotten distracted haven't I?" Rory nodded her head, waiting for him to resume reading. After three pages, he felt Rory lean back against him and sigh. He smiled; enjoying the closeness he was sharing with his granddaughter and continued to read softly to her.

"Richard have you seen Rory?" asked Emily. She walked into the study and saw them reading the book together. "Oh, I thought she'd escaped the pack and play," she said in relief.

"No I don't think she likes it very much in there," he said. "Lorelai lets her roam around freely."

"But Lorelai lives in a shed," said Emily pointedly. "It's the size of a tent."

"Now Emily, she's done well for herself these past few months. At least she's not living on the street." Emily exhaled.

"I know, I just thought Rory could get hold of something and hurt herself, the pack and play seemed like a safe option."

"I'll keep an eye on her, she's used to getting a lot of attention and we haven't been able to give her much today."

"So you're reading her a book?" she asked, her lips curving into a smile.

"Yes, To Kill a Mockingbird," he replied.

"That's hardly appropriate," she argued. "It's not something a one year old should be hearing."

"It's fine Emily," he replied patiently.

"I've read that book Richard, it's all about criminals."

"It is not."

"Rory shouldn't be reading it."

"Do you really think she understands a word I'm saying?" he asked incredulously.

"What if she picks up on words she shouldn't? I don't think Lorelai would be very happy if Rory went round repeating the word 'negro'."

"Emily, calm down, I'm leaving out the words she shouldn't hear. I think she's more interested in turning the pages than what I'm saying." Emily stared at him for a few moments before nodding.

"Ok but I'm coming to get her in a half an hour, we're going to the mall."

"Yes dear," he said, not really paying attention to Emily. He looked down at the book and continued from where he left off when Emily interrupted them. She shook her head in bewilderment then left the study, hoping to find something to occupy herself for the next half an hour.

Luke and Lorelai were stood in the kitchen cleaning up after lunch. Luke had made hot dogs, much to Lorelai's satisfaction.

"Lunch was great, thank you," she said sweetly as she towel-dried a plate.

"It was hot dogs, it wasn't hard," he replied.

"They were nice though," she shrugged. "So are we gonna go to the beach?"

"I don't think so, look outside." He gestured towards the window and Lorelai's mouth dropped open.

"It wasn't raining before," she said in disappointment. The rain was heavy and a stroll along the beach was definitely out of the question.

"We can find something else to do," he shrugged. "We'll go to the beach when the rain stops."

"Ooh can we go shopping?" she asked.

"Shopping, that's how you want to spend our weekend away?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"You can shop in Hartford."

"But they might have different stores here and we need to buy Rory a gift." Luke looked at her pouting face and found himself agreeing. "Thank you! Thank you!" she screamed. "I'll go get my coat." She abandoned the towel and cutlery she was drying and raced towards the door.

"Aren't you gonna finish the dishes?" he asked.

"But we have shopping to do."

"It's only twelve thirty, we have plenty of time." Lorelai's shoulders drooped and she dragged herself back over to the sink.

"Fine." Luke smiled. "I'll go get our coats and see if there's an umbrella anywhere."

"We don't need one," she said. "My hair's already wet from the pool and we only have to walk to the car."

"Are we going to the mall?"

"Of course," she said in a duh tone.

"You could have meant outdoor shopping."

"Why would I suggest that when it's bouncing it down outside?" Luke shrugged. "Now go get our things so we can go," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am." She smiled cheekily at him and finished drying the dishes. Luke shrugged into his jacket then helped Lorelai put hers on. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yep, I'm always ready to shop," she said happily. She threw her purse over her shoulder then they rushed over to the car after locking the door up. "Quick unlock it," she squealed as the rain beat down on them. They jumped into the sports car and Luke turned the engine on, his face lit up again. "You just love that sound don't you?" she asked.

"I still can't get over the fact I'm driving a corvette," he grinned from ear to ear.

"Hmm nice story now drive," she said impatiently. After three wrong turns, all Lorelai's fault, they found the mall they were looking for. Luke found a space near the entrance and parked the car proudly. He got out and helped Lorelai at her side, locking the car up and making a run for the entrance. "Damn weather," complained Lorelai once they were inside.

"It'll stop," he assured. She sighed and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "Now let's get this over with," he grumbled, secretly happy that he was spending time with her but keeping his 'I can't stand shopping' front.

"Come on, let's get Rory's gift first so we know we've got it." She dragged him along with her as she searched for the toy store.

"It's there," he said, pointing to large store to their left.

"Ooh well done," she squealed, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the entrance. "Aww look at these," she exclaimed, pointing to a big display of soft toys. "They're so cute, aren't they cute Luke?" She turned around to look at him and saw his less than amused expression. She sighed and turned her whole body to stand in front of him. "Will you cheer up? We're looking for a gift for Rory, you like Rory right?" He continued to look at her. "Right?" He rolled his eyes.

"Right," he confirmed.

"So we're doing this for her, can you at least look like you wanna be here?" Luke saw the hurt in her usually bright blue eyes and frowned. Did she really think he didn't wanna be here with her? That he'd rather be doing something else?

"Ok," he agreed quietly. Lorelai nodded and turned around to study the soft toys again. Luke watched her from behind with concern but quickly smiled when she turned to him.

"Do you think she'll like this one?" she asked, holding up a stuffed bunny.

"Well she already has a bunny," he said. He stepped around her and looked over the selection. "What about this?" He held up a stuffed hen and Lorelai smiled at him, glad that he was taking part.

"Yeah, I think she'll like that one." She took it from him and examined it.

"Should we get her something else too?" he asked.

"We could get her some candy or something," she shrugged.

"Or a bunch of bananas," he joked. Lorelai's smile widened.

"We could get her this too." She held up a stuffed banana with her free hand and Luke chuckled.

"She'd probably try to eat it," he said.

"Yeah but once she realises it's furry, she won't attempt it again."

"Ok we'll get her this one instead." He took the banana from her and tucked it under his arm.

"But I still want the hen," she pouted.

"We only need one," he said.

"But I like the hen," she argued. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Fine we will buy the hen but Rory is having both of them," he warned.

"Why don't I get to keep him?"

"Because you're too old for soft toys."

"I am not!"

"Lorelai I am not going to argue with you in a toy store, I'm gonna go pay for these."

"Fine I'm gonna go find a restroom; I'll meet you out there." Luke nodded and watched her walk away. So far their trip to the mall hadn't gone so well, they had argued more than they had the whole time they'd been together. He could tell Lorelai was mad at him, he knew it was over something stupid but she liked to stand her ground and wouldn't stop till she got what she wanted.

He made his way over to the cash register but stopped when something caught his attention. There was a cute teddy bear holding a large heart that read, 'I love you yummy mommy'. He picked it up and examined it a bit more before deciding to buy it for Lorelai. He needed to make it up to her somehow. Once he had checked out, he took the shopping bag and went to wait outside the store for Lorelai. She emerged five minutes later, smiling tightly.

"Did you get them?" she asked. He nodded. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing, I paid for them, it's ok," he assured. Lorelai looked at him for a few seconds.

"Ok," she agreed. "So let's get going I guess," she said, disappointment washing over her. She turned around and walked in the direction they came in, towards the exit.

"Lorelai wait." He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him.

"What?" she asked in irritation.

"What happened in there?" he asked. She sighed.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I'm mad at you."

"Is it cause I said you were too old for soft toys?" he pushed.

"I guess it was that you were trying to change me somehow. You were saying I'm too old for soft toys but I like them, I don't wanna change that."

"I wasn't trying to change you; I love you for who you are." Lorelai shrugged her shoulders and looked at the floor. "I got you something." Her eyes shot up as he reached into the bag and pulled out the bear he had bought for her. "I thought you'd like it," he said lamely. Lorelai took it from him and smiled softly.

"I love you too yummy daddy," she replied, throwing her arms around his neck. Luke smiled and put his arms around her waist.

"I think that phrase only works for mommies," he said against her hair. She smiled into his shoulder and pulled back to look at him.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "And I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me."

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "Just remember that I never want you to change, except maybe your eating habits," he said. She pulled away from him completely and clutched the bear in her hands.

"Face it, I will always eat junk and I will always remain a yummy mommy, the burgers have no effect on me whatsoever."

"Keep dreaming."

"Oh I will and then you can see all my dreams come true," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, now where to next?" he asked.

"I was thinking a clothing store."

"You couldn't possibly need more clothes."

"Need no, want yes," she corrected. "Now, this one looks good." Luke followed her over to the store and watched her look at various garments then pass them to him, telling him to add them to her 'trying on' pile.

"We're gonna have to buy another suitcase," he said as he looked at the large stack of clothes draped over his arm.

"I'm not getting all of them Luke, I'm not made of money. I just have some choices," she explained. "I'm going to the changing rooms, you coming?" Luke nodded and once again followed her. He set all the clothes down then left the cubicle, telling her he'd wait outside. "You don't have to leave; you can give me your opinion."

"You're not gonna listen to my advice on clothes," he pointed out.

"Uh...yes I will cause if you think it looks good on me, that's all that matters."

"Are you sure you don't want some flannels to try on?"

"What's the point of buying me some when I can just wear yours?" she asked. Luke shook his head and watched as she slipped into a red dress. "Zip me up?" Luke quickly stood up and pulled the zipper to the top.

"I like this," he said, moving his hands down rest on her hips from behind as he looked at her in the mirror.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah it's sexy," he whispered. Lorelai felt shivers running down her spine. "It's perfect for tonight."

"What's happening tonight?" she asked with intrigue.

"I made us dinner reservations at the Detente Restaurant and Wine Bar," he replied. "It's meant to be one of the most romantic restaurants on the island."

"Hmm sounds amazing and if the food's good you might get lucky tonight," she winked.

"Oh I will get lucky tonight," he said, pretty sure of himself.

"Someone's confident."

"Well when your girlfriend's a sex addict, it's kinda implied," he shrugged.

"Luke!" she exclaimed, playfully hitting his arm. "Now who's spoiling the moment?"

"You walked right into it," he replied, laughing at her bemused expression. "Ok I'll wait outside till you're done but we're buying that dress," he told her. She smiled and nodded her head.

"If you insist."

An hour later, Lorelai and Luke were wandering around Sears.

"Let's go to the guy section," she suggested.

"I don't need any new clothes," he protested.

"You need something to wear tonight," she reasoned. "It sounds like a posh restaurant." Luke realised she was right. He hadn't brought anything dressy and he couldn't just wear flannel and worn out jeans.

"Ok but one outfit and that's it," he warned.

"Of course," she replied. They reached the men's department and Lorelai began searching for something of Luke's taste. "How about this?" she asked, holding up a blue shirt. "It brings out your eyes."

"Yeah uh...sure," he shrugs.

"You have to try it on. Now we need some slacks," she pondered. Luke waited by the shirts as Lorelai wandered off. When she returned, she'd chosen three different pairs.

"What are those?" he asked.

"Slacks," she replied obviously.

"Why are there three pairs?"

"Cause I couldn't decide so you have to try them to see which looks best." Luke simply agreed, knowing there was no point in arguing with her. After fifteen minutes of Lorelai dressing Luke, staring at his butt and staring at him, she finally decided on a simple black pair that went nicely with the shirt.

"Can we pay now?" he asked as they left the dressing room.

"Wait I wanna look at clothes for Rory," she said. "She's on a growth spurt again and I don't have the time to make her new ones."

"Sure," he agreed. In the baby department, Lorelai immediately found something that she had to buy.

"Luke look!" she exclaimed. "Baby flannel PJs!"

"Jeez, you just love mocking me don't you?"

"Yeah I do," she said cheekily. "We have to buy these they are so adorable," she gushed. "You and Rory can match."

"Ok we'll get them but no more baby flannel items," he said sternly. She agreed and moved onto the next rack.

"This would look so cute on Rory," she said, picking up a winter suit with bunny ears on the hood.

"She has a winter suit," said Luke.

"Yeah but can you imagine Rory dressed up as a bunny?" she asked. Luke rolled his eyes, knowing he was going to lose the argument, once again.

"Put it in the cart," he sighed.

"Yay!" She picked up a few basic long sleeve t-shirts and a pair of jeans then Luke dragged her to the cash register.

"That'll do for now," he said. "We can buy more in Hartford if we need it."

"Ok," she pouted. "Wait," she called, rushing over to a display she had seen. "Look at these!" Luke followed her over and saw exactly what she was referring to.

"No way, we are not getting those," he refused.

"But Luuuke, they're so cute," she whined. She picked up a t-shirt that read 'I'm the daddy' across the front. "This would suit you," she said thoughtfully. She picked up another that read 'I'm the mommy'. "And this is my size too!"

"Are you seriously expecting me to wear that t-shirt?" he asked.

"It's something to show that the adoption's gone through," she said, a hint of longing in her eyes. Luke could tell these shirts meant a lot to her, he didn't understand why but he gave in anyway.

"Ok we'll buy them but don't expect me to wear it all the time," he said. He picked up the t-shirt reading 'I'm the baby' and added it to their cart.

"Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek lightly then making their way to the checkout.

That evening, Lorelai walked down the stairs to find Luke waiting for her in the foyer. She saw his eyes light up when she appeared and watched his eyes move up and down her body, taking in her appearance. When she stopped in front of him, his eyes were on her chest.

"My face is up here," said Lorelai, snapping him out of his trance.

"Oh...uh..."

"It's ok, you're allowed to check me out," she assured. Luke chuckled.

"You look beautiful," he said, letting his eyes dance down her body once more, making her blush. "You ready to go?" he asked.

"I'm just gonna call my mom, Rory should be going to sleep soon so I'm just gonna check up." Luke nodded and watched Lorelai punch in the number. "Mom hi," she said happily.

"Lorelai, how's your day been?" asked Emily eagerly.

"It's been good. We went in the pool this morning then after lunch we went shopping cause it was raining."

"Oh it's raining here too," she said. "It looks like it's going to snow."

"What I'm gonna miss the snow?" she worried.

"I'm sure you'll be back before it gets here," she said. "So what are your plans for tonight?"

"We're just about to go out to dinner," she said.

"Oh where?" Emily was familiar with most of the restaurants in the Vineyard from visiting so often with Richard.

"Detente," she replied.

"Oh it's marvellous there," gushed Emily. "It's quite small, very romantic," she said knowingly.

"Err....great," she replied awkwardly. "So how's Rory been today?"

"She's doing fine, she got a bit upset earlier but she just wanted some attention. I think we left her in the pack and play for too long."

"Yeah she hates those things, she likes to roam around."

"Well I didn't want her to hurt herself when we weren't looking so I thought it'd be a good idea," defended Emily.

"Mom I wasn't criticising you, I was just saying."

"Anyway Richard took her and read her a book."

"Oh yeah, which book did they read?" Emily hesitated.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," she said.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," she said thoughtfully. "Isn't that the one where that innocent guy gets shot cause he's from a different race?"

"Yes I told Richard it was inappropriate but he wouldn't listen to me," rambled Emily.

"Mom it's fine, Rory won't understand it anyway," she dismissed.

"I didn't know if you'd be mad."

"Nah I'm way too cool," she replied with a smile. "So is Rory there?"

"She's in the living room with your father; he's reading her a bedtime story. She keeps asking for something called Wed Hood, do you know what that is?" asked Emily confusedly. Lorelai smiled to herself.

"It's Little Red Riding Hood, she can't say it properly," she explained.

"Oh, she's been saying it all day."

"I put some books in the bottom of her suitcase, it might be in there."

"Ok I'll have a look, have a nice evening," she said sincerely.

"You too mom, tell Rory goodnight and that I love her."

"I will, goodnight." They hung up and Luke took her hand.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm starving." It was a short drive to the restaurant but it took them a little while to find it because it was well hidden. Luke parked the corvette and helped Lorelai out before guiding her inside, his hand on the small of her back. They walked through the entrance and Lorelai looked around in amazement. "Wow, this place is great."

"Yeah," agreed Luke. The waiter showed them to their table and lit two candles in the middle. He gave them their menus and told them he'd be back in a little while to take their orders. They glanced at the menu and Lorelai's eyes opened wide in shock.

"Luke," she hissed. "This place is expensive."

"I know but it's something special right?"

"Well yeah, judging by these prices I'd say it's something special."

"This is a special weekend so we deserve a special meal," he reasoned. "Anyway it's my treat, don't worry about it."

"You always pay for me," she said quietly while smiling.

"As I've said before, the guy pays on a date, always."

"I know, you're the perfect gentleman." He took her hand over the table and the waiter came up to take their drink orders.

"I'll have sparkling water please," said Luke. The waiter turned to Lorelai.

"And I'll have a glass of white wine," she said confidently. The waiter surveyed her for a moment then nodded and wrote it down.

"Coming right up," he said before walking away to get their drinks. Lorelai smiled over at Luke.

"Did you see that? I just passed for twenty one!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, you do look very dressed up tonight though."

"Ha I can't believe I just ordered alcohol and got away with it, that's never happened before," she said proudly.

"You'd better shut up before the waiter hears you and brings you sparkling water," he warned. She grinned at him and leant over the table to kiss him.

"Thank you for this weekend, it's been great so far."

"Yeah it has," he agreed as the waiter brought their drinks over.

A couple of hours later, they made it back to the house with a few stumbles from Lorelai.

"I shouldn't have had that third glass of wine," she said.

"I think you got a bit carried away with the fact that they were serving you," he said as he supported her. They stepped into the living room and Lorelai fell onto the couch.

"It was really good wine too, sometimes wine can be really gross and strong and just gross," she babbled drunkenly.

"Ok crazy lady wait here, I'll be right back." Luke went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He found some beer on the bottom shelf and picked out a bottle for himself before joining Lorelai in the living room again.

"What's that?" she asked, looking at his ice cold beer longingly.

"Beer," he answered.

"Where'd you find that?"

"In the fridge." He opened it with his teeth and took a long sip.

"I want some," she pouted.

"You're already tipsy," he said.

"But I wanna be drunk, like stupid drunk. Come on we don't have any responsibility tonight, we don't have Rory so what's stopping us?" Luke stared at her thoughtfully. "I haven't been crazy drunk in such a long time, I wanna experience it again." Luke sighed and looked at her pouting face.

"I'll get us some beers," he said. He came back with eleven bottles, plus the one he'd already opened. He opened another one for Lorelai and watched her take a few sips.

"It's been almost two years since I've been drunk," she began.

"Really?"

"Yeah, the last time was the night Rory was um.....you know...made," she finished lamely. Luke nodded. They both took tentative sips of their alcoholic beverages, both preparing to get very drunk and have a serious hangover in the morning.

Twelve beer bottles later, Lorelai and Luke were laid on the couch giggling like idiots.

"Then she came upstairs and told me to hurry up cause the photographer was waiting. But I couldn't zip my dress up, I was....I was too fat," she said, trying to contain her laughter. They both burst out laughing again, the story not really all that funny but to the two drunken teens it was hilarious.

"I can't believe you were gonna have a coming out party," mocked Luke.

"Wasn't my idea," she argued, still chuckling.

"What happens at those things?"

"Well you walk down some stairs with your dad, curtsey to your boyfriend then he leads you off somewhere," she explained, smiling at the fact that she got away with it. "And then....this is the best part," she said, a few giggles escaping from within her.

"What tell me," he begged.

"All the girls...get in a...circle and do a stupid...fan dance," she said through her laughter.

"Fan dance?" he asked, laughing too.

"Yeah it's completely stupid but so hilarious to watch." They erupted with laughter again and both fell to the floor, sending them even crazier. "I like beer," said Lorelai decisively as she sobered.

"Me too," agreed Luke.

"Luke I'm horny," she said suggestively.

"Sex addict," he mumbled, bursting into laughter again.

"That's not funny," she whined, failing not to laugh. She crawled up next to him and pushed him flat on his back. "We're gonna do it right here on Emily Gilmore's carpet," she said, swinging her leg over his thighs.

"That's bad," said Luke with a nod.

"Emily would freak."

"She'd never talk to us again."

"It'd be wonderful, we'd better make sure we leave a stain," she muttered before closing the gap between their faces. From there, their surroundings disappeared around them as they engaged in their drunken activity, neither one thinking about the consequences.

**I have something planned for this fic....but it's a secret lol, wait and see. So please tell me what you thought, was it as good as the last chapter? I don't wanna seem greedy but I need 28 reviews to get to 400 and I'm thinking that maybe it's possible with this chapter....do you think so? It's up to all you readers. So just leave a teeny tiny comment, thanks :D **

**Emily.**


	30. What Happened Last Night?

**Hey :D look at this....another update in what two days? Wow! And I've hit a milestone....30 chapters, my longest story so far! Thank you to all my wonderful readers and reviewers, I'm sorry about the cliffhanger. So 21 reviews for the last chapter, not quite my target but thank you all the same, it's still loads! So I'm thinking we can get to 400 with this chapter, aren't you? **

**First a few replies to some reviews I couldn't message to:**

**Anonymous – 'Reader': Sorry if I've overplayed the pouting thing. In the show it always seemed like Luke gave into the pout but I might have used it too much :S I apologise and will try to fix this from now on so hopefully it won't bug you so much. I hope you like the story though.**

**SarahLouisex3: Thanks for reviewing twice lol, you didn't have to ;) just wanted to say happy 18****th**** in three weeks time lol, I saw you're from the UK on your profile so you'll be going out! I can't wait to turn 18 I'm fed up of being refused for alcohol haha :D**

**Anyway, on with the story....it's kinda rushed cause I wanted to post and I was on facebook again :O sorry if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes cause I haven't proof-read it either! Oops, enjoy anyway.**

Luke woke with an aching back and a throbbing head the next morning. He moved into a sitting position but quickly lay back down when his head started spinning. He groaned and looked over at Lorelai next to him, that's when he realised they were naked on the living room floor.

"What happened last night?" he asked himself. He spotted the empty beer bottles on the coffee table and winced when a shooting pain ran through his head. "Lorelai," he said, attempting to wake her up.

"Head hurts," she mumbled, not opening her eyes.

"Wake up." He shook her gently and she groaned unhappily, silently begging him to stop.

"This bed is really uncomfortable," she said, her eyes still closed.

"We're not in bed," he told her.

"Huh?"

"We're on the living room floor."

"What?" She quickly opened her eyes and moved to sit up. "Ow, my head," she complained.

"It seems we got pretty drunk last night," he said quietly, it wasn't something he normally did.

"Hmm I don't remember anything."

"Me either, last I remember we got back from the restaurant and sat on the couch, it's all blank from there."

"I remember that fancy restaurant." She looked down at each of their bodies. "Well three guesses at what we did last night," she teased. Luke blushed and moved to sit up slowly.

"Man my head is pounding," he grumbled.

"Tell me about it, it's been ages since I've consumed this much alcohol," she said, gesturing to the empty bottles.

"I've never consumed this much alcohol," replied Luke.

"Oh my god, we have to get to flight back to Boston. We should have stopped after a few beers, how could I be so stupid?" she said.

"Relax, we've got ages till we have to be at the airport."

"But I promised myself I wouldn't drink after Rory was born, I don't want her to see me like this." She waved her arms around in front of her body.

"I'm sure it'll have worn off by the time we get to Hartford," he assured her. "Why don't you put some clothes on and I'll make my special hangover cure."

"I thought you didn't drink."

"I don't, I usually make it for Miss Patty," he shrugged.

"Ok I'll be down in a few minutes." Luke nodded and watched Lorelai slowly pull herself to her feet and put on Luke's shirt from the night before. As she was about to leave the room, she noticed something on the carpet. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to spot next to Luke. He looked down and shrugged his shoulders. "Is that a stain?"

"Err...yeah."

"Emily's gonna freak if she sees that," she shouted.

"Pipe down," complained Luke, rubbing his forehead.

"I need to get that stain out; the last thing I want or need is for my mom to find something to yell at me for. We're finally getting along and something like this will send her back into the old Emily Gilmore."

"Calm down, we'll get it out," he soothed.

"I'm gonna look for some stain remover in the kitchen," she said before rushing out of the room, her hangover seemingly forgotten about. Luke sighed and stood up, picking up their discarded clothing and folding them into a pile, putting on his boxers from the night before. He picked up as many bottles as he could carry and took them into the kitchen with him, throwing them in the trash. "Found some," exclaimed Lorelai, holding up the cleaning product triumphantly. She sauntered into the living room and Luke got to work on a cure for their post-drunken states.

"You get it out?" he asked when she finally reappeared in the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's back to Emily's standards," she replied, letting out a small sigh.

"Here, it'll help your head," said Luke, handing a glass filled with light orange liquid.

"What is it?"

"My special hangover mix, it tastes terrible but it does the trick," he shrugged. Lorelai sniffed it then wrinkled her nose.

"It smells worse than Rory before you change her diaper," she commented.

"Take a sip," he said. Lorelai hesitated then drank some.

"Ugh it's gross," she complained.

"Believe me, you'll feel better afterwards. Your choice," he shrugged.

"Fine." She held her nose then quickly gulped down the 'hangover cure'. She slammed the empty glass on the counter and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Eww." Luke rinsed his own glass then Lorelai's and left them to drain.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"I feel like I'm gonna barf."

"It'll wear off. What do you say we change then go for a walk on the beach, get some fresh air?"

"Yeah we never got to go to the beach yesterday," she said thoughtfully.

"Now's our chance."

"I need to shower first."

"We'll shower when we get back," he said, stepping closer to her.

"We?" she questioned.

"Well it's one place we haven't done it yet." Luke blushed at his own forwardness but tried to hide it with a smile.

"You know another place we haven't?" she asked seductively.

"Enlighten me."

"The beach," she whispered, raising an eyebrow.

"No," he said sternly.

"Why not?"

"Because there is no way I'm doing that on a beach in broad daylight," he warned.

"Oh please Luke, pleeeaaaase," she pouted.

"Stop with the pouting, you've been getting your own way all weekend and I'm taking a stand. I'm saying no," he said.

"I haven't been that bad," she replied, a little saddened.

"Yes you have, you've been acting like a spoiled child," he said, exasperated.

"Luke."

"I'm sorry ok but it's true. We went in the toy store and bought two bears cause you wanted the hen, then I said you were too old for them and you stormed off sulking so I had to buy something else for you."

"You didn't have to, I didn't ask you to," she mumbled while looking down at the floor. Luke ignored her comment.

"Then we go to a clothes store and you drag me round telling me I need this and that when I know I don't but you get it all anyway. You never listen to what I want." There was a hint of longing in his voice, longing for his opinion to matter. Lorelai stood in silence for a couple of minutes before looking up at him.

"I do listen," she argued.

"No you don't," he argued back. "Every time you want something and I say no, you pout and get mad so I feel as though I have to agree to keep you," he admitted sadly. "I don't want things to be like that, I want a say in the relationship."

"Ok," she shrugged.

"I'm gonna go shower," he said, walking towards the door.

"I thought we were gonna shower when we got back," she reminded him. Luke looked back at her and shrugged before disappearing up the stairs, leaving a confused Lorelai standing in the kitchen. She thought about the things Luke had said to her, had she really been acting like that? She thought it was harmless banter, them arguing and she getting her way, she thought that was how Luke liked things to be. She sighed and went to clean up the remaining beer bottles on the coffee table, Luke's words rolling around in her mind.

Luke took his time in the shower, not wanting to face his girlfriend yet. It was rare that they had fights but when it happened it was hard for them to get over. Maybe it was because of the lack of experience they had in the dating thing or maybe it was just the two of them. He shut off the water and stepped onto the cool tile floor, wrapping a towel around his waist. He padded out to the bedroom and proceeded to dry and dress himself, taking longer than necessary. As he was leaving the bedroom, he bumped into Lorelai and nearly sent her flying.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's ok," she shrugged, not knowing if he meant he was sorry about nearly sending her to the floor or for yelling at her earlier. "I'm just gonna change," she said, pushing past him to get into their room. Luke nodded then made his way downstairs to wait for her.

They walked out of the house, Lorelai wrapped in her coat with her arms folded across her chest and Luke's hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. They walked in silence down to the private beach then Luke stopped once they reached the sand. Lorelai noticed he'd paused and turned to face him, a small, barely visible smile sitting on her lips.

"Are we...ok?" he asked hesitantly, not sure how to address the situation. Lorelai simply shrugged her shoulders. "Lorelai?" he asked.

"What?" she snapped.

"Why are you mad at me? I was just telling you the truth," he told her.

"Well sometimes the truth hurts," she spat.

"Look, you're doing it again. You can't stand it when someone says something you don't wanna hear." Lorelai looked down at her feet, swirling them around in the sand.

"I just...." She didn't know what to say. Deep down she knew she was in the wrong; she just didn't wanna admit it. She knows she's been walking all over Luke, getting her own way all the time but she couldn't help herself. "I'm sorry," she said, barely audibly. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with fresh tears.

"Don't get upset," he said, his voice softening. "I just wanted things to be different."

"I know, I'm a horrible person," she sniffed. "I admit I've been getting carried away lately but I....I can't help it."

"Look, just try to tone it down a little ok?" He stepped closer to her and planted his hands on her shoulders. "I can deal with the little thing now and again but five times a day is too much," he tried to add some light-heartedness to the situation. "Rory looks up to you so much and she's copying everything you do. She's becoming pretty good at the pouting thing and I don't want her to be like that. I want her to have everything she needs but sometimes we have to say no ok? If I let you have what you want all the time, Rory's gonna want that too and I don't want her to be a spoiled brat." He smiled down at her.

"Me either," she replied quietly, looking up into his eyes.

"So you think we can tone down the pouting?" he asked, that bright smile he saved only for Lorelai and Rory shining through. She wrapped her arms and around him and smiled back.

"Yeah, I'll try not to act so childish," she said into his shirt.

"Ok now let's walk before we freeze to death." Luke released her but kept a hold on her hand as they walked down the beach together.

"I'm getting sand in my sneakers," said Lorelai, shuffling her feet around in her shoes.

"Take 'em off," shrugged Luke.

"But it's freezing."

"So you can soak them in hot water when we get back." Lorelai smiled and removed her shoes and socks, holding them between her fingers then taking Luke's hand again.

"I feel better now," she said. "That orange stuff really works."

"Told you, Patty begs me for that stuff after she's had too much punch."

"Well now I know where to go to cure a hangover," she said. "Not that I'm gonna be drinking again anytime soon."

"So did you used to drink a lot before Rory?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, there was always some kind of rich kid party going on," she replied. "Looking back on it now, I don't know why I used to do it, it was stupid."

"Maybe you wanted to escape from things," he shrugged.

"Maybe, every time I got drunk it made my mom mad," she admitted. "I think it was just something to do, to kill my boredom. I wouldn't do it just to make her mad now; we've made too much progress to ruin it."

"Do you think alcohol changes you?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was always the smartest kid in my class, always. But after I'd had a few drinks, I turned into someone I wasn't, somebody who hates everything, my parents, my house, my life. I never wanted to feel like that but I did. Wow this conversation has gotten serious," she joked.

"You're right, sorry," he said. Lorelai smiled.

"You wanna go in the ocean?" she asked. Luke eyed her sceptically.

"It's like forty degrees."

"We can just dip our feet in, I didn't mean swim."

"I'll watch," he replied. Lorelai was going to push him further but remembered their previous argument and stopped herself, simply nodding in agreement.

"Can you hold my shoes?" she asked.

"Sure." He stepped closer to the water and watched her cautiously dip a toe in.

"Ah it's like an ice cube!" she exclaimed. Luke chuckled at how much of a wimp she was. "What are you laughing at?" she asked cheekily.

"You," he replied.

"I'm gonna go in," she assured. "I just need to get used to it."

"Well you're not gonna get used to it standing on the sand," he pointed out. She scowled at him and dipped her foot in, quickly pulling it out at the harsh cold of the water. When she saw Luke's amused expression, she rolled up her jeans and waded into the water, showing him that he was wrong.

"See! I told you I'd go in," she called, her teeth chattering.

"Yeah now you just have to stop your whole body shaking," he said sardonically.

"I'm not cold," she denied, her body telling a different story.

"It's freezing, come out of there before you catch your death," he ordered.

"But I'm getting used to it," she said, her teeth still chattering.

"Fine but when you've got a cold don't expect me to take care of you," he warned. He turned around and began walking further down the beach.

"Ok Luke I'm coming," she called to his retreating body. She hopped out of the water and raced to catch up with him. "Man it was cold in there."

"You didn't have to go in," he shrugged.

"I wanted to wipe that smirk off your face," she replied, grinning at him. He chuckled then wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

"You cold?" he asked.

"I'm ok, it's just my feet."

"Do you wanna go back to the house?"

"No I like it out here, let's sit down," she suggested. They found a suitable spot and fell down into the sand.

"I've had a good time this weekend," admitted Luke.

"Good, me too," she agreed. "Oh no," she said.

"What?"

"I didn't call mom this morning," she answered. "I totally forgot."

"It's ok, I'm sure she won't mind."

"I wanted to talk to Rory," she said sadly.

"She'll be ok; we'll see her tonight anyway."

"Hmm I'm just being silly," she said, shaking her head.

"No you're not, I know you miss her."

"And you do too?"

"Correct," he said. "You wanna go back soon? We haven't really eaten yet."

"Just a few more minutes," she replied. Luke smiled and she leant into him, pulling his arms around her to keep her warm.

That afternoon, Lorelai and Luke were in the bedroom packing up their suitcases. Luke had finished almost fifteen minutes ago, only having a small amount but Lorelai still had half of hers to organise so Luke was helping her.

"You didn't even use like a quarter of this stuff," he said.

"But at least I came prepared."

"Well you didn't need to."

"We are not having this conversation again. Women need clothes to survive Luke, you wouldn't understand."

"Sorry for trying to," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Men are so clueless," she commented, shaking her head. She tried to zip up her first suitcase but there was too much stuff in it. "Damn it, it won't close," she complained.

"Probably cause you bought so much stuff while we've been here," he replied. "Let me try." He pushed her out of the way and yanked the zipper on the suitcase, sighing in frustration when it didn't move. "I can fit some more stuff in this one," he said, lifting her other suitcase and putting it on the bed. He transferred some stuff then successfully zipped it up. "There."

"Thank you! What would I do without you huh?"

"Die of starvation?"

"Probably," she agreed. She easily closed her second suitcase then put it next to the other. "I can't believe the weekend's over already," she frowned.

"But at least we get to see Rory again," he said.

"I can't wait," she squealed. "When do we have to set off?"

"In about forty five minutes. Do you want something to eat before we go?"

"Yeah I'll be starving otherwise." Luke carried Lorelai's suitcases downstairs while she took his lighter one and ditched them in the hall. "I'm gonna call mom," she said.

"Kay I'll fix us something to eat." She smiled at him then picked up the phone, waiting while it rang.

"Gilmore residence," said the maid.

"Hi may I speak to Emily, it's Lorelai."

"Yes one moment." The line went quiet then Emily's voice came through.

"Hello?"

"Hi mom," she said enthusiastically.

"Who is this?" she asked confusedly.

"It's Lorelai."

"Oh hello Lorelai, the maid told me somebody named Lola was on the phone, I don't know a Lola," she said, furrowing her brow.

"She must have misheard when I said Lorelai," she answered logically.

"Yes she will have to be fired." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "So what's wrong?"

"Nothing I was just calling to tell you that we're setting off in about forty minutes," she informed.

"Ok, do you know what time you'll be back?"

"The flight's at five thirty so we should be there around eight-ish."

"Right, should I put Rory to bed at her normal time or let her stay up?"

"Don't put her bed I wanna see her," she said quickly.

"Ok Lorelai, call us when you get off the plane to let us know you're back on the mainland."

"I will, bye." Lorelai smiled at Emily's concern for them then went to join Luke in the kitchen. "Mmm smells good," she said.

"I found some tinned soup and thought it'd do till we get back," he shrugged.

"I'll eat anything," she shrugged.

"So if I give you an apple after you'll eat it?" he asked.

"Sure," she shrugged. Luke looked at her like she had two heads. "What?" she asked.

"You just agreed to eat an apple," he pointed out.

"So?"

"It's just...not like you at all."

"God it's just an apple." Luke walked over to her and put his hand on her forehead. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Are you sick?" he asked, only half joking.

"All this cause I said I'd eat a piece of fruit." She shook her head and shooed him away. He narrowed his eyes at her then went back to stir the soup.

They arrived at the airport an hour and a half before their plane was due to take off so they had some time. After Luke had said a long goodbye to his precious corvette that was no longer his, they checked their bags in and went through customs then made their way to Starbucks.

"Must...have...coffee," said Lorelai, pretending to be dying of withdrawal.

"Stop exaggerating," Luke complained.

"I haven't had any for ages."

"Two hours is not ages."

"Err yes it is, do you want anything?"

"I'll just have tea," he said.

"Ok and I'm paying this time," she warned. He smiled and nodded then watched her walk away.

They dropped into their seats on the plane, first class again, and shared a smile.

"As much as I've enjoyed this weekend, I'm glad we're going home," said Lorelai.

"Same here, I hope the diner's still in one piece," he muttered.

"It will be, Ben and Caesar can handle it."

"We'll see." They fastened their seatbelts and Lorelai pulled a magazine out of her bag. The safety video played as the plane began moving and Luke gripped Lorelai's hand, knocking her magazine to the floor.

"Luke," she whined.

"Sorry, I'm just..." He couldn't say that he was scared so he stopped talking completely.

"I know, just relax." Luke listened to her words and soon fell asleep, his mouth dropping open slightly. Lorelai flicked through her magazine, chuckling at one of the pictures and holding it up to show Luke. When he didn't reply, she looked over at him and smiled instantly.

"Would you like a drink ma'am?" asked the flight attendant as she stopped by their seats.

"Do you have coffee?" she asked quietly, not wanting to wake Luke.

"Yes would you like it black?"

"Yes please and make it extra strong."

"Ok and for the gentleman?"

"He's fine, looks like he's gonna be out for the whole flight," she chuckled. She handed Lorelai her coffee then moved onto the next set of seats. Lorelai winced at how bad the coffee was but continued to drink it; it was still caffeine after all. She glanced over at Luke and sighed. It was gonna be a long, boring half an hour with no one to talk to. As if reading her mind, a guy a couple of years older than her caught her attention from the seat across the aisle.

"Hi I'm Aiden," he introduced himself, holding his hand out to her.

"Hey I'm Lorelai," she replied politely, shaking his hand.

"So are you on your way there or coming back?" he asked.

"We're going home," she replied, gesturing to Luke hoping Aiden would take the hint.

"Same here," he replied. "Where are you from?"

"Connecticut," she answered, a tight smile curving her lips.

"Where abouts?"

"It's a small town," she replied. "You probably haven't heard of it."

"Try me."

"It's called Stars Hollow," she told him reluctantly.

"Ah I've stopped there when I've been passing through. I stopped at a nice little diner, Luke's I think it was called. Great food and amazing coffee," he gushed. Lorelai smiled proudly. "Do you know it?"

"Do I?" she asked. "I go there every day, sometimes more than once."

"Wow you must like it."

"Well I'm pretty close to the owner," she said, glancing at Luke with a smile.

"Oh yeah?" he asked curiously.

"Uh huh and so are you." Aiden's face crumpled in confusion. Lorelai patted Luke's knee lightly, trying not to disturb him from his slumber. "This is Luke, proud owner of Luke's Diner, Stars Hollow Connecticut." Aiden looked at Luke, as if just realising that Lorelai was sat next to someone.

"Oh yeah I recognise him."

"It's probably the flannel and ball cap right?" Aiden nodded uncomfortably. "So err....who are you with?" she asked.

"A couple of friends," he replied.

"Where are they?"

"They couldn't afford first class so they're in coach," he said with a chuckle. Lorelai smiled fakely again. "Are you involved with anyone?" he asked carefully. Lorelai looked at him like he was stupid.

"Erm...I'm with Luke," she replied.

"Oh," he said, feeling kinda stupid for asking.

"Yeah..."

"How long have you been together?" he asked.

"Almost three months."

"So not long then."

"Seems like longer," she defended. Aiden felt the conversation taking an unexpected turn so decided to change the subject.

"Are you excited to get home?" he asked.

"Yeah I can't wait; I've missed my daughter so much while we've been away." Aiden nearly choked on his diet coke.

"Daughter?" he asked. Lorelai tried to hide her amused grin at his expression.

"Yeah she's called Rory."

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Seventeen."

"Wow," he breathed. Lorelai was starting to hate this guy.

"Well she wasn't expected but she's the best thing that's ever happened to me," she said, trying to defend herself again.

"How...how old is she?" he asked.

"Thirteen months," she said proudly. Aiden nodded. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I'm sorry I just can't believe a beautiful girl like you has a kid." Lorelai felt herself blushing.

"Lorelai?" asked Luke's gruff voice. He had woken up when Lorelai was telling Aiden how old she was but stayed quiet, wanting to hear their conversation. He wasn't expecting to wake up to find Lorelai flirting with some guy.

"Hey you're awake," she said happily. "I was bored while you were sleeping."

"Seems you found someone to entertain you," he said, jealousy washing over him.

"Oh this is Aiden, he's been to your diner before," she explained.

"Luke," he said gruffly. Aiden nodded uncomfortably.

"So it was nice to meet you Aiden," said Lorelai, sensing the tension between the two men.

"You too Lorelai," he replied sweetly. Lorelai turned in her seat to look at Luke.

"Thank god you woke up, that guy was making me wanna throw my head against a wall," she whispered.

"You two seemed pretty friendly to me," shrugged Luke, his eyes focussed on the arm rest between them.

"Are you serious? He just started talking to me while I was reading my magazine," she said. "I didn't ask him to acknowledge me." Luke nodded, still avoiding eye contact. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I just don't like it when you flirt with other guys," he admitted.

"You think that was flirting?" she asked. Luke shrugged. "Luke I don't want to flirt with anyone other than you, do you not trust me?" Luke looked at the hurt in her eyes.

"Of course I trust you," he said. "It's other guys I don't trust."

"Believe me, they will get nowhere near me," she winked. Luke smiled and took her hand.

"Ok," he accepted.

"You're cute when you're jealous," she cooed.

"Lorelai how many times do I have to tell you I am not cute?"

"I've lost count." Luke gave her a pointed look and she leant in to kiss him, neither realising that Aiden was watching with jealousy.

Once they had reclaimed their luggage, they went out to the parking lot in search of the truck. They couldn't quite remember where they'd parked it but figured it wouldn't be that hard to find.

"Weren't we on the second floor?" asked Lorelai.

"No I think it was the third."

"Let's go to the third then," she shrugged. They found the truck fifteen minutes later, parked between two jeeps, making it hard to see. "Home here we come!" she said excitedly. Luke reversed the truck out of the space and travelled towards the highway. "Shoot I forgot to call mom. I told her I'd call when we'd landed to let her know we got back ok," she frowned.

"We'll stop at the next gas station," he promised.

"She'll be worrying that something's happened," she said with a half smile but some genuine concern too.

"It'll be ok."

At the Gilmore's, Rory was sat on the floor in the living room playing with her soft toys while Emily read a book on the couch, looking up at the phone every few seconds. Rory watched Emily with interest and curiosity as she looked at first her watch, then the phone, then back to her book before repeating the sequence.

"Gama?" asked Rory.

"Yes sweetheart?" Rory gurgled something incoherent. "Yes sweetheart," she repeated, having absolutely no idea what Rory had just said, then looking back at her book. Rory frowned. The whole weekend she had been given less than half the attention she usually got from Lorelai and Luke and she didn't like it very much. When she said something at home, either or both of her parents would say something in return, even if they didn't know what she had said. Rory missed her mom and dad a lot and wondered if they were ever coming back. The thought of never seeing them again made Rory sad and she began to cry. Emily looked up from her book and frowned at her granddaughter. "What's the matter Rory?" she asked.

"Mama," she murmured through her sobs. Emily got up and lifted Rory, rocking her from side to side.

"Mommy's coming back in a few hours," said Emily, not sure it was true seeing as Lorelai hadn't called. "It's ok," she soothed. Rory didn't quieten though and Emily managed to hear the phone ringing over the loud noise in her ear. She rushed to it and shooed the maid away when she tried to pick it up. "Lorelai?" she asked frantically.

"Mom, I'm sorry," she apologised straight away.

"I was worried sick, I thought something had happened."

"I forgot to call you, I just got so carried away with the fact that I was gonna see Rory again that I forgot, I'm sorry."

"It's ok," she sighed. "I was just concerned that's all." Lorelai smiled softly.

"Is Rory ok?" she asked, hearing the crying coming from the other end.

"She's crying for you," she said with a sigh. Lorelai felt a pang of guilt.

"She is? Put her on?" she asked. Emily agreed and put the phone next to Rory's ear. "Rory?" she asked softly but excitedly. Rory looked around for Lorelai, her sobs quietening a little. "Ror are you there?"

"Mama," she whispered.

"Yeah it's me sweets, are you ok?"

"Mean," said Rory.

"Who's mean?"

"Mean," she repeated.

"Ok we'll talk about it later," she said happily. "So why are you so upset huh?"

"Wove you," she replied.

"Aww I love you too honey, don't worry we're nearly there. I'll see you in about an hour ok?"

"Mama," she said, excitement creeping into her voice.

"Be good till I get there ok?"

"Good," she agreed.

"Bye Ror."

"Bye," replied Rory. Emily took the phone back and she and Lorelai said their goodbyes for now before hanging up.

"Not long to go now Rory," she said.

"Are you excited to see your mother?" Rory grinned but didn't say anything. "Ok let's go see if we packed all your stuff."

"They ok?" Luke asked as she climbed back into the truck.

"Yeah, mom said she was worried and Rory was crying for me," she said.

"But she's ok now right?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah we had a talk." Luke nodded.

"Let's get back on the road then." He pulled back onto the highway and continued the drive back to Hartford.

Just over an hour later, they arrived in the Gilmore's driveway. Luke had barely pulled the truck to a stop when Lorelai pushed the door open and jumped out, rushing towards the giant front door. He watched her ring the bell and jump from foot to foot impatiently as she waited for somebody to answer. Luke joined her as the maid pulled the door open. Lorelai didn't even wait to be let in, she pushed past the maid, Luke following close behind, and raced into the living room to see the person she'd missed most the past few days.

"Rory!" she exclaimed. Rory turned her head to look in the direction her name was called from and grinned when she saw her mom and dad standing right in front of her. She tried to stand up but Lorelai had already scooped her up and was leaving kisses on her cheeks.

"Mama," said Rory excitedly.

"I missed you so much baby," she gushed. "I'm never leaving you for that long again ok?"

"Yesh," she agreed. She grinned, showing off her pearly whites.

"Is that a new tooth coming through?" she asked, sticking her finger into Rory's mouth to feel her gum.

"You feel that Ror? You're teething again," she said. "We're gonna have to get you some more teething rings aren't we?"

"Dada," she exclaimed, holding her arms out to Luke.

"You don't wanna see mommy anymore?" asked Lorelai, feigning sadness. Rory grinned in return as Luke took her from Lorelai.

"She likes me better," he joked. Lorelai scowled at him then looked at Emily.

"Thanks for taking care of her mom," she said gratefully.

"It was no problem, we had a lovely weekend didn't we Rory?" Rory didn't even hear Emily, she was too busy grinning at Luke and trying to grab the cap from his head. "We did," she said to Lorelai. Lorelai nodded.

"We did too, it's nice out there," she said.

"The Vineyard is a lovely place to visit, especially in the summer."

"We might have to take Rory there sometime, she'd love the beach."

"I'm sure she would."

"Can I ask your advice on something actually?" she asked. "It's about Rory."

"Of course," said Emily, willing to help Lorelai in any way she can.

"Well she's getting older now and I was wondering if I should try to get her off bottles, you know, onto proper milk." Luke sat down next to Lorelai and put Rory in his lap.

"She is getting to that age," said Emily thoughtfully. "She already drinks from sippy cups so it shouldn't be too hard to switch."

"I know it's just her bed time bottle I'm worried about. We've got a really good routine going and I don't wanna mess it up," she said doubtfully.

"Try it tonight," she said. "Instead of giving her formula in a bottle, give her whole milk in a sippy cup and see how it goes. If she doesn't like it, you have to wean her a little bit."

"What do you mean?" Lorelai felt like she should know this stuff, Rory was her daughter after all.

"Well make her formula but mix a little whole milk in with it, then reduce the amount of formula and increase the amount of whole milk until she's drinking just milk. That way she gets used to the taste and doesn't know you changed it." Lorelai nodded.

"Ok thanks mom, I wasn't sure what to do."

"You're welcome, you can come to me anytime you need advice," she assured with a wide smile.

"I know, thanks." Emily nodded and the women shared a knowing smile.

"Seep," said Rory, laying her head against Luke's chest.

"You tired Ror?" he asked.

"Yesh," she sighed.

"Shall we go home?" asked Lorelai.

"Hom," agreed Rory.

"Ok we'd better get going mom, we'll see you on Thursday, that's if you're still coming to pick Rory up?"

"Of course I am," she replied. "I'll see you then."

"Thanks for taking care of Rory, Emily," said Luke politely.

"You're welcome Luke."

"Where's dad?" asked Lorelai.

"He's gone to the office," sighed Emily.

"On Sunday night?"

"Don't ask," said Emily, shaking her head.

"Ok so thanks again." Emily nodded. Lorelai hugged Emily and surprisingly, there was no awkwardness between them as there had been before.

"Go get Rory to bed," ordered Emily. "And remember what I told you."

"I will." They said goodbye and Lorelai picked up Rory's suitcase. Emily closed the door after them, letting out a sigh. The house felt quiet and empty without Rory in it and Emily didn't like it.

"Ok Ror, let's look at you," said Lorelai, lifting her from Luke's arms. "You've grown," she commented. "Hasn't she grown Luke?"

"She looks the same to me," he shrugged.

"No she's definitely gotten bigger," she said decisively. "You're growing up now aren't you Ror?"

"Big girl," said Rory, pointing to the sky.

"Yep you're a big girl and you're gonna be as tall as the sky." Rory giggled and Lorelai put her in the car seat. "Ok Stars Hollow here we come!" she said excitedly as Luke pulled the truck out of the driveway.

When they got to the potting shed, Luke took a deep breath before opening the door. Lorelai was about to find out about the expansion and he was pretty sure she was going to happy about it.

"I have a surprise for you," he said as he opened the door.

"Ooh what is it?" she asked excitedly as she put Rory on her feet.

"Come here." He flicked the light on and took her over to the door leading to Rory's new room.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Do you remember at Rory's birthday party when I said I was gonna build her a room?" Lorelai nodded. "It's finished." Lorelai's eyes went wide.

"What? How...how did you manage to do it without me knowing?"

"I hired some guys and we did it while you were at work," he shrugged.

"Oh my god I wanna see." Luke opened the door and turned the light on in there. "Oh it's quite big," she commented.

"Well Rory's got a lot of stuff." He turned around and called Rory over. She toddled over to them and into the carpeted room. "We just need to paint it," he said. "I thought Rory could pick the colour."

"She'd like that, wouldn't you Ror?" Rory glanced at her then took her attention back to the new room. There was no furniture in there yet, it needed to be painted first. "Thank you," she said to Luke.

"You're welcome."

"You're an amazing guy you know?"

"I know," he said cheekily. She grinned at him then kissed him briefly.

"I'm gonna get Rory ready for bed," she said. "Come on Rory; let's get this milk thing sorted out." They all went back into the main room and Lorelai poured some milk into a sippy cup while Luke changed Rory into PJs, not realising how much he'd missed taking care of her over the weekend. Lorelai went over to the couch with the sippy cup and Luke followed and put Rory between them on the couch. "Ok Ror this is a little different to what you normally drink before bed but cause you're a big girl, you get to drink proper milk," she explained. Rory looked at her curiously then took the sippy cup from her. She took a few sips and Luke and Lorelai watched in hesitation.

"Do you like it?" asked Luke. Rory looked up at him and smiled.

"Ummy," she said.

"You think it's yummy?" asked Lorelai.

"Yesh," she confirmed.

"Wow that was easier than I thought," she said in relief. "Ok drink up so you can go to bed." Luke smiled at her as they watched Rory drinking proper milk, another sign that she was growing up. "I'm exhausted," said Lorelai through a yawn.

"Go get ready for bed, I'll handle Rory," he offered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go on." Lorelai smiled gratefully and got her toiletry bag from her suitcase before disappearing into the bathroom. She pulled out her cleanser and quickly wet her face before massaging the liquid into foam. She rinsed it off and dried her face before applying her moisturiser. She dug through her bag for her pills and took out the one for Sunday. She was just about to put the packet down when she saw that Saturday's was still there. She remembered how much they'd had to drink and how they'd had unprotected sex three times that day and shut her eyes tightly.

"Shit," she whispered angrily, so Luke wouldn't hear. She'd really done it this time.

**Aha I'm evil :D can I just say, I would not do anything to mess up L/L's relationship. Whatever happens will turn out good in the end, it always does! And I am not going to reveal what I have planned for this so don't ask me for spoilers :D Anyway that's all till the next chapter.....please don't forget to leave a review before you leave....400 remember! Lanie I'm sorry I made you jealous ;P**

**Emily.**


	31. Consequences

**So sorry about the wait...I have been busy. For those of you who do not read my other story, I'll let you know that I passed my driving test!! Only three minors :D Ha I'm so happy. And I ordered another GG boxset today....season 6 so I'm extra, extra happy! **

**You guys are really good at reviewing! I got like 26 or something for the last chapter so thanks so much guys, all your comments really make me smile (most of the time ;D) Seriously, when I get a review I'm like ooooh! I'm a very big review junkie. Anyway here is what you've been waiting on the edge of your seats for. I didn't proof-read again; the chapters are too long to read the whole damn thing!**

Lorelai paced back and forth in the bathroom, twisting her hands together nervously. Her head was spinning; she couldn't be pregnant, could she? She sat on the toilet lid and put her face in her hands. She knew she couldn't take a test yet, it was far too early to tell, her period wasn't due for another ten days anyway.

"Damn it," she whispered to herself. She was so frustrated with herself, what was she thinking? After having a kid at sixteen, she vowed to be more careful in future. She was supposed to be married before she had her next child, she wanted to do it right. She wanted a house with a garden, a job she was proud of and a husband who would do anything for her; it wasn't supposed to be like this.

So many images were running through her head, of her alone with two kids under the age of two to take care of. But then she thought of Luke and the talk they'd had a few weeks ago, how Luke had promised he'd be there with her through everything. She didn't want this to happen, she didn't wanna tell Luke how careless she'd been, he'd be so mad at her. She sighed and ran her fingers through hair.

"Lorelai?" asked Luke as he knocked on the door lightly. She cleared her throat, swallowing the lump that had formed there.

"Yeah?" she called.

"Are you ok in there? You've been in there a while." Lorelai frowned then stood up to open the door, plastering on a fake smile.

"I'm fine," she replied brightly. "I was plucking my eyebrows," she lied.

"I won't ask," he said, shaking his head. Lorelai walked past him into the main room and saw Rory sitting on the bed in her pyjamas.

"And why aren't you asleep missy?" she asked, dropping down next to her.

"She refused to go in the crib," said Luke. "I think she really missed us this weekend."

"Well you'll have to sleep in the big bed with us then won't you?"

"Yesh," said Rory excitedly.

"But it's just for tonight, tomorrow you go back to sleeping in the crib," she warned. Rory grinned and lunged towards Lorelai, climbing into her lap.

"I err....hate to leave but I should go to the diner," said Luke.

"Oh," Lorelai said, a frown creasing her brow.

"I should shower and get some clean clothes," he continued.

"Ok I'll see you tomorrow then I guess," she said, smiling fakely again.

"I can stay if you want me to," he offered, seeing right through her forced happiness.

"No, you should go to your place, I'll be fine here," she assured.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I have Rory to snuggle with." She smiled at her daughter, who was now standing in her lap looking directly into her eyes.

"Ok come by the diner for breakfast?" he asked.

"I'll see, I have work at ten so it depends what time we wake up." Luke nodded and kissed both her and Rory goodbye before leaving the potting shed. Lorelai sighed, the fake smile disappearing from her lips leaving a frown in it's wake. "You know what we haven't done Ror?" she asked. Rory looked up at her curiously. "We haven't brushed your teeth have we?" She took her into the bathroom and put a tiny amount of toothpaste on Rory's infant toothbrush. "Open wide." Rory opened her mouth and allowed Lorelai to clean her teeth, toothpaste dripping down her chin.

Once they were finished, Lorelai settled Rory under the duvet and put her own pyjamas on. She climbed under the covers, pulling them as far up as she could without suffocating Rory. She lay on her side, facing her little girl and felt tears stinging her eyes.

"This can't be happening," she said to Rory. The toddler also turned on her side and looked at her mom confusedly and curiously. "I'm sorry Rory; I've really blown it this time." A few tears rolled down her cheeks and Rory frowned.

"Cwy," murmured Rory, shifting closer to Lorelai.

"I didn't think sweets and now I could be pregnant. I don't want to be pregnant; you're the only kid I want right now. I'm pretty sure you don't want a little brother or sister right?" Rory had no idea what she was talking about but continued to listen to her, being the caring baby she is. Lorelai brought her hand up and ran it through Rory's hair. "Daddy's not gonna be happy," she sniffled. "God I'm seventeen I shouldn't be pregnant with my second child." She furiously wiped her eyes and looked down at Rory. She knew she didn't understand all this but she needed to say it out loud, it made it seem like more of a reality rather than a dream. She would have preferred that it were a dream though.

"Seep," said Rory. Lorelai smiled softly.

"Yeah, you get some sleep honey. Remember that I love you," she whispered. She kissed the top of Rory's head then turned onto her back, staring blankly at the ceiling above. It was gonna be a long night.

The next morning, Lorelai opened her eyes slowly. She had only gotten twenty minutes sleep the whole night, she couldn't stop tossing and turning. She needed to know what was going on now, she couldn't wait any longer. Talking to Rory helped her get it off her chest but she needed advice and her thirteen month old daughter couldn't give her that.

She slid out of bed, trying not to disturb Rory, and quickly changed into sweatpants and a hoodie. She brushed her hair but didn't bother with makeup, she didn't have the patience. She came back to the bed and gently lifted Rory into her arms, cradling her as she continued to sleep. She grabbed a blanket and her keys then rushed out of the potting shed, heading up to the inn.

As she walked past the lake, she wondered who would be best to talk to. Mia was always an option and she knew she'd help her but she was older and was going to have something to say about Lorelai's foolishness. Then she thought of Sookie, her best friend. She was bound to understand and be as supportive as she possibly could. She nodded to herself and picked up speed to get there faster. When she got there, she slid into the kitchen, without Mia noticing, and hurried over to Sookie.

"Lorelai are you ok? You look terrible," she commented. She saw Lorelai's watery eyes and looked down at the still sleeping Rory in her arms. "Come on," She grabbed Lorelai's upper arm and pulled her out of the kitchen, avoiding Mia again, and into a storage cupboard. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I...erm..." Lorelai couldn't get the words out. "I'm....Sook it's so messed up," she broke, tears spilling from her eyes.

"Honey what's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out. Sookie's eyes went wide and she went into a shocked silence. "Well not for sure but it's pretty likely."

"How....I thought you and Luke were, you know, safe."

"We usually are," she answered. "But on Saturday night we had a few beers, well more than a few, and I forgot to take the pill," she said in a small voice.

"Oh, sweetie there's a chance you're in the clear, I mean it was one pill right?"

"Yeah but we slept together three times that day and we didn't use a condom once."

"I'm not an expert but if it's still in your system you can't get pregnant."

"But it's only like ninety five percent effective anyway," she said quietly.

"You need to take a test."

"I won't be able to tell yet, it only happened two days ago."

"Well how long does it take?"

"I don't know, a week?"

"Why don't you take one now and if it comes up negative try again in a few days?" she suggested.

"I guess I could try that," she shrugged. "God how could I let this happen?"

"There's no point in beating yourself up about it, you can't take it back now. Did you and Luke talk about what would happen if you were in this situation?"

"Yeah a couple of weeks ago," she replied.

"And?"

"He promised he wouldn't leave me."

"Hon you need to tell him."

"I don't want to, not until I know myself. I don't wanna panic him for nothing."

"But what if you are pregnant?"

"I'll cross that bridge if I come to it," she shrugged.

"Will you tell him if you're not pregnant?" she asked. Lorelai sighed but just as she was about to answer, Rory squirmed in her arms and opened her bright blue eyes.

"Morning sweets," she cooed. Rory stared up at her for a few moments, allowing herself time to wake up.

"Lorelai?" asked Sookie.

"Hmm?" she hummed, not taking her eyes off Rory.

"You need to buy a home pregnancy test," she said.

"I can't, I have to go to work," she mumbled.

"Then I'll go buy one for you," she said.

"No it's ok, you don't have to," protested Lorelai.

"Lorelai you can't ignore this, it's huge," she said softly. Lorelai looked down at Rory again.

"I can't do this all over again," she admitted.

"You might not have to," she soothed. "But there's only one way to find out." Lorelai looked up at Sookie, smiling weakly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What are best friends for? I'll go to Woodbury for a test; we don't want Taylor sniffing around do we?" Lorelai shook her head and the two teenagers moved out of the storage cupboard and into the lobby.

"Lorelai," exclaimed Mia, running over and enveloping her in a hug while trying not to squash Rory. "Did you have a nice weekend?" she asked. Lorelai put on that fake smile again and nodded enthusiastically.

"It's was great," she replied. "I missed Rory so much though."

"Well me too," she said. "Hello beautiful, remember me?" Rory stared up at her blankly and Mia frowned. "Obviously not," she said, a little saddened.

"She just woke up so she's still a little out of it, she'll come around soon," she assured.

"Ah for a moment there I thought she'd forgotten who I was," she chuckled.

"You wouldn't forget Mia would you Rory?" cooed Lorelai. Rory looked up at her then over at Mia and grinned.

"Meee," said Rory excitedly, holding her arms out to the older woman.

"So you still like me?" she asked jokingly as she lifted Rory to her.

"Wove," she said.

"You love me?" Rory thought for a second.

"Yesh," she answered finally.

"Well I love you too," she cooed. Rory grinned and rested her head on Mia's shoulder.

"Oh Mia," began Sookie. "I just have to run an errand; I should be back in a half an hour tops."

"What errand?" she asked suspiciously.

"Huh?"

"What do you have to do?"

"Oh just something," she replied nonchalantly. Mia narrowed her eyes at her and Sookie bit her lower lip.

"Something?" she questioned.

"It's a family thing," she said with a wave of her hand. "Can't really say," she mumbled. Mia narrowed her eyes further then nodded her head.

"Ok but I need you back for brunch," she warned.

"I will be, don't worry." Sookie winked at Lorelai, who just frowned in return, then quickly left the inn.

"So how was your weekend?" Mia asked, bringing Lorelai back to the here and now.

"Uh...it was great," she replied distractedly.

"You don't seem too sure."

"No really it was amazing. We went in the pool, went shopping and walked on the beach," she listed. "And Luke took me to this really nice restaurant."

"Really?"

"Yeah it was really expensive but he said he didn't mind cause it was something special," she answered, smiling stupidly. "It was romantic," she said, a blush rising in her cheeks.

"Lucas is a wonderful young man, you're lucky to have him." Lorelai sighed.

"Yeah I am, I really am," she agreed.

Lorelai had taken Rory back to the potting shed after filling Mia in on her weekend. She'd left out the details about all the sex they'd had and their drunkenness but had basically told her everything they did. Once she was in her maid uniform and Rory was in a clean diaper and outfit, she gave her a banana to eat for breakfast while she finished making herself look presentable and not like the nervous wreck she felt like inside.

"Mama," said Rory.

"What's up sweets?" she asked as she continued applying her mascara.

"Nana."

"You like the banana?" she asked.

"Nana gone." Lorelai turned around and saw Rory holding the banana skin.

"Ok hon I'll take it in a minute," she said, rushing to finish her makeup. Sookie knocked lightly on the door and entered when she heard Lorelai call for her to come in.

"I got them," she said quietly. Lorelai inhaled.

"Ok," she sighed. "Oh could you take that banana skin from Rory before she tries to eat it please?"

"Sure. Hi Rory," she said as she took it from between Rory's fingers and tossed it in the trash.

"Shookie," murmured Rory.

"That's right, did you miss me this weekend?" she asked. Rory giggled and Sookie lifted her from her high chair. "Ah you've grown."

"I said that," said Lorelai, walking over to them. "Luke doesn't think so though."

"She's definitely gotten bigger," she said definitively. "So erm...do you want me to stay while you take the test?" Lorelai bowed her head.

"It's ok, I'm not gonna take it right now," she replied.

"Lorelai you have to, you have to deal with this. You can't just push it to the back of your mind and pretend it isn't happening."

"Why not?" she yelled.

"Honey, this isn't something you can hide for too long. If you're pregnant, people are gonna notice sooner or later, you have to know now," she said calmly.

"I know, I just...I wish this wasn't happening," she groaned. "This isn't right, Rory's all I want or need right now."

"Sweetie, get it over with. You can't worry until you know for sure." Lorelai nodded and picked up the bag Sookie had deposited. "I'll wait out here and watch Rory." Lorelai nodded again and disappeared into the bathroom. As she peed on the stick, she was immediately taken back to twenty months ago when she was doing the exact same thing. She remembered how she was feeling back then; it was pretty similar to now. She still felt scared, stupid and like a failure. The only thing that was different this time was that she didn't feel alone, she knew she had people there to help her and stand by her, especially Luke. She placed the cap back on the test and flushed the toilet before heading back out to the main room where Sookie was waiting.

"Do you have to get back to work?" Lorelai asked.

"No I'm ok. I still have ten minutes till brunch." Lorelai nodded then looked down at Rory playing on the floor. "How long do we have to wait?"

"Five minutes," she replied nervously. "I brought you something back from my trip," she said to Rory. She went over to her suitcase and retrieved the soft toys before bringing them back over to Rory.

"That," said Rory, pointing to her gifts.

"These are for you, do you like them?" she asked.

"Yesh." Rory reached for the stuffed banana and immediately put it in her mouth.

"Ah, ah," protested Lorelai, pulling it from her mouth. "You don't eat this one, it's a stuffed banana." They watched Rory tug at the top of the banana, trying to peel the skin. She soon got bored and dropped it before reaching for the hen that Lorelai still held. "That's a hen," said Lorelai. "Daddy chose that for you."

"Dada," she said.

"Yep, that's right." She sighed and looked over at Sookie. "Is it time yet?" she asked impatiently.

"Another minute and a half," she replied. Lorelai nodded and took her attention back to Rory.

"What should we name him?" she asked, running her hand over the stuffed toy that Rory held.

"Cowew Cucucer," mumbled Rory in typical baby drabble.

"Colonel Clucker? I was thinking the exact same thing," exclaimed Lorelai, knowing that Rory didn't actually mean anything by what she said.

"Lorelai she didn't say that," said Sookie, chuckling a little.

"But I like that name," she pouted. Sookie giggled and looked down at her watch, suddenly becoming serious.

"It's time," she whispered. Lorelai inhaled deeply then stood up and walked towards the bathroom.

"You know, I can't look. Will you look for me?"

"Uh...sure." Sookie stood up and went into the bathroom. She emerged holding the white stick between her fingers, covering the strip that would determine Lorelai's future. "You ready?" she asked. Lorelai pulled Rory into her lap then nodded hesitantly. "It's uh...blue," she revealed, holding the stick up for Lorelai to see.

"Blue?" she asked.

"Uh huh, what does that mean?"

"It's negative," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank god for that."

"Uh...don't forget it's still early, you could still be pregnant," she pointed out. Lorelai's face dropped visibly.

"Oh yeah."

"Try not to worry about it though ok?"

"How can I not?" Sookie saw Lorelai's eyes fill with tears and she stubbornly wiped them dry. "Ugh I can't believe this, I'm so stupid Sook." She began to cry, her sobs wracking her body violently. Sookie quickly took Rory from her and settled her on the floor before going to sit next to Lorelai.

"Shh, you're not stupid," she soothed, wrapping her arms around her best friend.

"I am, I'm the stupidest person on earth," she responded. "I had a kid at sixteen, I know what happens when you have unprotected sex but I did it again anyway. This is all my fault."

"Lorelai there's no point in blaming yourself, you just have to accept it. Yes I agree that you should have been more careful but there's nothing you can do about that now, you can't go back in time."

"Wish I could," she muttered.

"I know but you can't. This isn't Back to the Future."

"Did you see that movie? Luke and I watched it, it was so stupid."

"Yeah it was completely unbelievable," she agreed. "Anyway, back to now, wait a couple of days before you take another test. I bought you four ok? So you have enough." Lorelai nodded.

"Thanks Sook," she said sincerely. "I wouldn't be able to get through this without you."

"You're welcome but I still think you should tell Luke."

"I...I can't, I don't wanna ruin his life like that."

"Lorelai you're not ruining his life, he's signed adoption papers for Rory right?"

"Yeah."

"Then if he thought having a kid would ruin his life, he wouldn't have done that. You're worrying about nothing."

"I just wanna be sure before I set the alarms off in his head ok?"

"I understand that but I'm worried that you're not gonna tell him about all this if it comes out you're not pregnant."

"What's the point of telling him about all this if I'm not pregnant? He never needs to know."

"But he deserves to, you've gotta tell him," she pushed.

"I can't do this right now, I have to go to work," she said, desperate to get out of this conversation. She picked up Rory, who was still clutching Colonel Clucker and threw the diaper bag over her shoulder.

"Lorelai stop denying this," said Sookie.

"I'm not ready for this Sook now if you don't mind I have work to do and so do you." Sookie sighed and stepped outside the potting shed. Lorelai followed and locked up behind them before they walked up to the inn together, talking about anything but babies.

Lorelai rushed round the rooms of the inn in a daze all day. She had left Rory with Mia, as per request, and this left her time to run away with her thoughts. She vacuumed the carpets and changed the bed sheets, all the while thinking about things. Thinking about Luke's reaction, about what would happen if she were pregnant, about her parents reaction, Emily's especially, about what her and Luke's baby would look like, if it would be a boy or a girl, if Rory would like him or her. She shook her head to banish all thoughts of future babies. She didn't want another kid yet, she couldn't have another kid yet. She had to be married and live in a house of her own; she didn't want to raise two kids in an old potting shed with just a boyfriend.

When the time finally reached four pm, Lorelai packed up her cleaning supplies and put them in the cupboard. She made her way downstairs and paused when she saw Marie, the ex-head maid stood in by the front desk with a car seat set down in front of her. Mia was next to her and Rory was sat on the desk, staring down at the newborn baby with curiosity.

"Lorelai," exclaimed Marie.

"Hey," she said, letting her gaze wander over to the baby. "She's gorgeous," she complimented.

"Thanks," beamed Marie.

"So how did you find labour?" she asked, remembering the conversation they had just before Marie had gone on maternity leave.

"It was the worst experience of my life but at the same time it was the best, if that makes sense."

"I totally get that," she replied. "Hey Ror, were you good for Mia today?"

"She's always good," said Mia, stroking Rory's cheek then taking her attention back to the new baby. Lorelai sat Rory on her hip then looked down at the pink baby girl in front of them, sleeping soundly.

"What did you call her?"

"Lucy," she replied.

"Cute name," commented Lorelai as she stared down at the baby. She tried to imagine herself with a newborn again but the image would go into her head. Rory pointed at Lucy then looked at Lorelai, her brows knit with confusion. "That's a baby Rory," she said softly.

"Baby," she repeated.

"That's right, this is Baby Lucy."

"Baby Wowy," she exclaimed.

"Yes you're a baby too but this is a tiny baby, you're a big baby. You used to look like this a year ago," she told her. Rory grinned then looked down at Lucy again.

"Kiss!" she said excitedly.

"You wanna kiss the baby?"

"Yesh, kiss." Lorelai looked up at Marie.

"Is that ok?" she asked.

"Oh absolutely," she assured. Lorelai stepped closer to the car seat and Rory leant over, leaving a wet kiss on the sleeping baby's cheek. Lorelai smiled and wiped Lucy's cheek with her finger, removing Rory's drool. "You're still as adorable as ever aren't you Rory?" cooed Marie.

"Ood," whined Rory.

"You want food?" Marie asked.

"Why aren't I surprised?" said Lorelai. "Did she have her nap?" she asked Mia.

"She did but it was only forty five minutes long," Mia replied.

"Ok I guess you'll have to go to bed earlier tonight won't you hon?"

"No," she protested.

"Oh you will be," she warned. Rory pouted up at her and she giggled at her.

"Lorelai there's someone here to see you," informed Mia, pointing over to where Luke was standing by the door. "It seems he can't get enough." Lorelai put on her fake smile and made her way over to Luke.

"Dada," Rory shouted, immediately reaching her arms out to Luke. Lorelai put her on the floor and watched her rush over to him then Luke scooped her up into his arms.

"Is that Rory's dad?" asked Marie.

"No that's Lorelai's boyfriend Luke," she answered. "Rory's dad's not around anymore, he's in jail."

"What?"

"He's tried to kidnap Rory several times, one time he actually succeeded. He's not safe to be around," she said in a hushed tone so Lorelai wouldn't hear.

"Oh my, Lorelai must have been out of her mind."

"She was a wreck, it was a terrible ordeal. Little Rory had to spend the night in the hospital because of that man."

"Wow, she told me he's never been around but she left all this out of the story."

"I don't think she likes to talk about it. She took him to court and won full custody, now Luke's adopting her."

"What a complicated life that girl's had, I feel kinda sorry for her actually. I can't imagine what it's like for her raising a baby at her age, I was worrying about now."

"She's a wonderful girl, I'm very proud of her." Mia beamed with pride as she looked over at Lorelai, completely unaware of what was going on with her.

"Hey," greeted Lorelai as Luke leant in to kiss her.

"You finished with work?" he asked.

"Yeah my shift just ended, we were just looking at Marie's new baby." Luke glanced at the car seat then back at Lorelai, smiling slightly.

"I thought we could go to the DIY store to get some paint for Rory's room," he suggested.

"I need to give her dinner."

"Already covered." He held up the Luke's bag and Rory tried to take it from him.

"Not yet," he said sternly.

"Mmm," she hummed, her eyes never leaving the bag.

"What's in there?" she asked.

"Fries and ketchup for Rory and coffee and a donut for you."

"You're the best," she squealed. "I'll just go change."

"I'll wait here for you." Lorelai nodded then rushed to the potting shed to take off her maid's uniform. Luke took a seat in the lobby and opened the bag, pulling out a fry and offering it to Rory. She gladly accepted it and shoved it into her mouth, chewing it appreciatively.

"More," she demanded. Luke opened the bag for her and watched as she reached her hand in to get some more fries. He looked up and saw Mia sitting down next to him on the couch, Marie opposite with the car seat next to her.

"I'm Marie," she introduced herself. "I used to be the head maid here before Lorelai took over."

"Uh...yeah I'm Luke, Lorelai's boyfriend," he replied politely, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too, your baby's cute and um....pink," he said, stuck for words.

"I have to apologise for Lucas, he's not very good with words, or babies."

"Hey I do ok with Rory," he protested.

"Yes with Rory you are great, but with other people's children you're not so great."

"So how old are you Luke?" asked Marie.

"Nineteen," he replied. Marie nodded awkwardly.

"Lucas owns a diner in town," informed Mia.

"Oh?"

"Yeah it's not much," he shrugged.

"Nonsense Lucas, don't be so modest. Your diner is more successful than Doose's market and Weston's Bakery put together." Luke blushed and the three continued to talk about business until Lorelai returned.

They stepped into the large DIY store and wandered around, trying to find the paint section. When they found it, they stopped in front of the display and stared at the collection.

"Did you know there are two hundred shades of white?" she asked.

"Yes I did," replied Luke, admiring a purple colour. "Hey Rory do you like this one?" Rory stood next to him and looked at his choice. She had no idea what she was looking at so she stared up at him blankly, neither a smile nor a frown taking over her features. "You need to pick a colour so we can paint your bedroom don't we? So which do you like best out of these?" He showed her a purple, a pink and blue then waited for Rory to decide.

"That," she said, pointing to the blue.

"Right so you want it to be blue?" he asked. Rory grinned then looked up at the big stack of paint buckets in front of her.

"This is a nice blue," commented Lorelai, holding a pot up for Rory to see.

"No," replied Rory, shaking her head vigorously.

"What about this one Ror?" he asked. Rory admired it.

"That," she said as she pointed to the baby blue colour that Luke was showing her.

"You want this one?" he asked.

"Yesh."

"You sure you want this one?"

"Yesh."

"You absolutely certain you want this?"

"Mama," she said, walking over to Lorelai, obviously bored with the conversation.

"You chosen one hon?" she asked. The whole time they'd been in the store, Lorelai's mind had been on other things, things Luke didn't know about.

"That." She pointed over to the two paint pots Luke was holding.

"Ooh that's a nice colour," she complimented. They made their way to the checkout and Luke purchased the paint to decorate Rory's new room with.

They got back at seven thirty that evening. They had stopped at a cafe on the way home for something to eat and had got a little carried away, completely forgetting about the time.

"Rory needs to go down a little earlier tonight," said Lorelai as they walked into the potting shed. "Mia said her nap was shorter today."

"Ok is she having normal milk?" he asked.

"Yeah she seemed to like it last night," she shrugged. She yawned widely and Luke raised his eyebrows at her.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Just drained," she replied. "I'll be fine."

"Why don't you go have a hot bath and I'll put Rory down?"

"No it's ok, really you don't have to."

"I want to put my daughter to bed," he said, causing Lorelai's lips to curve into a smile. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No there's no problem at all, I just feel like I'm abandoning my motherly duties."

"You're not abandoning them; you're just sharing them, with me."

"I know, you're great."

"Don't I know it? Now go take a bath," he ordered. Lorelai smiled and disappeared into the bathroom. A half an hour later, Luke entered the bathroom and knelt down next to the tub. Lorelai had her eyes closed but he knew she wasn't sleeping. "Lorelai?" he asked.

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes to look at him.

"You relaxed?"

"Yeah I feel much better now, thank you." He smiled then brought his hand up to cup her cheek. "Is Rory sleeping?"

"Yeah, she happened to choose the longest storybook for me to read to her."

"How long did it take her to decide which one she wanted tonight?"

"Twelve minutes, she's getting better."

"Yeah, she's such a bookworm." Lorelai closed her eyes again and Luke stood up to leave the room. He changed into sweatpants and took his shirt off, revealing his smooth skin. He sat and waited for Lorelai to emerge from the bathroom, knowing she needed some time to herself to unwind. He let his thoughts drift to how his life had turned out. Things were so different now, so much better. He had a girlfriend, a daughter, his own business and his own money. He couldn't imagine his life any different, this is exactly how he wanted it to be.

Lorelai stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in her robe, letting her body adjust to the difference in heat. She scraped her hair back into a ponytail and quickly brushed her teeth.

"Bathroom's all yours," she said when she walked back into the main room. "You could have come in while I was in there you know."

"I didn't wanna disturb you," he shrugged. Lorelai smiled, knowing she had the best boyfriend she could hope for. "Anyway I'll go..." He gestured towards the bathroom and disappeared inside. He went about his nightly routine; brushed his teeth and washed his face, then threw an empty tube of toothpaste in the trash. As he was straightening back up, he noticed something sitting on top of the garbage. He plucked it out of the trash can and stared down at the little white object in both shock and confusion. He walked back into the main room and over to Lorelai, where she lay on the bed. "What's this?" he asked pointedly, holding the white stick up so she could see it.

"I..."

"Lorelai, what's going on?" he asked, pleading with her to tell him the truth. She stared up at him, completely off guard. A lump formed in the back of her throat and she tried her hardest to swallow it.

"Erm...you should sit down," she choked up. Luke knew this was gonna be big, he wasn't stupid, he knew what a pregnancy test was.

"What are you doing with this?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"I um...I think I might be pregnant," she said quietly.

"What?" he asked, his voice rising.

"I said..."

"I heard you, I just....how?"

"I think you know how," she mumbled.

"But when? You take birth control pills and....how?"

"Do you remember Saturday night; we got drunk and fell asleep on the living room floor?" Luke nodded, realisation hitting him hard. "I uh...forgot to take my pill that night," she admitted. Luke put his head in his hands.

"So you're......pregnant?"

"No, not for sure but it's a possibility." He glanced down at the test that was in his hand still.

"So what's this for then?"

"It was negative," she replied.

"So you're not pregnant?" Luke was seriously confused.

"Luke we only had sex two days ago, it's not gonna pick up on it so soon."

"So why did you take a test then?"

"Because Sookie made me," she shouted.

"Sookie knows?" he asked in surprise.

"She's my best friend Luke, I tell her everything."

"What and you don't tell me everything?" he asked, genuinely hurt.

"Of course I do, it's just that this was different. God I'm seventeen Luke, I can't be pregnant with my second kid." A few tears slipped from her eyes and her body started to shake with sobs.

"Lorelai we should have been more careful," he began.

"Tell me Luke, were you thinking about birth control two nights ago when you were fucking me on the living room floor?" she asked angrily.

"Calm down, Rory's sleeping," he hushed. "Look I know I wasn't thinking about it but I should have been, we both should have been."

"I guess it's my fault. I'm the one that takes the damn pills so it's my responsibility to make sure I take them."

"Lorelai it's no one's fault, it happens sometimes."

"Yeah well I didn't think it'd happen to me, never mind twice."

"Look, I know this is huge but we can't dwell on it until we know the true result. How long do we have to wait?"

"A couple of days," she mumbled.

"Ok so we'll wait a few days then find out," he replied.

"Luke I'm freaking out here," she cried. "I can't have another kid, I'm too young." Luke was still in shock, thinking about the possibility that he was close to having a kid of his own. He definitely wasn't ready for that but he couldn't just leave Lorelai could he? He had a responsibility to her and to Rory, and maybe now his unborn child. "What're my parents gonna say huh? I'm just one big disappointment."

"Don't think about that yet, we don't know for sure." He gathered her in his arms and held her to him and she cried.

"Do you want a kid right now?" she asked. Luke took a deep breath.

"No," he admitted. "Some time in the future, yes, but not right now. We have Rory, she's enough for us."

"I don't know what to do."

"We'll get through it together ok? If you're not pregnant then that's great but if you are then we'll have to figure it out. We can decide what the best option is."

"What do you mean by the best option?" she asked, having a feeling she knew what he was hinting at.

"Well whether we keep it or not," he shrugged. Lorelai pulled away from him and looked him in the eye.

"Are you talking about a termination?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied cautiously. Lorelai's eyes went wide.

"I can't believe you!" she shouted. "You told me if I got pregnant we'd stick together and we'd make it work. Now it might be happening and you're talking about killing a baby, our baby, mine and yours?"

"Lorelai you're blowing this way out of proportion."

"No I'm not, I would never dream of having an abortion, it's wrong. Once a kid's been made, it should have a chance at life, not be killed off because it's parents don't want it. I could never kill our baby Luke."

"I'm just saying the option is there if we want it."

"No it's not; it's not an option at all. If you think it is then maybe I don't need you like I thought I did."

"Lorelai..."

"You're talking about killing our child Luke."

"We don't even know if this kid exists!" he said exasperatedly.

"I don't care; abortion is never an option, never ever."

"Ok, just calm down." Lorelai settled back on the bed and began to cry. Luke felt terrible for making her feel so miserable and he moved to put his arms around her but she pushed him away. "Lorelai," he whispered.

"Just go," she said, turning on her side to face away from him.

"Please talk to me," he begged. He saw her body shake as she cried and his heart began breaking into tiny pieces.

"I wanna be alone," she choked. "Leave."

"Lorel...."

"Go," she shouted, causing Rory to stir from her sleep. Luke went to see to her but Lorelai stopped him. "How many times do I have to tell you, I wanna be by myself," she yelled. Luke looked at her, sadness and hurt written across his face and Lorelai saw it, she saw it all, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to be alone and Luke wasn't listening to her.

Then she saw something she didn't expect to see; a single tear ran down Luke's cheek as he stared into her blue eyes. She knew she was hurting him, she knew she was breaking his heart by not opening up to him but she couldn't stop herself. Luke went to Rory's crib and kissed the baby's cheek, soothing her back to sleep then quickly left the potting shed, not looking back at Lorelai.

"Why did I do that?" she whispered to herself as a fresh set of tears came barrelling down her cheeks. "I love him." She lay down on her pillow, soaking it with the salty water dripping from her eyes, and tried to get to sleep. She couldn't stop replaying their argument in her head. How did it add up to her asking him to leave? Why did she send him away? She needed him, he completed her and she sent him away, upsetting the both of them.

**This was not how this chapter was supposed to turn out....I was just typing away and all of a sudden they're arguing lol. I was like; oh this is quite good actually so I kept writing. I hope you liked this, I know the outcome of all this now and as always it will bring L/L together. They belong together....duh! Anyway, please review! **

**Emily.**


	32. Miserable Gilmore and Grumpy Danes

**Hey guys where are you? I lost loads of reviewers in the last chapter....was it something I said? Anyway I hope I hear from you all again soon, I didn't get half as many reviews as usual :( Thank you to all the people that did review though, I love all you regulars :) Here is a new update! You all know I hate L/L when they're apart so it must be good right? Please enjoy...**

Lorelai didn't get out of bed the next morning; in fact she didn't sleep the whole night. She saw Luke's broken face every time she closed her eyes, seeing that tear roll down his cheek ever so slowly. She'd never seen him cry before; he was always so strong, so composed. So she lay awake all night, staring into the darkness and now, at eight thirty in the morning, she still lay in the same position with no intention of moving.

"Mama," Rory exclaimed from the crib where she stood. Lorelai sat up and wiped her eyes with the bag of hand before climbing out of bed. She picked Rory up then crawled back into bed with her daughter, claiming her previous position. "Shad," commented Rory, pointing to Lorelai's red, puffy eyes.

"Yeah mommy's sad," she agreed, feeling more tears fill her eyes. Rory curled up next to Lorelai under the covers and hugged her as tight as her tiny arms would let her. She looked up at her mom with a questioning expression, wondering what had made her cry. "I don't know what I'd do without you Ror," Lorelai whispered. "Luke's gone, daddy's gone," she murmured, letting the salty water cascade down her cheeks.

"Dada," whispered Rory, knowing this was not a time to get excited.

"I'm sorry baby, I know you love him so much but I screwed it up. He was being so nice to me, he was gonna be here for us but I sent him away," she cried. "Now I don't know if he's gonna come back." Rory clumsily wiped the tears from Lorelai's cheeks and smiled softly up at her in an attempt to make her feel better.

"Mama seep," she ordered.

"I can't sleep hon, I tried. Anyway I have to be awake to take care of you," she said.

"No," she protested. "Down." Lorelai put her on the floor then settled back into her pillow, closing her eyes until the image of Luke got too much to handle and she opened them again. Rory toddled over to the coffee table and reached into the fruit bowl, picking up a banana and an apple. She went back over to Lorelai's bed and got her attention. "Bwekfas," she exclaimed, holding the apple out to her. Lorelai smiled at her daughter's attentiveness; even at a year old she knew how to make you feel better.

"Thanks sweets," she said, her voice shaky. "You wanna sit up here with me?"

"Yesh." Lorelai settled her on the bed next to her and peeled her banana for her. She bit into the apple and sighed, eating apples was a bad sign. The only time she'd ever wanted to eat fruit was when she was pregnant with Rory and here she was in that situation again, just a year later. The scene was really one Lorelai thought she'd never see; two Gilmore girls eating fruit for breakfast. It was so Luke's fault.

Luke opened the diner at six that morning, just like he had before he and Lorelai started having sleepovers. Kirk was waiting outside as usual and when Luke unlocked the door, the boy hurried inside and claimed 'his' table.

"Good morning Luke." Luke just grunted in reply, something Kirk hadn't seen or heard him do for three months now. "Don't see you around at this time anymore," he commented.

"What do you want for breakfast Kirk?" he asked gruffly.

"French toast, no, waffles," he decided. Luke turned around to head to the kitchen but was stopped by Kirk's voice. "I changed my mind, I want pancakes."

"It's just breakfast Kirk," he mumbled.

"And cut them into stars, I haven't had stars for a while," he said thoughtfully.

"Jeez." Cutting pancakes into stars was something he would expect to do for Rory, not for Kirk, a sixteen year old male. Thinking of Rory made him think of Lorelai, and thinking of Lorelai made him remember the cold look in her eyes the night before. He wasn't concentrating on what he was doing and ended up pouring oil over his wrist, rather than into the frying pan. "Damn it," he cursed loudly.

"You ok in there Luke?" asked Kirk.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, hastily rinsing his arm under the tap. He shook his head and tried again, keeping thoughts of Lorelai at the back of his mind. He needed to focus on other things, he needed to keep busy or else he'd fall to pieces. He felt like he'd lost her, like he lost his dad and he didn't like it, he hated not having her around and it had only been half a day. He flipped the pancake then settled the pan back on the burner. "Rory," he said to himself.

The adoption was still processing, what happened when it went through? Would Lorelai call and cancel their arrangements before things were official? Surely she wouldn't do that, she said herself that if they broke up she wouldn't keep Rory away from him. Would she keep true to her word? And what about the new baby, if there was one? He'd want to be there, he didn't want her to do it alone again. Would she let him? He exhaled deeply then put Kirk's pancake on a plate and began to cut it into stars the best he could.

Lorelai was supposed to be at work by ten but when eleven arrived, she was still tucked under her duvet in her PJs; Rory was playing with her teddy bears beside her. She had absolutely no reason to move from the position she was in and she wasn't going to. She never even thought about Mia or Sookie or anyone else that would wonder where she was, she was in a world of her own. There was a knock at the door and both Lorelai and Rory glanced over at it.

"Go away," Lorelai called, not moving from the bed.

"Lorelai, sweetie it's Sookie," she heard.

"I...I don't want to talk to anyone," she replied.

"Honey what's the matter? Is it, you know...." she trailed off.

"I'm fine Sook, just go back to work."

"I can't, Mia sent me, she's worried about you."

"Then why didn't she come down here?"

"She thought it'd be best if I came, we are best friends after all." Lorelai shut her eyes tightly. "Why aren't you at work?" Sookie asked cautiously. There was no answer. "Lorelai let me in, we can talk," she pleaded. She heard shuffling inside the potting shed then the sound of a key turning in the lock. Lorelai opened the door slowly, rubbing her eyes to hide the fact she's been crying, not realising that she'd made them look worse. As soon as Sookie saw her, she wrapped her in a hug and rubbed her back soothingly. "What happened?" she asked.

"Luke," she replied, clamping her eyes shut to keep the tears in.

"Oh honey, come on let's sit down." She guided Lorelai over to the bed and allowed her to collapse onto it. "Hey Rory," she said. "Let's put that TV show on that you like huh?" Rory grinned up at her as she carried her over to the TV and settled her in front of it, turning on The Muppet Show. Rory immediately stared at the screen with interest, in a whole other world. Sookie sat next to Lorelai and glanced over at her. "What's this about Luke?" she asked.

"He left," she mumbled. "He left and it's my fault." A few tears slipped from her eyes and she wiped them away vigorously.

"Why is it your fault?"

"I told him to leave, he looked so upset, I knew I was breaking his heart and I still ordered him to leave. I'm such a horrible person." She started sobbing and Sookie hugged her again.

"You are not a horrible person, I don't know how you could think that," she assured. "Does he know about err....the possible baby?" she asked curiously. Lorelai nodded without pulling out of their hug. "Why did you ask him to leave?"

"I don't even know, I'm so dumb," she said, angry at herself. "He started talking about our options if I was pregnant and I think he was hinting at getting rid of it."

"Sweetie, Luke would never agree to that," she soothed. "He'd never kill his own child."

"But he said it, he said that we can decide whether to keep it or not. That kinda points towards abortion."

"Look, I think Luke was just thinking about you," she began. "He wouldn't want you to get rid of it but if that's what you wanted, he'd go along with it."

"How do you know? You weren't even there," she said harshly. Lorelai saw Sookie's face fall and she felt awful. Her friend was just trying to help her and here she was throwing back in her face. "Sook I'm sorry," she apologised. "I know you're just trying to help, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"It's ok," she whispered. "Believe me when I say that Luke would do anything for you. For all he knew, you might have wanted to get rid of it, he was just thinking of you."

"I know," she replied. "I overreacted and now he's gone." She began to cry again. She was so sick of crying, she was beginning to wonder when she'd have no more tears left to release.

"He'll come back, he loves you."

"If he loves me then why hasn't he been back already?" she questioned.

"He knows you need some space right now."

"No, he hates me," she sobbed. "I'm a terrible person."

"Lorelai this isn't you," said Sookie worriedly. "You're not one to lie in bed all day and cry over a guy, you're strong."

"But I love him Sook," she whispered.

"I know honey and he knows too, just give it time." Lorelai nodded. "I have to get back to work; do you want me to tell Mia what's going on?"

"Oh god, Mia's gonna be so mad at me for not showing up for work," she realised.

"She's not mad, she's just concerned. I'll tell her you won't be in today."

"Thanks Sook," she said gratefully. "Don't tell her about my....situation."

"I won't, it's what best friends are for." Lorelai nodded and watched Sookie leave the potting shed before she collapsed against her pillow again and let out a huge sigh.

Luke's day didn't get much better as time went on. The lunch rush had come and gone and Luke had already dropped six plates, four cups of coffee and successfully broken the cash register. Customers were beginning to wonder what was going on with him but they were too terrified to ask.

"Patty what do you think is going on with Luke?" asked Babette as they watched him tinkering with the register.

"I have no idea honey but there's something." The two women watched with interest as Luke cursed under his breath.

"You think it's Lorelai?" she whispered.

"Hmm she hasn't been in this morning," she countered.

"Luke was always grumpy like this before he met her, maybe they had a fight."

"Oh I hope they work things out, they're so perfect together. I'd hate to see them break up."

"I know, hopefully they'll sort out their differences." The two women frowned at Luke as he threw the register to the floor, breaking it further, before storming through the curtain and up the stairs to his apartment.

He hated this; not talking to Lorelai was killing him. He needed to know what was going on with her, with them. Were they broken up or just spending some time apart? He didn't know if he should go over there, would she want to see him? He sighed. He couldn't deal with all of this, it was too much. His relationship with Lorelai was complicated but it shouldn't be, he's nineteen for Christ's sake, he shouldn't be worrying about all of this.

He sank into the couch and put his head in his hands. He missed her and he missed Rory, they were pretty much all he had. Liz hadn't been around much recently and he'd been spending more time with Lorelai because of it. But now he didn't have anyone to spend time with, he was all alone and the thought saddened him. He didn't know what to do with himself, he had gotten used to Lorelai being there with him all the time and he loved taking care of Rory but he wasn't sure he could do that anymore.

Lorelai's day had been spent in bed. Sookie had brought lunch for her and Rory to make sure they were eating properly but she wasn't able to stay long. She hadn't really eaten much of the soup Sookie had made; she didn't feel like eating, she felt sick. She didn't know if it was because of Luke or if it was maybe morning sickness. She shook off that thought quickly though, it wasn't something she wanted to think about right now.

It was nearing four fifteen and Rory had woken from her nap just minutes ago. Lorelai had allowed her to sleep in bed next to her as she hadn't wanted to move. Now she needed dinner but she didn't feel motivated to get out of bed and prepare something. There was a knock at the door again and Lorelai called for the person to come in.

"Hello dear," said Mia as she entered. "How are you doing?" Lorelai sniffled.

"I'm ok," she said weakly.

"You don't look ok," she commented.

"Gee thanks," she replied sarcastically.

"You should call him; he'll be worried about you." Lorelai shook her head.

"If he was worried he would have called or come over," she insisted.

"Sweetheart, Lucas is kind and wouldn't do anything to hurt anybody. You asking him to leave told him that you needed space and time to think, he'll have respected that."

"But I need him," she murmured.

"I know, but he doesn't know that. Right now he's probably thinking you hate him and never want to see him again."

"But that's not true," she cried.

"Maybe not but you need to tell him, there's no point in telling me."

"I can't....I can't face him yet."

"Then I can't help you," she said simply, standing up to leave.

"You can," she said. "You can take Rory to see him. She's been asking for him today, he usually takes her on Tuesdays."

"If you're sure," Mia shrugged.

"I am, he's still her dad right?" Mia smiled and nodded. "He can keep her for the night if he wants to; he hasn't stayed over since we got back from Martha's Vineyard."

"I'm sure he'd like that." Lorelai nodded in agreement.

"I'll pack her bag," she said as she climbed out of bed. She quickly gathered Rory's things, adding diapers and wipes in case Luke didn't have them at his place, then zipped the backpack up. She picked up Colonel Clucker and gave him to Mia. "She likes this," she said. "Tell him to put it in the crib with her, she likes to hug him," she informed.

"I will," assured Mia. "Are you sure you'll be ok here by yourself?"

"Yeah I'll be fine," she nodded. She picked Rory up and held her close. "I'll see you tomorrow ok sweets?"

"Mama," said Rory, happy to see Lorelai out of bed.

"Have fun tonight." She kissed her forehead then passed her over to Mia.

"Do you want me to pick her up tomorrow?" she asked. Lorelai looked down at her feet then shook her head.

"I'll go," she whispered.

"Ok shall I tell him you'll be there around nine thirty?"

"No err....I'll pick her up in my lunch break about twelve thirty," she said. "It'll give them more time together then."

"Ok sweetie, get some sleep, you look like you need it."

"You really know how to make me feel better," she joked.

"Seriously Lorelai, you need to get some rest," she warned.

"I know, I will," she nodded.

"Good, I'll see you at work tomorrow?" she questioned.

"Yeah ten sharp." Mia nodded. "Bye sweets," she said. Rory looked at her in confusion then waved at her, saying goodbye but was not quite sure where she was going. After Mia had left, Lorelai opened the kitchen cupboard and pulled out a tin of alphabet spaghetti. She poured it into a pan but frowned when she couldn't remember how to turn the stove on. She debated putting it in the oven but knew that wouldn't work so she shoved it in the fridge. "Damn it," she cursed. She really did need Luke.

The bell above the door rang and Luke glanced up, desperately hoping it would be Lorelai. When he saw a Gilmore girl before him, he instantly smiled. Granted it wasn't the one he desperately wanted to see so they could sort things out but he was still ecstatic to see her.

"Hey Rory," he said softly as Mia walked over to the counter. He walked around and took Rory from her, brushing his fingers through her fine brown hair. The diner was busy so he led Mia through the curtain and into the storage room.

"Lorelai wanted you to see her," said Mia. "She said you can have her for the night, here's her bag. She hasn't had dinner yet." Luke took it and dropped it on a table behind him before turning back to smile at Rory.

"Dada," she exclaimed. He saw a frown take over her features. "Mama shad," she said.

"Mommy's sad?" he asked. Rory nodded in reply.

"How is she?" he asked Mia in concern.

"She's a mess," she replied. "She hasn't moved from her bed all day, she didn't show up for work."

"Is she um....has she been err... crying?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. Luke shook his head.

"This isn't my fault," he insisted. "I was just trying to support her, I didn't know what she'd wanna do if she was pregnant," he said. Mia was taken aback.

"Pregnant?" she questioned. This was news to her.

"Erm...she didn't tell you?" he asked, knowing he'd probably just made things worse.

"Lorelai's pregnant?" she asked, slightly angrily this time.

"Uh maybe," he said, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "We don't know yet."

"Oh my god, how could you both let this happen?" she shouted.

"Mia calm down, you're gonna upset Rory," he hushed. Mia took a deep, calming breath then looked at him.

"When did this happen?" she asked.

"Saturday night in Martha's Vineyard, we had a little too much to drink and uh...you can probably guess the rest," he said awkwardly.

"What were you doing drinking in the first place? You are nineteen years old and Lorelai is just seventeen. I thought you were more responsible than this."

"We were being normal teenagers, we didn't have to worry about Rory," he defended. "Is it so wrong that we wanted to be free for one night?"

"Lucas do you not realise what could possibly happen here? You could be about to become a father and Lorelai a mother for the second time. She's seventeen years old, most girls haven't even thought about having children at that age never mind had two of her own."

"We'll sort it out," he promised.

"How? You're not even together; you haven't talked to her since last night. Is this why you broke up, because she could be pregnant?"

"No, I wouldn't leave her because of that; I thought you had a better opinion of me than that."

"I don't know what to think," she said, completely lost. "You've only been together a few months, you should have been more careful."

"I know, we both regret what we did but I can't make any decisions until I know whether she's actually carrying my kid or not."

"Well you need to wait at least another week. I'll tell her to make an appointment with the doctor, this needs to be resolved." Mia gave him a look, a look of pure disappointment.

"Mia all I said to her was that we have options, I didn't know if she would want to keep it or not so I was only thinking of her. Anyway, she got mad and told me to leave." He looked down at Rory in his arms, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"You need to talk to her Lucas."

"I can't," he admitted. "She doesn't wanna be with me anymore, she made that clear last night."

"Do you wanna be with her?"

"Of course."

"Tell her." With that, she kissed Rory goodbye and left the room, leaving Luke standing there in confusion. Should he listen to Mia's words? Did Lorelai really want to see him, to be with him? He looked down at Rory who was now grinning up at him as she reached for his ball cap, something that was becoming a regular habit of hers. At least Lorelai was letting him see Rory, his daughter. At least she wasn't keeping her away from him.

"What should we get for dinner huh?" Rory looked at him blankly. "How about I make us some pasta?"

"Yesh," she replied, she really did like pasta. Luke threw Rory's backpack over his shoulder and went back out to the diner.

"Caesar I'm taking Rory upstairs, call if you need me."

"Ok boss," he replied from the kitchen. Luke went upstairs and settled Rory in her high chair as he went about preparing dinner.

"Hugwy," complained Rory as she began to whine.

"It's cooking," he said as the pasta simmered. He turned around and knelt in front of the high chair. "I missed you today," he said. "We usually hang out on Tuesdays don't we?"

"Dada," she said happily.

"Is mommy ok?" he asked.

"Cwy," she replied.

"Did she cry?"

"Shad." Luke frowned. He loved that Rory understood him but he didn't like what he was hearing. It sounded like Lorelai was really hurting but it was all on her own accord. She yelled at him. She pushed him away. She asked him to leave. He didn't have a say in the situation. If she wanted him that badly, if she needed him, she'd have to come back and tell him herself. She'd have to be the one to make the first move.

After dinner had been cleared up, Luke sat with Rory as they watched some cartoon. He wasn't really paying attention; his mind was on Lorelai as he wondered what she was doing right now. Was she still in bed? Had she eaten? He told himself not to be concerned about her, she did this herself but he couldn't help it. He noticed Rory yawning as she leant against him, it was then he noticed that it was almost nine pm.

"Oops it's way past your bedtime isn't it?" he asked the sleepy baby. "Shall we skip bath time tonight?" he asked. Rory didn't answer and that told him that she was exhausted. He picked a pair of pyjamas and a diaper from the bag and changed her quickly before taking a sippy cup from the cupboard and filling it with milk. He held the cup as Rory drank from it and saw she was asleep before she'd finished.

He let her empty the cup then carefully carried her over to the crib. Just as he was about to lay her down, he decided against it. He wanted her to be near him; he'd missed her and didn't want her to sleep at the other side of the apartment. He laid her on his bed and covered the duvet, making sure not to pull it up too far. He changed into his sweats then climbed in next to her, throwing his arm over her protectively.

"Night Ror," he whispered. He lay and watch her for a while, just happy that she was there. He noticed all the similarities she had to Lorelai while she was sleeping, they were so alike. It was comforting to Luke to have her there; it was kinda like Lorelai was there too. "Things will get better, I promise," he whispered to her before closing his eyes for the night.

The next morning, Luke and Rory went about things they usually would. He made breakfast, they ate together, then they just hung out together. When Lorelai arrived, they were downstairs in the diner. Rory was perched on the counter while Luke poured coffee for a customer next to her. Rory was watching him with great interest as he interacted with his customers. He didn't see Lorelai straight away and went about his business as normal. It was only when he rounded the counter, with Rory following close behind him, that he noticed her.

"Hi," she whispered. Luke was frozen to the spot.

"Hey," he replied, not looking at her. Lorelai frowned then bent down to pick up Rory.

"Good morning sweets," she said enthusiastically, mostly for Rory's benefit. "Or should I say afternoon?"

"Mama," exclaimed Rory excitedly.

"Was she ok?" she asked Luke.

"Yeah uh...she was good," he replied.

"Good, I guess I'll be going then." He gave her Rory's bag and their fingers brushed lightly, sending mixed feelings and emotions through them.

"Uh you can bring her round whenever you want," he said. "I don't mind."

"Ok, bye." She turned around and opened the door. He wanted to stop her and ask if they could talk but he stopped himself, she obviously wasn't interested in what he had to say. She was quick to leave anyway.

"Something going on Luke?" asked Patty. He rolled his eyes.

"No, Lorelai was just picking Rory up," he replied nonchalantly.

"Hmm you didn't kiss her goodbye," she said thoughtfully.

"She had to go; we don't kiss all the damn time. Especially not when we have an audience," he said pointedly.

"Someone's touchy," she commented.

"Damn town," he grumbled before regaining his spot behind the counter, sending Patty a glare now and again.

Lorelai walked down the sidewalk in the direction of the inn with Rory on her hip. The encounter with Luke had been awkward and frankly she couldn't wait to get out of there. The thing that hurt her the most was that she made things like this, she was to blame. She shook the thoughts out of her head; she didn't want to get upset again. She had done enough crying in the past day and a half to fill five buckets.

When she finally reached the inn, Mia was waiting for her by the front desk. She hadn't yet confronted Lorelai about the situation she was in and now was her chance.

"Ah Lorelai, can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Um...of course," she replied warily. She followed Mia into her office and took a seat. "So what's going on?"

"You're pregnant?" she asked. Lorelai didn't know what to say, how the hell did Mia find out about this?

"I uh...."

"Lorelai, I want the truth."

"I...I don't know," she mumbled.

"You don't know?" she questioned.

"Not yet. Sookie made me take a test a couple of days ago but it was too early to tell," she shrugged.

"I'm disappointed in you Lorelai," she said.

"You sound like my mother," she muttered.

"Well how do you expect me to act? You are seventeen with a child and could possibly be expecting another." Lorelai glanced down at Rory in her lap.

"I know...it's so messed up."

"Lorelai you know I think Rory is wonderful, I love her very much and I know you don't regret having her but you can't have another child, not at your age." Mia's voice was softer than before.

"Oh Mia I don't know what do, I don't want another kid," she said, trying to stop sobbing.

"Lorelai, Luke was right when he said you have options." Lorelai glared up at her.

"Not you too."

"It doesn't necessarily mean you have to have an abortion, there's always adoption." Lorelai sniffled.

"I couldn't though. I'd still have to be pregnant and from my previous experience, you get attached to your kid while it's growing inside you. I felt the exact same way I do now when I found out I was having Rory but look at us now, look at her. If I'm pregnant, I have to keep it," she stressed. Mia sighed.

"I guess you have to wait it out," she shrugged. "I'll make you an appointment with the doctor for next week; they should be able to tell by then."

"Ok," she replied hesitantly.

"You need to confide in Lucas," she said. "You are in a relationship with him, you can tell him things. I know he's hurt that you shut him out and told him to leave, he just wants to take care of you."

"I don't need taking care of," she protested.

"Lorelai, he's hurting too, you're not the only one."

"I just need to be by myself for a while." Mia nodded and Lorelai rose from her seat. "I'm gonna get back to work, I'll take Rory with me."

"Ok dear, if you ever need to talk..."

"I know where to find you," Lorelai finished. Mia smiled softly as Lorelai left the office.

A whole week passed by and Luke and Lorelai were still apart. They hadn't talked much; Lorelai had picked Rory up from Luke's a few times but she usually sent Mia or Sookie instead, not wanting to face him. Rory was starting to notice that something wasn't right between the two and it was having an effect on her. She was being more clingy and crying for no reason and Lorelai was beginning to worry about her.

She never wanted her relationship to affect her daughter; she wanted to keep it all separate from her, like two separate lives. But Luke had been so good to them, she thought he was for keeps and she thought it was safe for him to get to know Rory. Lorelai hadn't anticipated anything like this happening but it had and they had been apart for a week and a half now. She still didn't know if she was pregnant; she'd been eating apples and feeling tired but they were the only signs, no nausea or cramping.

"Lorelai?" asked Mia, entering the potting shed cautiously.

"Hey," she replied.

"You ready to go?" she asked. Lorelai sighed; she didn't know if she was ready for this. She wanted to know but Luke should be there with her, it didn't feel right to be going with Mia.

"Yeah I'll just grab my purse." Rory was with Luke and she wasn't picking her up till this afternoon.

"This came for you." Mia held out a large envelope and Lorelai inhaled. "I think I know what it is."

"Me too," Lorelai whispered.

"Are you gonna open it?" Lorelai held it between her fingers and stared down at it. She finally nodded and broke the seal, pulling out a letter and some pamphlets. "What does it say?" she asked as she watched Lorelai quickly scan the text, her expression showing no emotion.

"It went through, Luke's Rory's dad now," she whispered.

"That's good right?" she asked. Lorelai didn't answer. "Come on, we'll go to the doctor and think about this later." Lorelai nodded and allowed Mia to guide her to her car.

Once in the waiting room, she began to get nervous. She held her hands in her lap, staring down at them as she thought about the possible outcomes of this doctor's visit. She didn't have much time to think though as she was soon been called in.

"Lorelai Gilmore." Lorelai rose from her seat.

"That's me," she said shakily.

"Right this way," said the nurse, unusually happy.

"Come with me?" Lorelai asked Mia. "Please?"

"Of course dear." They were guided into an exam room and the nurse told Lorelai to change into a gown and get settled on the bed, then she left. "Do you want me to leave too?" Mia asked as Lorelai stared at the gown in her hands.

"Um no it's ok, we're all women here," she said light-heartedly. Mia smiled then took a seat as Lorelai quickly changed and perched on the edge of the bed, her legs hanging off the side.

"Everything's gonna be ok," she assured. Lorelai took a deep breath and nodded.

"I wish Luke were here," she admitted.

"He probably would have come if you'd have asked him." Lorelai shook her head.

"No, things have been awkward between us, it would've been weird." The doctor entered the room and Lorelai sat back on the bed, smiling nervously at her.

"Hello I'm Doctor Paddington," she introduced herself.

"Ha like Paddington Bear," Lorelai chuckled. The doctor's eyebrow rose as she looked at Lorelai.

"Sorry about her," apologised Mia. "She has a quirky sense of humour."

"Right, so Miss Gilmore I understand you think you're pregnant?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "And please call me Lorelai."

"Ok do you mind if I ask some questions before we start the examination?"

"Uh no, go ahead."

"How long ago do you believe the conception to be?" Lorelai cleared her throat.

"A week ago on Saturday," she replied.

"Ok and did you use any kind of birth control?"

"I take the pill but I forgot to take it that particular day."

"Right well there is a very good chance it was still in your system so you might be in the clear. However you may be one of the unlucky ones."

"So you can get pregnant on the pill?" she asked curiously.

"Yes it's possible. Sometimes it doesn't do it's job properly, it depends on the individual but I've plenty of patients that have become pregnant while taking the pill."

"Wow," she whispered.

"Yes it is a shock. It's always better to use a condom as well, just in case." Lorelai nodded.

"We uh...we were drunk so...." she trailed off and looked guiltily at Mia.

"So it was the last thing you would have thought of? I know I hear it a lot," Doctor Paddington assured.

"Can we do this now?" she asked eagerly. "I wanna be put out of my misery."

"Absolutely, would you like your mother to stay with you during the exam?"

"Oh she's not my mom, she's more like a surrogate," she answered.

"Ok...." The doctor was a little confused.

"I'd like her to stay, if that's ok Mia?"

"Of course dear," she replied soothingly. Lorelai smiled gratefully.

"Ok Lorelai I'm going to need you to relax, it might be a little painful but if you're relaxed, you shouldn't feel it too much." Lorelai nodded knowingly, she'd been here before. Mia held her hand as they completed the examination. Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief when they'd finished as she'd been unable to relax through most of it, causing the pain to be excruciating. "I'll need to do a blood test too, is that ok?" she asked.

"That's a needle right?" she asked.

"Yes," the doctor confirmed. "Accurate results show up earlier on a blood test than on a urine test." Lorelai looked to Mia for advice but the older woman just shrugged.

"Ok," Lorelai reluctantly agreed. She hated needles but she needed to know what her future would look like, she had to be sure. After they had drawn her blood, they were sent to the waiting room while the results were determined. Lorelai tapped her fingernails on the armrest of the chair, worried about what she was about to hear. After what seemed like twenty years, Lorelai was called into a small room with a desk. Both her and Mia took a seat opposite the doctor and Lorelai began feeling nauseous.

"Right Lorelai, we've tested your blood and from what I saw in the examination, you are not pregnant." Lorelai let out the breath she didn't realise she was holding and beamed at Mia, the older woman was also smiling. "I'm guessing this is a good thing?"

"Yes it's a great thing," Lorelai confirmed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, it was still quite early for the test to be taken and if you experience any symptoms of pregnancy in the next few days I would suggest you buy a home test."

"So I could still be pregnant?" she asked, worry seeping into her voice.

"There is a possibility but it's small," she assured. "The test we did measured the HCG levels in your blood and it didn't find anything. I think by now if you were pregnant there would be some sign of HCG in your blood but there isn't."

"Ok," said Lorelai. "So you think I'm in the clear?"

"Yes I am pretty sure, but don't sue me if I'm wrong," she joked.

"Don't worry I won't," Lorelai replied. "Thank you doctor."

"It was no problem, be more careful in future," she warned. Lorelai nodded. She wasn't sure she'd even be having sex anytime soon, not with the way things were between her and Luke at the moment.

When they got back to the inn, Lorelai thanked Mia for supporting her then went out to pick up Rory. She was gonna send Mia to pick her up but Lorelai felt the need to tell Luke about the adoption, it did concern him after all.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked him once she reached the diner.

"Uh...yeah," he answered. "Rory's sleeping upstairs."

"Oh well we'll be quiet, I promise." Luke nodded.

"Caesar I'm going upstairs." There was no reply from the kitchen so Luke told Lorelai to go on up while he took care of his chef. Lorelai checked on Rory then seated herself on Luke's couch. She held the envelope between her fingers and waited patiently for him to arrive upstairs. "What's going on?" he asked gruffly as he stood near the couch, not daring to sit next to her.

"Sit down," she ordered.

"I'd rather stand." She shrugged then gave him the envelope. "What's this?" he asked.

"Read it." He took out the paper and carefully read through it. Lorelai noticed the corners of his mouth curve upwards into a small smile and couldn't help but smile herself.

"So that's it, I'm her dad now," he stated in disbelief.

"Yeah," agreed Lorelai, staring at her hands clasped in her lap.

"Lorelai?" he asked, trying to get her attention. Her head shot up and her eyes met his. "How do you feel about this?" She averted her gaze to the crib across the room.

"I...I don't know exactly," she admitted. "I want to be happy about it, I think I am happy about it but it doesn't feel right." Luke nodded in understanding.

"We should be together," he said, not realising he'd said it out loud.

"What?" she asked, not expecting him to say that.

"Erm...doesn't matter," he dismissed.

"No Luke, do you want us to be together?" she pushed.

"I...things are complicated," he argued. "It's not as easy as that."

"What's complicated?" she asked.

"We have stuff to deal with, huge stuff."

"I'm not pregnant," she blurted out. She was gonna tell him differently, in a less tense situation but it needed to be clarified, he needed to know.

"What?"

"I went to the doctor earlier, they did a blood test and I'm not pregnant," she told him. Luke seemed to have gone into a state of shock because he wasn't saying a word, he was barely moving. "Luke?" she asked in a small voice.

"Err...wow so we're not having a baby huh?"

"Nope," she confirmed.

"Huh, I was kinda warming to the idea," he admitted.

"You were?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah I've been thinking about it a lot, I haven't had much else to do," he said. Lorelai nodded sheepishly. "I don't wanna be apart from you anymore; it's been a week and a half."

"I know, it hasn't exactly been a walk in the park for me either." Luke took a step towards the couch.

"So um...have you been thinking about me?" he asked, stepping closer.

"All the time," she admitted.

"Good," he whispered. He held his hand out to her and she stared down at it. There was an internal debate going on in her head. One side was telling her to take it and the other was warning her away from it. Of course Lorelai, being Lorelai, did what she thought was best. She hesitantly placed her hand in Luke's and he wrapped his fingers around it tightly, comfortingly. He pulled her to her feet and his free arm went around her waist, holding her close to him. She rested her chin on his shoulder and breathed in the scent of him, god she'd missed that smell. "Don't leave me again ok?"

"I won't," she promised. "I can't live without you."

**So crappy ending haha, I'm sorry but I'm tired so I ended it here. I have a really good idea for the next chapter though; I'll keep it a surprise! I know I could have dragged their fight out longer but I couldn't stand it anymore and they had to get back together her for the next chapter to work....you'll see. So my kind reviewers that I fear have forgotten about me, please leave a comment this time, pleeeaaaase. You know I love reading them :D That's all till next time!**

**Emily.**


	33. The Dark Day

**So this took a while, sorry! I've been kinda busy lately but I promise I'll try to update faster from now on. I only have 5 weeks left till summer so I'll be updating a lot then. It's shorter too....but it was a good place to end it so....Thank you for your kind reviews! There were a lot of them this time :) I always like it when that happens and I hope it happens again (hint hint). Enjoy :D**

"I'm sorry," Luke whispered in her ear as they sat curled up together on the couch. They had been silent for some time now and Luke had finally broken it. Lorelai shook her head in response but didn't say anything. "No I am, I shouldn't have suggested you have an abortion," he frowned.

"It was my fault, I overreacted and we ended up spending a week and a half apart. It's been the most miserable week of my life and I lived with Emily Gilmore for seventeen years, well the old Emily Gilmore, the new one's pretty good," she smiled slightly. "I used to be so miserable in that house and to say that I was more miserable this past week than I was back then is definitely something. I just...." Luke cut her off.

"Shut up," he ordered, smiling at the fact she was back to her normal self.

"I was just getting to the good part," she huffed, untangling her arms from his and crossing them over her chest.

"You talk too much," he complained.

"Admit it, you missed my voice while we were apart." She raised her eyebrows and stared at him.

"I missed you, but your voice? Not so much. Is that what you wanted to hear?" She uncrossed her arms and kissed him on the cheek.

"I missed you too," she replied.

Later that evening, Rory was beginning to get tired and Luke suggested she go to bed. Just as Lorelai was about to change her into PJs, Luke stopped her.

"I have early deliveries tomorrow," he said quickly. Lorelai turned to face him with Rory in her arms.

"Oh well it doesn't matter if you wake me, I can always go back to sleep," she shrugged.

"They're really early," he stressed. Lorelai looked at Rory and frowned. Was Luke trying to get rid of her? Did he not want to get back together after all?

"Ok we'll just err...go home then," she said hesitantly. Luke could feel the tension rising between them and nervously scratched the back of his neck.

"Do you need a ride?" he asked thoughtfully. Lorelai shook her head as she put Rory's arm in the sleeve of her coat.

"I'm fine, I can walk," she answered bluntly.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah it's not far," she shrugged. Luke held her gaze for a few moments then nodded.

"Ok." He picked up Rory's bag and held the door to the apartment open for her to exit through. He followed her downstairs where he proceeded to assemble the stroller that was at the bottom of the stairs. He watched Lorelai fasten Rory in before turning to face him.

"Are we um....are we ok?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah I really do have early deliveries," he assured her. He looked around the diner to see various townies watching them intently. "I'll walk you out," he said quietly. Once outside the diner, Lorelai clutched the handle of the stroller nervously.

"I'll see you later then," she said, making a move to walk away.

"Wait," he called and she turned back to look at him. "We're good Lorelai, we really are but I think we should take time to get used to things again before we, you know..." he trailed off.

"But I've heard make up sex is really great," she said flirtatiously while stepping closer to him. Luke blushed but tried his best to hide it.

"Bye Lorelai," he said, wanting to end the upcoming sexual conversation. She chuckled then took another step closer to him, pulling the stroller back with her.

"Do I at least get a goodbye kiss before I go?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. Luke glanced into the diner to see the townie's heads turn abruptly away from the scene. He glared in that direction for a moment longer then turned back to Lorelai and quickly pecked her lips. "Is that it?" she asked. "After a week and half that's all you've got?"

"People are watching," he murmured, pointing his head towards the diner. Lorelai looked through the window to see almost the whole diner staring at them. She waved at them then looked at Luke.

"I want a proper kiss," she said.

"But....Miss Patty and...Gypsy.." he stuttered.

"Have seen it all before," she reminded him. He rolled his eyes. "Come on Luke, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not being ridiculous, I just don't want the whole town to see me kissing you."

"Why not?" Luke sighed, knowing he was going to lose the battle. He hesitantly leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. She was more demanding though, and captured his lips before running her tongue along his bottom lip. They could hear cheering and applause coming from inside the diner but Luke couldn't bring himself to pull away from the great kiss they were currently sharing. "They're watching," she mumbled against his lips.

"I know," he replied. He pulled away slowly and gazed into her sparkling blue eyes. "It's good to have you back," he smiled.

"It's good to be back," she replied with a nod. Luke walked around the stroller and knelt down in front of it. Rory's eyelids were becoming heavier and heavier with every passing second but when she saw Luke in front of her, she fought harder to keep them open.

"Night sweetie," he whispered as he brushed his fingers lightly over her cheek. He kissed her forehead then stood up again, watching as Rory gave in to sleep. "Night Lorelai," he said to her.

"Goodnight," she replied. "Although it's only eight o clock." They kissed a final goodbye then Luke watched her walk down the street away from him, swaying her hips more than usual. He grinned to himself then re-entered the diner to see every pair of eyes on him.

"You got it bad," said Kirk as he came up and patted Luke on the back. Luke glared at him and Kirk took the hint and returned to his seat.

"So you dolls are back together?" asked Babette hopefully.

"Yes, yes we are back together. Now will you all just mind your own damn business?" he shouted, irritated at the fact that everyone wanted to know what was going on.

"Oh we're so happy for you," squealed Patty. "You both really deserve to be happy." Luke nodded then went to stand behind the counter. Patty leant in closer to Babette across the table so she could hear her whispers. "Do you know what day it is tomorrow?" she asked her gossip buddy.

"Erm..." Babette looked like she was thinking really hard. "It can't be Halloween, that's just gone. Christmas..." She looked outside where there was no snow. "No. Err....ooh is it Valentines?"

"Honey buy a calender," said Patty, patting Babette's hand with her own. "Tomorrow is November 30th, do you remember what happened a year ago tomorrow?"

"Oh," she said in realisation. The two women turned their heads to glance over at Luke as he went about his work behind the counter. "Do you think he's doing ok?" she asked in concern.

"Well I don't think it's really hit him yet, it's not till tomorrow after all," Patty replied. "But Lorelai did leave just now, do you think he wants to be alone?"

"I don't know, do you think he told her?"

"Luke's always been reserved, he probably said he had early deliveries."

"Oh Patty they just got back together after a ten days apart, I hope Luke keeping this from Lorelai won't cause a rift between them again," said Babette, furrowing her brows.

"I'm sure Lorelai will understand," said Patty. "It's the first anniversary of his father's death, he has good reason to keep to himself."

"But she could help him get through it, he's always so happy when she's around."

"Let's just leave it be, Luke needs his space right now," said Patty firmly as they continued to watch him work.

Lorelai lay Rory in her crib and covered her with a few blankets. She watched her sleep for a while, knowing that everything was better now.

"Daddy's back," she whispered before leaving a kiss on Rory's plump cheek. She collapsed onto the couch and turned the TV on, hoping to find something to watch. A new episode of Dynasty appeared on one of the channels so she settled in to watch it.

Luke woke up early the next morning, earlier than usual. He quickly showered then picked up the bag he had packed the night before. He glaced over at the picture Rory had given him for his birthday of the three of them and frowned at it. Was he doing the right thing in running away from his problems today? He shook his head then hurried downstairs. He stuck a 'gone fishing' sign on the door then locked up before climbing in his truck and driving away from Stars Hollow. He just wanted to get away.

Lorelai's back was aching when she woke up at seven that morning. The TV was still blaring out but Good Morning America was showing now. She turned it off then slowly sat up, silently cursing her chosen location to sleep the whole night. She checked on a still sleeping Rory then stumbled into the bathroom to take a shower.

"Bad choice, bad, bad choice," she complained as she reached up to massage shampoo into her hair. "Stupid couch." When she was done, she got dressed then found Rory sat up in the crib. "Hey sweets, you're up early."

"Hugwy," she explained as she rubbed her rumbling stomach.

"Oh is my baby hungry?" she asked in a baby voice, lifting Rory from the crib. "We can't have that can we? No we can't. How about we go get some pancakes? I'm sure daddy'll let you have banana."

"Mmm," she hummed, licking her lips at the mention of banana pancakes.

"That's my girl, you don't have to drool though," she joked. Lorelai sat Rory on the bed then quickly chose some clothes for her to wear before dressing her in them. She then applied her makeup, making sure she took extra time to look pretty for her boyfriend.

"Mama," Rory asked.

"Yeah hon?"

"Meeeee," she replied.

"What?" She turned around to see Rory pointing to the makeup sitting on the table. "You want to wear makeup?"

"Wowy ma-up," she mumbled.

"I don't know," she contemplated. "Daddy won't want you wearing it."

"Peeeaaaase?" she begged. Lorelai smiled at her daughter's politeness.

"You can wear eyeshadow ok? But that's it, no more." Rory grinned and Lorelai brought a case over to her. "Which colour?" she asked. Rory looked at the choices in front of her before choosing light blue.

"That."

"Ooh good choice, it'll make your eyes look even brighter than they already do," she gushed. Lorelai brought the brush up to Rory's eyes but she started squirming excitedly. "No sweets you have to stay still so mommy doesn't poke you in the eye ok?" Rory continued to move around so Lorelai planted her firmly in place. "Stay here or you won't wear makeup today," she warned. Rory looked up at her with wide eyes as she sat as still as she could. "Close your eyes," she ordered.

"Wha," said Rory, her eyes still wide open.

"Ror you have to close your eyes or else I can't put it on." Lorelai demonstrated closing her eyes and putting the eyeshadow on her lids before opening them to see Rory copying her, sneakily opening one eye to watch her. "Good, stay like that." She swept the applicator over Rory's eyelid lightly, causing the little girl to giggle as it tickled.

"Ticwe," she murmured through her giggling.

"Does it tickle?" Lorelai asked, beginning to laugh herself at Rory's behaviour. "There all done."

"Wook," she demanded. Lorelai took her to the mirror and Rory grinned at her blue eyelids. She brought her finger up to touch it but Lorelai stopped her.

"No, no don't touch it, it'll come off." Rory pouted but remembered it was her mom, not her dad so she stopped. "Now let's go get some breakfast, we have to show daddy how pretty we look with our makeup on," she cooed.

As she approached the diner, pushing the stroller in front of her, she saw a group of people stood outside, looking through the window. She furrowed her brow then walked up to them, tapping Patty on the shoulder.

"What's going on?" she asked. She saw the sign on the door and frowned.

"Oh Lorelai there you are," said Patty in relief. "Do you have any idea where Luke is?"

"I think he's gone fishing," she replied sarcastically. "I don't understand." Patty saw her puzzled look and realised she musn't know.

"Lorelai do you know what day it is today?" she asked.

"Erm....Wednesday," she replied.

"No what _day _it is," she repeated, emphasising the word 'day'.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Honey, today is the first anniversary of Luke's father's death," she said softly. Lorelai stood in shock as she heard the words tumble from Patty's mouth. "Lorelai?" Patty asked when she didn't say anything.

"He...he err...he didn't tell me," she stuttered as she wondered why Luke would keep this from her.

"I think he wants to be by himself."

"But....why didn't he tell me? We're a couple, we're supposed to share things with each other," she frowned.

"I don't know honey, maybe he wanted to get his head around it first." Lorelai nodded while looking down at the floor, trying to hide how upset she was about this.

"Hugwy," complained Rory, bringing Lorelai back to the present.

"Oh sorry sweets," she replied distractedly. "Looks like the diner's closed, do you wanna go to Weston's instead?"

"Banana," she said, it was the first time she'd said the whole word and Lorelai smiled slightly.

"Well done babe, you said it!" she exclaimed. "I'll see you later Patty."

"Ok dear, I'm sure Luke will be fine, he just needs some time to process." She nodded in agreement then pushed Rory over to Weston's to get breakfast.

Luke arrived at his destination a couple of hours later. He got out of the truck and walked down to the lake, admiring the view. As he looked out at the water, memories came flooding back to him of all the good times he'd spent in that water. He and Liz diving into it, he and his dad fishing in it, the time his dad pushed him in when he was fully clothed. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't remember the four of them being here; he, his father, Liz and his mother. He frowned then went to the truck to start unloading his fishing gear.

As Lorelai sat in Weston's bakery, she kept a close eye on the diner, only shifting her gaze onto Rory to check she was eating her breakfast. Where was Luke? It was bugging her, he shouldn't have to go through today alone, she was there for him and she wanted to help.

"Where's daddy huh?" she asked her daughter. Rory looked at her wide-eyed then took her attention back to her food. "I have to find him," she whispered.

"Dada," Rory said.

"Don't worry, I will find him," she assured her. She stood up and placed Rory in her stroller before hurrying back up to the inn. "Mia," she called once she entered the lobby.

"What's the matter?" asked Mia, wondering why Lorelai was so panicked.

"I need to find Luke," she informed.

"Isn't he at the diner?"

"No the diner's closed and there's a sign that says 'gone fishing' on the door," she said quickly.

"Ok dear calm down," she soothed. "Do you know what day it is today?"

"Yeah Patty told me," she said quietly.

"Lucas will be all over the place today, he was very close to his father," she said softly.

"I want to help."

"I know, we all do but we have to let him deal with it on his own." Mia saw Lorelai frown. "Are things ok between you two now?"

"Yeah we talked last night, we're fine now."

"I'm glad to hear it, I've never seen you so miserable." Lorelai smiled slightly then looked down at Rory.

"Do you have any idea where he could be?" she asked eagerly.

"There are a number of places but I don't think you should go looking for him." Lorelai frowned again.

"But I feel so helpless. He's going through something big today and I feel like I should be there with him. I know I never met his dad but I wish I had, he seemed like a great guy."

"He was, he did a wonderful job with Lucas. He raised him to be a gentlemen; kind, caring and worthy. Lucas was so devastated when he found out he was ill, they were so close."

"I can't begin to imagine what he's feeling right now," she said with a shake of her head.

"Give him today by himself then you can see him tomorrow when he's feeling better," she said. Lorelai nodded but wasn't entirely convinced.

"Ok I'll uh...go change for work then. Can you watch Rory till I come back?"

"Absolutely, come here sweetheart," she cooed, lifting Rory from the stroller and sitting her on the desk.

"Thanks Mia, I won't be long." Lorelai rushed to the potting shed, all the while thinking about what Luke was doing.

Luke sat on his fold-down chair by the lakeside, holding his fishing pole. He hadn't caught anything so far but he wasn't put off. He was just enjoying the memories that flooded his mind; he and his father sat exactly like this some years ago.

After a few hours, he was getting bored. He'd caught one fish in the space of three hours and he realised that fishing was only fun when you had a partner, someone to talk to, someone to enjoy it with. He sighed and let his mind drift to Lorelai and Rory. Had they been to the diner this morning and found he wasn't there? Had someone told her what today was? Was she worrying about him? He didn't know the real answer to his questions but he had a pretty good idea that they all added up to yes.

He wrapped up the fish he'd caught then proceeded to disassemble his fishing equipment. He needed to get out of here; he couldn't bear the memories anymore, they were getting to be too much for him. He packed up his truck then said a silent goodbye to his childhood vacation spot, then he drove away, back to Stars Hollow, back to his life.

When Lorelai's lunch break finally arrived, she left Rory with Mia and walked into town. It was times like these when she wished she had a driver's license. If she did she could go out and look for Luke properly, away from Stars Hollow but it wasn't possible as things stood at the moment. When the gazebo came into view, she noticed a familiar green truck parked on the side of the street and smiled to herself. He was back.

She ran over to the diner and stopped outside to catch her breath, she wasn't into exercise after all. She glanced through the window and saw Luke behind the counter, even though the sign still said closed. She hesitantly knocked on the door and saw Luke look up when he heard it. He unlocked the door but didn't open it before returning to behind the counter. Lorelai pushed the door open and stepped inside, away from the harsh November weather.

"Hi," she whispered, still stood by the door.

"Hey," he replied, not looking up at her. She walked up to the counter and lay her hand over his.

"Luke I'm so sorry," she said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just wanna be alone," he mumbled, focussing on the counter.

"But I wanna help you get through this, you don't have to do it alone."

"I want to," he replied. "I need to."

"Luke..."

"Go back to work Lorelai, I'm fine."

"No you're not fine, your father died a year ago today, you are not fine."

"Please, I'll come to you when I'm ready. Just....let me deal with this my own way." She saw the pleading look in his eyes as he looked at her and her heart went out for him. He looked worn out, like he hadn't slept for days which was probably true.

"Ok erm....just don't do anything stupid," she muttered and saw Luke nod. "See ya." Lorelai walked towards the door.

"Thank you," he said as she pulled it open. She nodded but didn't turn around, she just continued to leave and went back to the inn. Luke locked the door up again then went upstairs to his apartment. He closed all the blinds and left the lights off, just sitting in the dark by himself, drowing his sorrows.

"Luke's back," said Lorelai as she approached the front desk at the inn.

"He is?" asked Mia with intrigue.

"Yeah I saw his truck outside the diner so I went over there."

"How is he?" she asked in concern.

"He didn't look good, he had dark circles under his eyes and he looked worn out," she frowned.

"What did he say to you?"

"He said he wanted to be by himself," she answered, beginning to tear up.

"Honey don't take it personally, Lucas is independent, he's always been like that. He likes to bottle his feelings up inside and appear strong to everybody else but when he's alone, he lets some of his feelings out. Just let him be," she said softly.

"I know it's just that after everything we've been through this past week or so it feels like he's pushing me away. I don't want him to push me away," she sobbed. "I feel so awful that I can't do anything to help him, especially when he's hurting so much."

"He'll be ok, just give him time," she assured. Lorelai nodded and wiped her tears away.

"Where's Rory?"

"She's in my office, don't worry the door's closed. She was occupied with her toys so I left her to it."

"I'm just gonna go check on her." Mia smiled as she watched Lorelai walk through to her office. She pushed the door open and saw Rory stood next to the desk, trying to reach something on it. "Hey what do you think you're doing missy?" she asked, her hands flying to her hips. Rory quickly turned around to look at her with a guilty smile.

"Mama," she murmured.

"What were you doing?" Rory walked over to her and looked up at her with her big blue eyes. Lorelai wasn't falling for it though. "That's Mia's stuff, not yours. You're not allowed to play with Mia's things," she scolded. Rory hugged Lorelai's leg, asking to be picked up.

"Up," she asked, still clinging onto her leg. Lorelai sat her on her hip then stared into Rory's wide eyes.

"Daddy's back at the diner," she said. "He said he wants to be alone today but he'll stop by when he's ready to see us."

"Wawawawawa," Rory gurgled, obviously not paying attention to her mother.

"Ok let's get back to work." The day went slowly for Lorelai. Her mind was distracted by thoughts of Luke and what he was doing at that moment. When four o clock finally arrived, she dragged herself to the potting shed, Rory following close behind, then collapsed on her bed. She had no idea why she was so exhausted, she'd done way to much thinking today and she needed a rest. She closed her eyes for a second, just for a little while....

A loud banging on the door woke Lorelai an hour later. She clumsily stood up and remembered Rory, she'd fallen asleep while she was taking care of Rory. She glanced around the room and saw her daughter sat in front of the coffee table, munching on a banana.

"How did you....?" Lorelai wondered how Rory had managed to peel the skin off but remembered she was smart. There was another loud bang she quickly swung the door open to see none other than Luke stood there. "Hey," she whispered, quickly running her fingers through her bed head.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"What...what are you sorry for?" she asked in confusion.

"For sending you away before, I shouldn't have asked you to leave," he replied.

"No Luke you don't have to be sorry about that. I know it must be hard for you, I can't even imagine what it's like but...." She noticed Luke's appearance; messy hair, tired eyes and stubbly chin. She quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and held onto him tightly, resting her cheek against his chest. "Are you ok?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah...I'm dealing with it," he answered, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"What've you been doing today?" Luke pulled back to look at her, his arms remaining round her waist.

"Just been thinking about things," he shrugged. "You?"

"Work, the usual," she replied. "I just fell asleep and forgot about Rory," she admitted.

"Is she ok?" he asked, moving away from her completely and entering the potting shed.

"She's fine, she managed to get a banana herself," she assured him.

"Hi Rory," he greeted, crouching down next to her.

"Dada," she exclaimed as she flashed him a toothy grin.

"You been ok today?" he asked.

"Bwekfas," she frowned. Luke furrowed his brow.

"It's a bit late for breakfast now."

"I think she's trying to ask you where you were at breakfast," said Lorelai. "I told her she could have banana pancakes but the diner was closed when we got there so..."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled again.

"Stop saying your sorry, you don't have to be."

"But I...."

"No Luke, it's ok." Luke nodded then sat on the couch, lifting Rory into his lap. Lorelai sat beside him and watched him intently. "Have you err...have you been to the cemetery today?" she asked cautiously. Luke avoided eye contact but shook his head. "Why not?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

"You should go Luke, it'll help." She rubbed his back soothingly.

"I don't wanna go alone," he said quietly. Lorelai took a deep breath.

"I'll go with you," she offered. "We'll all go, you, me and Rory. As a family." She noticed Luke smile when at that last part. "Ok?"

"Yeah, you wanna go now?" he asked.

"Sure, you wanna go buy some flowers first?"

"I'm not really into flowers," he protested.

"But it's something nice to do for your dad, it'll show him you're thinking of him."

"He knows," he said decisively. Lorelai nodded then rose to her feet and held her arms out to Rory who gladly leant into them.

"I'll just get her ready," she told him. "Could you make some juice and a snack to put in her bag?"

"Yeah, does she want orange, apple or blackcurrant?" he asked as he retrieved Rory's favourite sippy cup.

"Erm....probably orange," she shrugged, knowing Rory would have whatever she was given. "How come I have so much juice anyway? I never go grocery shopping."

"I picked some stuff up for you a while ago, I've gotta make sure you're both eating and drinking properly."

"I noticed you didn't buy any coffee."

"Coffee is bad for you, you shouldn't drink it so often," he complained as he packed some snacks into a backpack.

"Please not this again, I can't take it anymore," she whined. He smiled at her then walked towards the door.

"It's cold out, put your coat on," he ordered.

"Yes mom." He took Rory from her and smiled at his adopted daughter.

"What's that on her eyelids?" he asked.

"What?" Lorelai asked, feigning innocence.

"That blue stuff." He wiped it off with his finger then examined it. "Is that makeup?" Lorelai winced.

"Just a little," she answered. "Just a teeny tiny bit."

"Why's she wearing this? She's thirteen and a half months old."

"She asked to wear it this morning. I thought a little eyeshadow wouldn't hurt her."

"Lorelai."

"She gave me the Rory eyes, you know how hard it is to resist that look she gives you. Come on it's only a bit of makeup."

"Yeah well she won't be wearing makeup again till she turns eighteen," he warned.

"Well then you'll have fun arguing with her about it when she's thirteen and all her friends are wearing it," she chuckled. "But I'll leave that one to you."

"Let's go," he grumbled.

The car ride to the cemetery was mostly silent. Lorelai was lost in her thoughts as Luke concentrated on the road ahead of him. It was already dark out as it was winter so he was being extra vigilent. They stopped at the store to buy a bouquet of flowers for his father's grave. When they finally arrived at the cemetery, Luke jumped out first and went to help Lorelai and Rory out of the other side.

"It's spooky here at night," said Lorelai quietly as she gripped Luke's hand tightly.

"Zombies don't exist," he said gruffly. "Don't believe kids TV shows."

"I know," she replied, still not convinced. "Rory come here," ordered Lorelai as Rory ventured ahead of them, eager to explore her new surroundings.

"She's fine, I'm watching her," Luke assured.

"You just don't know who's around at these places, I'd rather she was nearer to us." Luke nodded in understanding.

"Come here Ror," he called. Rory glanced over at them then toddled over to them, holding her hand out to Luke. He took hold of it and gripped it tightly to make Lorelai feel better. "Mommy's scared of graveyards so we have to be nice to her," he told the little girl.

"I'm not scared, it's just a little creepy," she protested. She glanced around at the deserted cemetery. "So where's your dad's?" she asked.

"Right here." He stopped and turned to look at the headstone closest to them. He felt a wave of emotion wash over him; he hadn't been here since the funeral.

"It's a nice dedication," she complimented as she read the words carved into the stone.

"Yeah Liz and I wrote it."

"Where was Liz today?" she asked curiously. Luke shrugged his shoulders.

"I haven't seen her for a while."

"Did your dad get to meet Jess?"

"Yeah he loved him, his first grandchild," Luke said with a smile.

"Well now he has two," said Lorelai, looking down at Rory who was staring at the headstone curiously. Luke crouched down at put his arm around Rory's small shoulders.

"Ror this is your grandpa William," he said. "You've never met him cause he's not around anymore but I know he would have loved you. He was always talking about grandchildren, he said he wanted loads of them running around everywhere." He smiled at the memory, Lorelai smiled too.

"Do you wanna put the flowers on sweets?" she asked. Rory took them from Lorelai and looked at them confusedly. "Put them here," she told her, pointing to the grass in front of the headstone.

"Looks like some people have already been," he said, glancing at the flowers that were already there. Lorelai bent down to read the card attached with them and smiled to herself.

"They're from the townspeople," she said.

"So they've been here?"

"Looks that way, it was nice of them."

"Yeah."

"He sounded like a great man." Luke looked down at his feet.

"He was," he croaked.

"It's ok to be upset," she said, resting her hand on his back. "You can cry in front of me, I'm not gonna mock you for it."

"I'm fine," he said, shaking off his emotion.

"Luke."

"I'm ok, I don't need to cry," he said sternly.

"Ok. Hey so shall we put these flowers down then Rory?" she asked. She helped her place the flowers neatly then stood back to admire the display. "It looks nice," she said. Luke nodded. "Are you gonna say something to him?" she asked. He shook his head.

"What's the point? He can't hear me."

"He's listening, I know it. You should talk to him."

"I erm....hey dad....it's been a year," he began nervously. He felt stupid somehow. "I know I haven't been to see you at all, sorry about that. Things have been crazy this past year. I converted the hardware store into a diner, it's a big hit with the townspeople. They've gotta eat right? I've been pretty busy with that. I moved into your old office above the diner, it's a little small but it works for me," he said, feeling more relaxed. "Erm...this is Lorelai by the way, she's my girlfriend. We met three months ago in the diner. And this is Rory, her daughter, and well...my daughter too I guess. I adopted her so that makes me her dad. I wish you could have met them, they're really great, you would have liked them a lot."

Lorelai saw a few tears roll down Luke's cheeks before he quickly wiped them away. She crouched down next to him and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"It's ok, you can cry," she reminded him. Luke held onto her tightly as he finally set the tears free. Strangely, he didn't feel uncomfortable crying in front of her, he knew she understood. Lorelai ran her fingers through his hair as her own eyes filled up, seeing Luke like this saddened her and she hated it but he needed her to comfort him right now.

"Where's Rory?" he asked through his sobs.

"She's ok, she's right behind you," she whispered, holding her hand out to her daughter. Rory had been watching her parents as they cried together, wondering what had made them so sad. She'd never seen Luke crying before and she wasn't sure what to do. After some debating in her little head, she stumbled up to him and wrapped her arms around him the best she could. Luke pulled back from Lorelai and lifted Rory up, furiously wiping the tears off his cheeks.

"Dada cwy," she said.

"I'm ok, I was just having a moment," he replied, running his fingers through her hair.

"You sure?" Lorelai asked. Luke sniffled.

"Yeah, I'm good." He took another glance at his father's headstone and smiled a small smile. "You ready to go?" he asked.

"Only if you are," she answered. "Are you sure you wanna leave just yet?"

"Yeah I only came to see it," he said nonchalantly. "It's cold anyway, Rory's gonna freeze."

"Ok." They stood up and Luke sat Rory on his hip. They turned away but Luke looked back for a second.

"I miss you dad, I'll be back soon," he promised quietly before turning back to Lorelai and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"God it's scary here," she mumbled causing Luke to chuckle as they walked back to the truck through the quite cemetery.

**So was it worth the wait? The spell check on my Microsoft Word has disappeared and I don't know how to get it back so I'm sorry if you notice any mistakes. I'm usually quite good with spelling and stuff but you never know ;) Anyway, please review! I love everyone who does....I'm thinking that maybe, it's a big maybe, we can reach 500 with this chapter! It was only like 2 or 3 chapters ago that I was aiming for 400 but so many people are reviewing that I've almost made it to 500 already! Do you think we can do it? 33 reviews.....well that's all till the next chapter ;P**

**Emily.  
**


	34. You Got Totsied

**Hi I'm back! Really sorry for the looooong loooooooooong wait....I had really bad writer's block and every time I tried to write this chapter, I came up empty. That and I've had a lot of college stuff going on, and it was my 18****th**** birthday last Friday so I've been busy celebrating! I can finally buy and drink alcohol legally :D so glad I don't live in the USA, waiting till 21 must suck. **

**Anyway thank you for your kind reviews for the last chapter, I realise it was quite a sad update :P I hope you like this one, I think it might seem a little rushed but that's just my opinion. Enjoy :D**

Everything had slipped back into place, it took them two weeks to get there but things were the same as before. Lorelai ate at the diner, Luke was smiling again and the two of them had frequent sleepovers, just like before. Now, on December 15th, ten days before Christmas, Lorelai had found the perfect opportunity to use her secret weapon, her pout.

"Please Luke," she whined as she sat on her stool in the diner, Rory happily munching on a banana next to her in the stroller.

"No," he replied sternly.

"Pleeeeaaaaase?"

"No I'm not falling into this trap again, I've told you time and time again that I hate shopping and I refuse to go," he ranted.

"But we need to buy Rory some presents," she pouted. "Don't you think your daughter would be upset if she knew you didn't put any thought into her gifts?"

"I can put thought into her gift but I don't need to go shopping. How about we decide what to buy her here and you go pick it up? I'll pay."

"But...." She didn't know what to say in protest, his idea did make sense. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly. "I'll get Sookie to go with me."

"Great, why don't I come over and make dinner later then we can look through some catalogues for ideas?"

"Sounds good, what're you cooking?"

"What do you want?" Lorelai looked at the wall thoughtfully.

"Mac and cheese."

"I think I can make something better than that," he said pointedly.

"Ok then, pot roast," she said dreamily. Luke sighed.

"Pot roast it is, I'll be there around six, that ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll see you then. I have to get back to the inn." She stood up and shrugged into her coat, wrapping her scarf snugly around her neck and slipping her fingers into her gloves. She did the same with Rory and wrapped some blankets around her before looking up at Luke. "Kiss?" she asked as she leant over the counter. Luke smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips before looking down at Rory.

"Bye Ror," he said as he waved at her. She stared up at him and grinned before waving her hand around wildly.

"Bye bye," she said as Lorelai dragged the stroller to the door.

"See you tonight," she called before leaving the diner. Luke watched her walk past the window briskly and smiled to himself, things were back to the way they should be.

"Hey Sook," called Lorelai as she rushed into the kitchen with Rory on her hip.

"Hello there," she replied.

"What was that?"

"What?"

"That hello there, it sounded slutty-like," she said suspiciously.

"Well..." she trailed off. Lorelai's eyes opened wide.

"What did you do?" she asked excitedly as she perched on a stool.

"I slept with Jackson," she exclaimed.

"Oh my god, you guys did it!" she said happily as they began to jump up and down together, causing Rory to giggle. "Was it good?"

"Erm..."

"Wait I just remembered Rory's here, we shouldn't be talking about....that in front of her."

"Good point," said Sookie disappointedly.

"I have to get back to work anyway." She noticed the disappointed expression on Sookie's face. "But you can come to my place after work and we can finish this conversation then," she offered and watched as Sookie's face lit up again.

"Ok I get off at five so I'll come by straight after."

"Great, I can't wait. See ya later."

At four, Lorelai made her way to Mia's office to collect Rory. She had gotten tired at three so she'd put her down for a nap in the travel crib set up in Mia's office. She gently knocked on the door and pushed it open cautiously.

"Hey, is she still asleep?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"She's just woken up," Mia replied quietly. "She's still a little out of it." Lorelai walked over to them and crouched down in front of Rory, who was sat in Mia's lap.

"Hey sweets, you sleepy?" she asked softly. Rory stared at her with wide blue eyes before the corner of her lips turned upwards into a small smile.

"She'll be hungry," said Mia.

"In that case we'd better get home hadn't we?" she cooed. Mia handed Rory to her and helped her juggle the diaper bag. "Thanks for watching her Mia, again."

"I've told you time and time again that I don't mind, I love taking care of her for you." Lorelai smiled.

"Well thanks anyway."

"You're welcome, now go get that girl fed."

Just as Lorelai had settled Rory in front of the TV after her dinner, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called, knowing it would be Sookie.

"Hi, I brought cookies," Sookie said excitedly, plopping down on the couch.

"Ooh goody, Luke's not coming over for another hour and then he's gonna make dinner, I'm starved."

"Well tuck in." She looked at Rory who was watching the TV carefully. "Rory?" she asked. Rory didn't turn her head. "Rory?" she called a little louder. No reply again.

"Oy, earth to Rory," shouted Lorelai. Rory's head quickly snapped round to face them, alarmed at the loud volume of her mother's voice. Sookie got up and took a cookie to Rory.

"Hey kitten, I brought you a cookie," she said softly. Rory reached for it greedily but Lorelai interrupted.

"Ah, ah, what do you say to Aunt Sookie?" she asked with raised eyebrows. Rory looked from Lorelai to Sookie, to the cookie then to Lorelai again.

"Pease?" she asked quietly. Sookie smiled and gave the cookie to a waiting Rory.

"What do you say now Ror?" Lorelai asked.

"Tank you," she mumbled before tucking into the chocolatey goodness.

"She's getting good with manners," commented Sookie as she sat back down on the couch next to Lorelai.

"Gotta teach 'em young," she replied and Sookie nodded in return. "So..."

"So..." Sookie repeated.

"You and Jackson...."

"Yeah," she replied nervously.

"When?"

"Last night."

"And how was it?" Sookie looked down at her hands clasped in her lap.

"It was really awkward and weird and it just didn't feel right," she sulked.

"Aww hon, first times are never great," she assured her best friend.

"You said that your first time with Luke was amazing," she reminded her.

"Yes but that wasn't my first time remember? When I slept with Chris it was awkward and it was definitely weird."

"But it gets better right?"

"Definitely, I mean with Luke it's always been great but it has gotten better recently," she gushed.

"Aww man you're so lucky," she complained.

"Hey, try it again, I think you'll find you really like it." Sookie shrugged. "Did it hurt?"

"A little at first but after that it was just....strange."

"Well did you...you know..."

"What?" asked Sookie, completely oblivious.

"Did you...come," she whispered.

"Oh," she said in realisation. "I don't think so," she answered doubtfully. "I felt like there was something wrong. I had this weird feeling in my stomach, like it was twisting together or something," she frowned. Lorelai smiled. "Is that supposed to happen?"

"Oh my god, you had an orgasm!" she exclaimed in a raised voice. Sookie cleared her throat and pointed with her head towards the door. Lorelai turned her head and saw Luke standing by the door, he looked surprised and was pretty speechless. "Hey Luke," she greeted, not able to stop smiling at his reddened cheeks and awkward posture.

"H-hi," he stuttered. "I'm uh...I'm gonna go now." He quickly turned around and closed the door behind him.

"I'll be right back ok?" Lorelai asked. Sookie nodded and Lorelai went after Luke. "Hey," she called once she saw him striding up to the inn. "Luke wait up!" He stopped and turned around, waiting for her to catch up with him. "Where are you going? We were gonna have dinner and choose Rory's presents weren't we?"

"You have Sookie over so I'll come back later," he shrugged.

"No," she protested. "Is this because I said the word orgasm?" she asked. Blood rushed to Luke's cheeks again, turning them red.

"Oh my god it is!" she chuckled. "Come on Luke you make me have one all the time, what's the big deal?" Luke sighed.

"I just....that's Sookie," he said, gesturing to the potting shed.

"Err....yes it is Sookie, my best friend," she nodded.

"You caught me off guard. I didn't expect to walk in and hear you exclaiming that Sookie had a....erm...yeah," he said, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting you to get here yet," she apologised. "We were talking about how her and Jackson finally got it on," she said happily.

"Jeez do you have to be so forward about it?" he complained.

"Hey I'm happy for them, they're cute together." Luke shrugged. "Let's go back inside huh? You can start dinner and I'll finish up talking with Sookie."

"As long as I don't hear anything," he warned.

"We'll talk quietly."

"And promise you won't use dirty words around Rory. I don't want her next word of the week to be 'orgasm'."

"Oh my god you said it!" she exclaimed.

"Jeez. Come on crazy lady, let's go back inside." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they walked back to the potting shed together.

"Hi Luke," greeted Sookie awkwardly when the two teens re-entered.

"Um...hey," replied Luke before hurrying over to the kitchen, avoiding eye contact with his girlfriend's best friend.

"So," began Lorelai. "Did it make you wanna scream?" she asked quietly. Luke could hear every word so he busied himself by clanging pots and pans around the kitchen.

"I dunno, not scream exactly. It was kinda awkward and I didn't wanna make any noise," Sookie admitted, causing Lorelai to roll her eyes.

"Sook, that's probably what made it awkward."

"How?"

"Guy's like it when you call their name and scream for the whole world to hear. It tells them they're doing something right."

"I can hear you," called Luke from the kitchen. Lorelai chose to ignore him, waving off his comment.

"Did you just lay there not making a sound?" she asked curiously.

"I wanted to but like I said, it was awkward," shrugged Sookie.

"He was probably thinking you weren't enjoying it, were you?"

"Of course I was, after the pain stopped it was ok."

"Well make some noise next time."

"I don't think there's gonna be a next time," she said sadly, bowing her head.

"What? Why not?"

"He hasn't called since."

"Hon it was only last night," Lorelai assured her.

"But he usually calls every morning when he wakes up and again in the afternoon, if we're not already together."

"Maybe he was busy or something," she shrugged.

"Or maybe it was so bad for him last night that he never wants to see me or talk to me again," she sulked.

"Oh Sook, don't be stupid. Jackson is not the kind of guy to ditch his girlfriend over sex, he's not that shallow."

"How do you know?" Lorelai sighed at her friend's stubbornness before turning to Luke.

"Luke...." She stopped talking when she saw how ridiculous he looked. "Why do you have lettuce in your ears?" she asked incredulously with narrowed eyes. Luke looked over at them from his task and quickly pulled it from his ears when he saw her gaze on him.

"What?"

"I said why do you have lettuce in your ears? It's supposed to go in your mouth, in fact it's not even supposed to go there."

"It's so I can't hear you two," he explained. "I don't wanna be scarred for life thank you very much."

"Aww Lukey," she cooed.

"I'm debating whether to put some in Rory's ears too, god only knows what she's overhearing right now."

"Don't you dare put that vile green stuff in that innocent girl's ears," she mock-scolded.

"Would I?" Lorelai looked at him suspiciously before winking at Sookie.

"Hey so I was gonna ask you something," she said to him. Luke began to stuff the salad ingredient back into his ears but Lorelai protested.

"I don't wanna be involved in your disgusting little conversation Lorelai," he complained.

"It's nothing gross, I just wanted you to confirm something for me."

"Mmm," said Luke, dreading what was coming next. "What would that be?"

"Well you know Jackson?"

"Yes I know him," he answered sarcastically.

"He wouldn't ditch his girlfriend just because the sex was bad would he?"

"Hey," Sookie protested.

"No offence Sook, it was just a general question," she shrugged. Sookie folded her arms over her chest sulkily while Luke scrunched his face up.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because as you know, Sookie and Jackson had sex last night and....."

"Jeez Lorelai why?" he asked.

"Why did they have sex last night? Err...I don't know why don't you ask them."

"No why do you have to include every detail?"

"Oh sorry did I make you uncomfortable again?" Luke rolled his eyes for what must be at least the fourth time since this conversation began.

"Why do you wanna know this?"

"Cause Jackson hasn't called Sookie since," she replied quickly.

"Maybe he's busy," he shrugged.

"That's what I said!"

"No," said Sookie. "He always calls, no matter what he's doing."

"Look I don't wanna get involved or anything, but Jackson's a pretty genuine guy. If he hasn't been in touch then there must be a reason for it. There's no need to worry," said Luke softly, showing someone other than Lorelai and Rory his soft side. Sookie stared at him in awe for a few moments before jumping from the couch and rushing over to him, throwing her arms around his neck in a true Sookie fashion. "What are you doing?" asked Luke confusedly, his arms by his sides.

"Thanks Luke, you're such a good guy. Lorelai you're so lucky to have a boyfriend like him," she gushed.

"Get off me," he said gruffly. Sookie pulled away from him and smiled up at his stubbly face.

"Lorelai's always talking about your soft side but I never thought I'd get to see it. You're a truly amazing guy."

"Hey get your own man," warned Lorelai, mocking Sookie's forwardness towards Luke.

"Yeah leave me alone," Luke complained. Lorelai grinned as he began to shove the lettuce back in his ears.

"Oh you don't need to put that back in," said Sookie. "I should get going. I told my mom I'd make dinner tonight and she'll be wondering where I am."

"Ok Sook, thanks for stopping by," said Lorelai, standing to meet her best friend by the door. "Everything will be ok," she assured as they shared a friendly hug.

"Thanks Lorelai, you're a really good friend."

"You did the same for me remember?" Sookie nodded and smiled.

"I'm glad things are ok between you two again."

"Me too," Lorelai agreed, sneaking a glance at Luke who was busy preparing their dinner. "Me too," she whispered.

"Lorelai she's been sat in front of that TV for two hours," Luke complained as he observed Rory, noticing how her eyes went wide every time a new cartoon character appeared on the screen.

"She's occupied," she shrugged.

"She's gonna have square eyes," he said with a shake of his head.

"You know that's not actually true right." Luke looked at her sceptically before frowning at Rory again.

"She doesn't even know what's going on around her, all she cares about is that damn TV show." Lorelai smirked at his father-like attitude. "Why don't we do something?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, go for a walk."

"It's freaking freezing outside, we'll catch our death."

"Not if we get wrapped up we won't. Come on, we can't sit in here all night."

"Ooh I just had an idea. Why don't we go bowling?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Bowling?"

"Yeah you know, roll a ball, knock the pins down, get a strike, hooray!" Luke raised his eyebrows.

"I know what bowling is, but why do you wanna go?"

"It'll be fun, Rory's never been bowling before."

"You seriously wanna go bowling?" he asked, not really liking the idea himself.

"Please?" she pouted. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Isn't Rory a bit young for bowling?" he offered, trying to get out of the trap he was falling into. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders.

"She can watch."

"But then she'll get bored and whine about it the whole time," he argued. Lorelai sighed.

"You really don't wanna go bowling do you?"

"Nope."

"Well we can't sit in here all night, it's boring," she complained.

"Well you need groceries, we could go to the store," he suggested.

"The grocery store? How exhilerating," she deadpanned.

"It's better than bowling. At least you don't have to wear ridiculous shoes that a gazillion other people have worn before you and probably have allsorts of infections in." Lorelai smiled at his rant.

"Ok we'll go to the grocery store," she agreed. "Now I'll finally get a say in what you buy."

"We're buying proper food, not pop tarts and candy," he warned.

"Aww you're no fun," she pouted before turning her attention onto Rory. "Come on Ror," she called. The toddler didn't budge, she didn't even turn to look at her, her eyes remained on the TV screen. "Rory," she repeated. No response again. Luke shook his head.

"She's spent too much time in front of that thing," he ranted. Lorelai picked the remote and switched off the TV, causing Rory to blink in surprise before turning her head to look at her mother, pouting in the process.

"Time to go out Rory," she said softly but firmly.

"Mama," the toddler whined while pointing her little finger to the TV set.

"No you've been watching it for too long," she told her. Rory moved her gaze onto Luke and gave him the same treatment, hoping to return to her spot in front of her new best friend.

"Mommy's right Rory, you can't watch that all evening." Rory looked between her parents before whimpering softly. "Don't start that," Luke warned. Rory immediately stopped her tantrumming as Lorelai picked her up and sat her on the couch, proceeding to put her coat on. She looked at the two curiously, wondering where they were going at six thirty in the evening. The only place she could think of was her grandparent's house but she would rather watch cartoons.

"Gama ganpa?" she questioned. Lorelai smiled down at her and shook her head.

"No sweets we're not going to see grandma and grandpa, that's on Friday," she explained. "We're going grocery shopping," she informed, less than enthusiastically.

"I can tell you're thrilled at the idea," Luke said sarcastically.

"Oh I'm over the moon," she replied as she finished putting Rory's shoes on. "Ok I think we're ready to go," she said. Luke sat Rory on his hip, grabbed his wallet then followed Lorelai out of the door towards the truck.

As soon as Luke sat Rory in the cart, her face lit up as she realised they were shopping for one of her many favourite things; food. She glanced around eagerly, looking for things she could reach to add to the cart.

"So where do we start?" Lorelai asked, looking around the supermarket. "I vote the aisle where the Oreos are." Luke rolled his eyes.

"We start in produce," he corrected as he pushed the cart over to the fruit and veggies.

"Yuck what's that?" she asked while pointing to a purple object.

"It's an aubergine, you should eat on sometime."

"Eww but it's purple. The only thing that should be purple is my nail polish," she cringed.

"Mm hmm," Luke agreed, not really listening as he examined some potatoes.

"Banana," said Rory, making herself known in the conversation.

"Of course, we couldn't forget bananas could we Ror?" he asked. Rory grinned then looked around for them. "Lorelai why don't you make yourself useful and get some bananas for Rory?" Lorelai glared at him for a few moments before turning on her heel and walking away, in search of bananas.

"Mama?" Rory asked when she saw that Lorelai had mysteriously disappeared.

"She's just gone to get you some bananas," Luke told her, adding carrots, peas and broccoli to their cart.

"Banana." Luke smiled down at her and ruffled her fine hair between her fingers.

"We have to make sure mommy doesn't buy too much junk ok? You've gotta watch her for me to make sure she doesn't add something when I'm not looking."

"Would I ever do that?" Lorelai asked as she reappeared, causing Luke to jump in surprise. She put a bunch of bananas in the cart along with a pack of sugar cookies.

"What are those?" he asked.

"Cookies," she replied obviously.

"And what are said cookies doing in my cart?"

"Well it's a funny story actually, I went to get some bananas like you said and while I was looking for them, I heard this little noise. So I turned around and there were these cookies, staring right at me," she babbled. "They started telling me that I needed them and I couldn't live without them and I just couldn't resist," she finished. Luke's raised eyebrows told her that she sounded ridiculous but she really wanted those cookies.

"What did I say about junk food?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That it's bad for you but I never listen," she answered, finding it hard to keep a straight face on.

"Maybe you should start listening, might add twenty years onto your life span," he muttered.

"I don't think you've seen how good these cookies actually look."

"Just put them in, this conversation is ridiculous." Lorelai grinned and jumped on the spot.

"Thank you!" Luke shook his head then proceeded to the next aisle; the cereal aisle. "Ooh Lucky Charms," she exclaimed, tossing them into the cart before hurrying down to the pop tarts.

"Mama," called Rory from her seat in the cart.

"What hon?"

"Me."

"You wanna come out?" Lorelai asked. Rory responded by holding her arms out to her and Lorelai placed her on the floor. Rory took off down the aisle, picked up a box of chocolate chip pop tarts then rushed back, throwing them into the cart. Lorelai smiled proudly while Luke rolled his eyes. "She's well trained," she said.

"That means trouble," he mumbled before following the two Gilmore girls down the aisle. After an hour and a half of walking around Walmart, they were finally heading to the checkout. Luke looked down in astonishment at the large amount of food they had acquired while Lorelai smiled at what she would be eating all week.

"Caddy," Rory exclaimed from their place in the queue. She stumbled over to the candy bar display and picked up a bag of jelly shapes. She held them up to Lorelai, knowing her mom was more likely to say yes than her dad.

"You'll have to ask daddy," she said, smiling over at Luke. He looked down at Rory's hopeful, blue eyes and found himself unable to disappoint her. Damn her cuteness.

"Ok put them up here," he said, patting the conveyer belt. Rory reached up but ended up falling on her butt. "I'll put them on." He tried to pry the bag from her fingers but she wasn't having any of it.

"Mine," she whined.

"We have to pay for them first," he told her but she was too stubborn.

"No."

"Rory," warned Lorelai. "You've been cranky ever since we turned the TV off and it's getting old now. Stop acting spoiled."

"She's tired," Luke said and Lorelai nodded in agreement.

"Give me the candy Rory," she demanded. Rory pouted up at her. "Rory, now." The little girl loosened her grip on the bag of candy and allowed Lorelai to pry it from her grasp. She began sobbing so Luke picked her up and rocked her from side to side.

"We'll get you to bed soon ok?" he said softly as Rory continued to cry quietly. At least she wasn't causing a scene.

"Here," said Lorelai as the cashier scanned their items. "You can have your candy now." Rory lifted her head off Luke's shoulder and reached her arms out to take it from her. Luke opened the bag for her and she greedily stuck her hand in, stuffing three pieces in her mouth at once. A smile immediately took up residence on her lips as she chewed happily and Lorelai shook her head. "Sure you cheer up as soon as you get what you want," she said.

On the journey back to Stars Hollow, Rory fell asleep half way there, the bag of candy grasped between her fingers tightly. Lorelai attempted to take them from her but Rory only tightened her hold on them. It was as if she knew exactly what was going on around her.

"She won't let me have any candy," she pouted, slumping back in her seat.

"Cause it's not yours," Luke replied, keeping his eyes on the dark highway.

"But I want some."

"You should have got some at the store."

"But I didn't want any then."

"You're like a child," he complained. "Nothing is ever simple with you."

"You got that right." He took his attention off the road briefly to smile at her then looked straight ahead again. After some moments of silence, Lorelai spoke up. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it'll ever get boring for us?" she asked.

"What?"

"Sex."

"Oh," he said in realisation. "Err....why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking about how Sookie and Jackson are in that stage where everything's new and exciting," she shrugged.

"And..." he pushed. He heard her take a deep breath before continuing.

"And I feel like we're past that, you know?" She looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. "We've been together for almost four months, we have a routine. I sometimes get the feeling that we sleep together cause we feel like we have to, not cause we want to," she admitted.

"I don't feel like that," he said quietly, causing Lorelai's head to shoot up so she was looking at him.

"You don't?" she asked. He cleared his throat nervously.

"No I uh....I don't sleep with you cause I have to, I do it cause I love you and it's a way of expressing your love for someone." He felt like a soppy idiot but he didn't care, she needed to hear this. "Every time we get close like that, it's special for me. Every time is different and I think it's still exciting." Lorelai felt guilty. She had basically told him that sex with him was boring for her, even though it wasn't true.

"God I feel so awful now, it's exciting for me too Luke."

"But..." She sighed.

"I don't know, I guess it's kinda....I don't know what I'm saying," she said quietly.

"If you think it's gotten a little predictable then..."

"No it's not that, no way. Every time we do it you surprise me, really," she stressed. "It's just that we're not as adventurous as we could be."

"What do you mean by adventurous?" he asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"You know like...using props or something."

"Props?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah like handcuffs or..."

"Handcuffs?" Lorelai noticed his perplexed expression so she decided to drop the subject.

"Look it doesn't matter, I just thought it might make a nice change. We can forget I ever mentioned anything." Luke could hear the sadness in her voice and suspected it was caused by his lack of cooperation.

"Ok," he replied, his brow furrowing as he contemplated what she had just told him. He certainly wasn't bored by their sex life, it was still pretty much the same as when they were in that 'everything's new and exciting' stage. Instead of discussing it further with her though, he concentrated on the road, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the exit for Stars Hollow.

He parked up in front of the inn and unbuckled a still sleeping Rory from her car seat. He carefully lifted her to his body, resting her head on his shoulder then helped Lorelai from the truck. Neither had spoken to each other since their discussion and the awkwardness had peaked between them. Luke opened the trunk and lifted as many bags as he could while juggling Rory, leaving three for Lorelai to carry.

"I'll go put her to bed," Luke whispered once they had settled the bags in the potting shed. Lorelai nodded and watched him disappear into Rory's room. She sighed and got ready for bed, she was tired and all she wanted to do was curl up in bed. She wasn't even sure if Luke was gonna stay with her tonight, she had messed things up by mentioning their damned sex life. After putting her pyjamas on, she climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to her neck. Luke emerged from Rory's room and stopped when he saw her lying in bed.

"I made things awkward didn't I?" she asked, not looking at him.

"It's fine," he replied as he emptied some grocery bags, putting the contents into different cupboards.

"No it's not though," she protested. "We've hardly said a word to each other since that conversation we had, I don't know why I told you."

"You have a right to say what you're feeling."

"But I made you uncomfortable. I knew there was no way you'd ever agree to using handcuffs or anything and I have no idea why I suggested it."

"Lorelai it's ok," he assured, abandoning the groceries and joining her on the bed. "This was just a stupid conversation, I don't know why we're making such a big deal out of it. Let's just forget about it ok?" She nodded and scooted closer to him.

"Are you staying tonight?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I hate my apartment now. I'd much rather stay here."

"It's cause I'm here."

"Well you're part of the reason." She slapped his arm playfully then settled against his chest, in the crook of his arm. "You ok now?" he asked. She turned her head to smile up at him.

"Yeah I'm good, I was a little crazy before." He chuckled and began to play with her hair. She ran her fingers over his flannel-clad stomach, toying with the material between her fingers. "So we never chose Rory's gift," she said thoughtfully. "We were gonna look in some catalogues."

"Oh yeah, well we'll just have to go shopping tomorrow then won't we?"

"Really?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah but she can't come with us, she'll see what we buy her."

"Well I have work till four but we could go after. Mia's gonna watch her while I'm at work then I'm sure Sookie wouldn't mind taking her."

"Sounds good. I can get your gift while we're there," he said.

"But I can't see it," she warned.

"Of course not."

"Do you know what you're gonna get me?" she asked curiously.

"I have an idea."

"What is it." He looked down at her and shook his head.

"Wait and see," he replied.

"But I can't wait two weeks," she whinged.

"You'll have to, everyone else does."

"You know what'd be really great for Christmas?"

"What?" he asked, dreading what her answer would be.

"If you dressed as Santa. Rory would love it, it's the first Christmas we're having away from my parent's house."

"Why do I have to dress as Santa? Why can't you get Kirk to do it or something?"

"Because I don't want my daughter sitting in Kirk's lap," she remarked. "His mom will want him home anyway, seeing as it's Christmas and all." Luke stared down at her, telling himself that he wouldn't agree to this.

"Surely you can get your dad to dress up instead, he has a similar build to Santa Claus," Luke suggested.

"But they're not gonna be here on Christmas. They have their party two weeks before the 25th then go on vacation during the holidays."

"It's two weeks before Christmas now," he said.

"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, on tomorrow night it's my parent's Christmas party so we get out of dinner."

"But instead we have to mingle with a load of rich people?"

"Yeah but it's not so bad, they have these really good apple tarts that are to die for," she gushed. "They're the only reason I ever attended that damn party all those years."

"So tomorrow night we're going to your parent's Christmas party? Do I have to wear a suit?"

"No just a shirt and jacket will suffice," she shrugged. "Maybe a tie would be best."

"Aww man. I only own two ties and your mother has seen me wearing them at least three times. She's gonna have something to say about it," he said.

"Ignore her," she shrugged. Luke raised his eyebrows. "I guess we could get you some new ties when we go shopping tomorrow. And maybe some dress shirts too." Luke nodded then slowly moved out from under her.

"I'm gonna change for bed, won't be long." Lorelai smiled at him as she settled into the covers, snuggling into her pillow. Tomorrow was gonna be a fun day.

Lorelai breezed into the diner at exactly four ten the next day, five minutes before she was due to arrive.

"Look I'm early!" she exclaimed. "Get the camera." Luke appeared from behind the curtain and greeted her with a kiss.

"Did Rory get off ok?"

"Yeah she was pretty happy to go with Sookie, I think it's cause she gives her cookies." Luke rolled his eyes.

"As long as she's not hooked on sugar when we pick her up."

"Sookie knows better. Are you nearly ready to go?"

"Yeah, you want coffee?"

"Of course." Luke poured the dark liquid into a large to go cup and slid it across the counter to her.

"One liquid death to go," he announced. Lorelai stuck her tongue out at him then took a sip of her coffee. "Real mature," he said sarcastically. He slipped into his jacket, rounded the counter and took her hand, leading her to his truck.

At the mall, Lorelai dragged Luke along until they found a men's clothing store.

"I thought we were gift shopping for Rory," he said as she examined a display of shirts.

"We are," she replied distractedly.

"Well I don't think she could find a use for this," he said as he held up a bow tie. Lorelai rolled her eyes at his impatient behaviour.

"We need to get you something to wear to the party tonight," she reminded him.

"This is fine," he said, picking up a white shirt.

"We might as well get a few while we're here so we don't have to come back," she told him logistically.

"Yeah I guess," he mumbled. He just wanted to get this day over with.

After half an hour of ooh-ing and ahh-ing, they finally left the store with two bags. Lorelai then proceeded to pull Luke along with her when she spotted a toy store.

"This is good," Luke said, examining a pink tricycle with tassles hanging from the handlebars.

"You think she'll like it?" she asked in uncertainty.

"Yeah, it'll keep her away from that TV too."

"But she's not very althetic," she frowned.

"You mean you're not very athletic? Rory's one, she's obviously not gonna be an olympic champion yet." Lorelai reached down to look at the trike but when she saw the price tag, she stood up straight again.

"It's expensive," she said in a loud whisper.

"Don't worry about it, I'll get it."

"No Luke it's too much."

"Lorelai, what have I told you before about money where Rory's concerned?" he asked.

"It's not that. If you buy her this, my gift will look really crappy. I can't afford anything this good."

"Why don't we give her a load of joint presents, rather than buying her one from each of us. That way it doesn't matter how much we spend." Lorelai contemplated this for a second before nodding.

"Ok but I'm buying the next thing we see."

"As you wish." Luke paid for the trike then followed Lorelai to the next shop. She picked up some teething toys for Rory's troublesome gums, a Sesame Street video tape and a small paddling pool/sandpit for the summer.

"Hey I'm gonna get some food, you coming?" she asked, her arms laden with bags.

"I think I'm gonna look around for a while," he shrugged.

"Buying my gift?" she asked.

"Maybe." She smiled cheekily at him. "How about we meet at the entrance in an hour?"

"Ok, make sure it's a good gift," she said as she leant in to kiss him goodbye.

"I will," he replied. They said goodbye then Luke headed off on his mission. He first stopped at a lingerie and nightwear shop, he'd seen some pyjamas he thought Lorelai would really like and he had to buy them for her. They included pants and a matching long sleeved top with little coffee cups printed all over them in a continuous pattern. He just couldn't resist.

After purchasing those, he headed to the jewellery store. He wanted to buy her something that included her birthstone and after talking to Miss Patty, he found out the stone for April was diamond. He couldn't decide between a necklace, a bracelet or earrings. He couldn't buy her a ring cause a diamond ring tends to symbolise something else so he was playing it safe.

He strolled into the store and looked into a display case. Before him were some beautiful diamond necklaces, some with small stones while others were bigger and more extravagant. He found a nice simple one, it was very Lorelai, and called an assistant to show it to him. He held it in his hand and smiled, this was definitely Lorelai's present. He told the assistant he'd take it and watched as he wrapped it up in a pretty box.

"We have matching earrings for this necklace if you would like to see them sir," the assistant said.

"Um..." Luke wasn't sure he wanted to get her earrings as well. He didn't want to make her feel guilty if her gift to him wasn't as extravagant. He asked to see them anyway though and as soon as he saw them, he could picture her wearing them. After that he just had to buy them.

He left the store a very happy man. He'd gotten his girlfriend the perfect Christmas presents and couldn't wait to give them to her. He walked over to their designated meeting place to see she was already waiting for him, a bag of candy resting in her lap.

"Get what you need?" she asked, eyeing his bags curiously.

"Yup, let's go get Rory," he said, trying to distract her attention from his purchases.

They picked up Rory from Sookie's and rushed to the potting shed where they quickly changed for the party at the Gilmore's. They had less than an hour till the party began and Lorelai knew that Emily wouldn't be happy if they were late.

"Lorelai you almost ready?" Luke called into the bathroom. He was sat on the couch wearing a dress shirt, tie, jacket and slacks, Rory sat in his lap wearing a pretty pink dress.

"Yeah I'm just finishing up in here," she replied.

"We have to be there in twenty five minutes. We're not gonna make it if you don't hurry."

"It'll be fine," she assured. Five minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom wearing a red dress that stopped just above her knee. Her hair was down in loose curls that framed her face and her makeup was elegant yet natural. Luke stared at her in awe when he saw her. "What?" she asked self-consciously.

"You look beautiful," he said quietly, standing up and settling Rory on his hip. He walked over to her and left a soft kiss on her lips.

"Ready to go?" she asked, still smiling from his compliment.

"Sure, let's get this over with."

When they reached the Gilmore mansion, there were cars parked everywhere. The drive was completely full and Luke struggled to find a space to park on the street. They trudged up to the front door, followed by a few people in expensive looking suits, and rung the doorbell. A maid appeared and let everybody in, taking their coats along the way.

"It's packed in here," Luke observed.

"It's like this every year. They're all my parent's rich, snotty 'friends'," she explained. "Just keep your head down and head straight for the apple tarts." She adjusted Rory on her hip as they made their way further into the room full of crowded people.

"Lorelai you're here," called Emily through the crowd. "Luke it's nice to see you," said Emily with a nod. Luke nodded back.

"Nice to see you too Emily, great party you have going on here."

"Why thank you." She looked at her granddaughter, seeming to be examining her outfit. When Rory realised her grandma was there, she grinned.

"Gama," she exclaimed.

"Hello sweetheart," she cooed as she took her from Lorelai. "Don't you look gorgeous in that dress? Where did you buy this Lorelai, it's beautiful," she gushed.

"I made it actually," Lorelai replied, stunning Emily.

"Wow, well it's wonderful."

"Thank you," she said gratefully. The two Gilmore women shared a smile, causing Luke to beam at the two of them getting along perfectly.

"Come and meet some friends of mine, I want to show off my granddaughter tonight." Emily dragged Lorelai and Luke around the room, meeting various Lawyers and Insurance Associates. After the sixth group of people, Lorelai was in serious need of an apple tart.

"Hey Luke, I'm gonna get some apple tarts, you want anything?" she whispered in his ear.

"Don't leave me here with these people," he hissed back at her.

"Well come with me then." Luke nodded then turned back to the group he was talking to.

"Excuse us, we're gonna get something to eat," he said politely before following Lorelai towards a waiter carrying a tray of apple tarts.

"Where's Rory at?" she asked with a mouthful of food.

"Your mother was showing some women her dress last time I saw her," he shrugged. Lorelai grinned at him. "What?" he asked.

"It's so boring here," she chuckled. "All of these people lead such boring lives that are based solely on money, who wants to live like that?"

"Got me," he replied, taking a swig of his sparkling water. Everyone else was drinking white wine and champagne but he'd never touch those in a million years so he was sticking to the water. They heard the cry of a baby and immediately recognised it as Rory's. Half of the room quietened down at the noise, some of them surprised there was actually somebody under the age of thirty five at this thing. Lorelai frowned at Luke then the two of them followed the sounds of Rory's distressed crys. They found her in the arms of Aunt Totsie, Lorelai should have guessed.

"What's the matter sweetie?" Lorelai asked softly as she took her daughter from the dreadful woman. "It's ok, we're here now." Rory's crys quietened to tiny sobs and she buried her face in her mother's shoulder.

"Hello Lorelai," greeted Totsie, watching how she handled Rory very closely.

"Hi Aunt Totsie," she replied, keeping her attention on her daughter.

"So this is the child you had?"

"Yeah this is Rory." Totsie nodded before glancing over at Luke.

"And who is this strapping young man?" she asked with interest.

"This is Luke, my boyfriend," Lorelai replied. "Luke this is my Aunt Totsie."

"Nice to meet you," said Luke politely as he held his hand out for her to shake. Instead though, she pulled him in for a hug and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Lorelai tried to contain her laughter when she saw Luke's arms flying around, wondering where to put them. Totsie finally pulled away and after some forced conversation, they were finally able to excuse themselves. "Who the hell is that woman?" he asked, still in shock.

"You just got Totsied," she said in all seriousness. "I should have warned you about her but I guess I forgot."

"I guess you did. I swear she hugged me so tight, I think she crushed my ribs." Lorelai chuckled lightly then turned to face him.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight. It's more entertaining when you're here."

"Gee thanks."

"I always found this party boring but now you're here, it's fun."

"You just love mocking me don't you?"

"Well yeah," she said in a duh tone. "Seriously though, I'm having a good time tonight." Luke smiled shyly at her.

"Good." Lorelai smiled back at him then hesitantly leant in to kiss his lips lightly. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

**So? I wrote this on my new laptop (got it for my birthday!) and I can't seem to get the spell check to work. If you know how to do it on Microsoft Word then please help! Sorry if anything was spelt wrong, I did check it but I probably missed something, I always do. Now here's the bit that I include every time.....REVIEWS :D I'm thinking about the big 500 with this chapter...wanna help out? Just push the button :D That's all for now and I promise I will be back on the writing track soon.**

**Emily.**


	35. Christmas Eve

**Hi! You've probably forgotten who I am...I have to apologize. I know I said I was going to be back now and updating regularly like before but College has been piling up on me and I've had lots and lots and lots of work to do...you get the picture. I don't even know how I found time to write this chapter, I know it's shorter but it's better than nothing.**

**Okay I wanna say my normal thank you for all the reviews :D I was surprised I got as many as usual even though it had been so long since I updated so THANK YOU! Anyway I don't know if I like this chapter, it's kinda boring but I'm leading up to Christmas and New Years and then an unexpected visitor...but you have to wait and see who it is...lol. I hope you enjoy this.**

Lorelai woke up with a smile on her face in the early hours of Christmas Eve. She rolled over and stared at her sleeping boyfriend for a few moments before carefully sliding out of bed. She stumbled over to the window clumsily, squinting as her eyes adjusted to her dark surroundings. She hastily pushed the window open and stuck her head out, inhaling the night air deeply.

"Snow," she whispered to herself happily. She wanted to squeal but knew she'd wake Luke so instead she knelt by the window, continuing to breathe in her favourite scent aside from coffee.

Having felt a sharp chill on the naked upper part of his body, Luke's eyes fluttered open and he quickly pulled the covers up higher to his neck. When he didn't feel Lorelai tug on the sheets to keep herself covered, she was a duvet hogger after all, he turned to find her side of the bed empty. He sat up slowly and felt the cold air hit him again. He sighed when he saw her in front of the open window with a giant grin on her face.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked incredulously, rubbing his upper arms to keep them warm. Lorelai jumped at the sound of his voice then turned to glance at him.

"I can smell snow," she said excitedly. Luke rolled his eyes again.

"Not this again," he mumbled.

"I'm telling you Luke, we're having a white Christmas this year."

"Wow, amazing, now will you shut the damn window? It's like twenty degrees outside." Lorelai shook her head insistently.

"Just two more minutes," she said before looking out the window again. Luke climbed out of bed, pulled a sweater over his head then grabbed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"You'll freeze," he said softly as he plopped down next to her. She turned her head to look at him and smiled widely as she pulled the jacket tighter around her upper body.

"It's Christmas tomorrow," she stated.

"I know," he replied, obviously less excited than she was.

"Are you spending it with us?" she asked.

"Of course, who else am I gonna cook turkey for?"

"True. Have you thought any more about my Santa suggestion?"

"Yes and I'm not doing it."

"Why not?" she asked in pure disappointment.

"Cause it'll be humiliating." Lorelai pouted before looking out of the window again.

"I wonder if Rory knows what it's all about," she said thoughtfully after some moments of silence. "I explained it to her when I put her to bed tonight but she looked at me like I was an alien so I don't think she got it. Last year she was only two and a half months old; she could barely hold her own head up never mind know what was going on around her. I wonder if this year will be different."

"Rory's smart, she'll understand. Plus when she sees the presents her little face will light up." They both smiled knowingly.

"Yeah, this Christmas is gonna be good right?"

"The best," he answered, even though he hated the holidays. He was very aware that if it snowed tonight, there would be a snowman building competition in the square tomorrow and Lorelai was bound to wanna take part. Luke however, was known for his scrooge attitude towards the town festivities and would continue to keep it up, despite how much Lorelai pouted at him.

"What did you buy me for Christmas," she asked as she rested her head in the crook of his arm.

"Now that's a surprise," he said pointedly. Lorelai sighed against his sweater.

"I love Christmas, don't you just love this time of year?"

"Not really," he grumbled. She tilted her head up to look at him.

"Why not?"

"For starters, it's freezing all the time." Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, causing Luke to continue. "You're car won't start cause the engine's frozen, the windshield freezes over, you have to wear a dozen layers every time you step outside, you get snowed in, everything gets delayed," he ranted. "And aside from the weather you've got fat, drunk, old guys in big red suits and fake white beards asking kids to sit in their laps, dumb carol singers knocking on your damn door and no frigging turkeys left in the store cause everyone has to eat turkey on the twenty fifth, it's like it's the law or something." Luke took a breath and was about to continue when Lorelai's head left his shoulder and a huge grin took over her face.

"Look," she said, cutting right through his rant. He followed her gaze out of the window and saw the large white flakes falling rapidly from the sky, creating a white blanket on the ground. Luke's mood softened when he saw his girlfriend's face; she looked so content, so happy, and that made him happy too, even if he hated winter and everything the season brought with it. "You know what this means?" she asked softly.

"What?" he inquired as he brushed her hair from her face, allowing him to see her properly.

"Bing Crosby's dream has come true," she replied with a completely straight face.

"Huh?"

"Doesn't matter. We're gonna have a white Christmas Luke." Luke simply smiled at her, loving the closeness they were sharing at the moment.

"Mama," they heard Rory's loud voice from her bedroom. The door was open a crack so they could hear her. Lorelai snapped out of her snow-induced trance and looked in the direction of Rory's room. "Maaamaaaa," the toddler whined louder.

"I'm coming sweets," she called back as she shrugged Luke's jacket off her shoulders and stood up. "Man it's freezing in here," she complained.

"Probably cause you've had the window wide open for god knows how long," he deadpanned.

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically before disappearing into Rory's room. Luke closed the window and climbed back into bed, pulling the sheets up as high as he could without suffocating himself.

"What's up baby?" Lorelai asked as she approached the crib where Rory was stood clutching the railing.

"Babababababa," she gurgled, bouncing up and down without her feet leaving the mattress.

"What are you calling me for huh?" she asked curiously before a familiar smell filled her senses. "Have you left my Christmas present early?" she cooed as she lifted her stinky daughter from her crib. She laid her on the changing table and began to unsnap her sleeper expertly. She wiped, powdered and dressed the one year old before sitting down in the chair in the corner of the room and resting Rory in her lap.

"Cuckoo," said Rory.

"You want Colonel Clucker?" Lorelai asked, knowing that 'cuckoo' was Rory's way of asking for him. She stood up, sat Rory on her hip and lifted the stuffed hen from the crib where he had taken up residence next to his owner. Rory reached for him and grinned when Lorelai held him just out of reach. "What do you say?"

"Pease," she asked sweetly before lunging for the stuffed toy again. Lorelai allowed Rory to grasp it between her small fingers as she lowered into the chair again. "Rawamamatowoma," Rory mumbled to the hen.

"Hey I think it's time for bed again Ror, it's like two thirty," she said as she smoothed the little girl's short, wavy hair back. Rory gave her a toothy smile that she found too cute to ignore. "You know how to get what you want don't you sweets?" she asked as she pulled Rory closer to her. "Ok we can stay up a little longer," she allowed.

Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep in the hard wooden chair. Rory was being stubborn, just like her mother, and wouldn't go to sleep so Lorelai had ended up dozing off. Rory had gone soon after her, her head rested on Lorelai's chest as she faced her mom. They both had their mouths slightly open, small amounts of drool dripping from Rory's mouth and seeping into Lorelai's pyjama top.

At about four, Luke threw his arm over to Lorelai's side of the bed in his sleep, quickly waking up when he found it to be empty once again. He rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed for the second time that night, or technically morning. He found the main room of the potting shed to be empty so he wandered into Rory's room, still half asleep. The scene before him warmed his heart; his two girls asleep together. He knelt down next to them and moved Lorelai's hair aside, his fingertips lightly brushing her forehead as he did.

"Hmm," she hummed, her eyes remained closed and Luke noticed how she tightened her arms around Rory.

"Lorelai," he whispered close to her ear. No response. He figured there was no point in trying again so he resorted to plan B. He gently removed Lorelai's arms from around Rory and lifted the little girl to him, being careful not to wake her. He walked her over to the crib and set her down in it, covering her with some blankets to make sure she was warm enough. He left a feather-light kiss on her forehead then went back to attend to Lorelai. He lifted her up slowly, letting his arms adjust to her weight before attempting to position her comfortably. Her arms went around his neck and her legs around his waist as he wrapped his arms around her back, holding her up.

"Luke," she mumbled into his neck, obviously still asleep. He didn't reply, he just carried her into the main room and deposited her on the bed. He climbed in the other side and adjusted the covers so they were both warm. Lorelai snuggled closer to him in her sleep and mumbled something incoherent before her breathing went shallow and evened out. Luke wasn't far behind her as they both drifted into the land of nod.

The three of them made their way into the town square late that morning. Rory sat on Luke's shoulders while her parents walked side by side through the thick blanket of snow.

"Today's gonna be awesome," said Lorelai excitedly as she jumped slightly. "Are you excited Ror?"

"Sow," Rory squealed while pointing her small index finger towards the ground.

"Do you know what we're gonna do with the snow?" Lorelai asked. Rory looked at her blankly, not understanding.

"We're gonna build a snowman," she informed, causing Rory to smile. They approached the town square, allowing them to see the fellow townspeople arriving with their shovels and various 'tools'. The young family trudged across the square, Lorelai in her pink wellington boots and Rory wore matching ones.

"Hey sugars," called Babette from where she and Morey were setting up.

"Hi Babette," Lorelai replied politely. "You getting set up?" she asked, eyeing their equipment warily. She hadn't brought any tools; she was going to do it the traditional way, with her hands.

"Yeah we're gonna kick Taylor Doose's ass this year, he always thinks he's the best but we'll show him, right Morey?" she gave her husband a nudge.

"Uh right, yeah," he replied, not quite sure of himself. Babette shook her head.

"Are you joining us Luke?"

"Um no I'm going to the diner," he replied, determined to stand his ground.

"Come on, you've gotta join. You're so handy that Taylor won't stand a chance."

"No I've gotta work," he protested.

"Come on Luke it's Christmas, why do you always have to be such a grump?" asked Patty as she approached them. Luke rolled his eyes and glanced at Lorelai. As he suspected, she was smiling, no doubt amused by their pleading for him to stay.

"No," he said sternly, the look on his face telling everyone he wasn't gonna back down.

"Well is Rory staying?" Babette asked hopefully.

"Of course she is," answered Lorelai. "She wouldn't miss this for the world would you sweets?" Rory looked down on her from her position on Luke's shoulders and squealed excitedly.

"She seems very excited," observed Patty.

"She loves the snow," said Lorelai, smiling proudly up at her daughter, glad that she too shared her love for snow.

"Do you want some coffee before it starts?" Luke asked Lorelai.

"What a dumb question," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you in a little while ladies, I need my late morning dose," she said happily before following Luke in the direction of the diner.

Once inside, Luke lowered Rory from his shoulders and sat her on the countertop in front of Lorelai. The little girl instinctively reached towards the donut stand and pried the lid off. Lorelai watched her, giving her a stern look that ended up turning into a smile when Rory's cheeky face looked back at her. Luke turned around with a mug filled with coffee, slipping it across the counter to Lorelai.

"Thanks," she said before taking a greedy sip. Luke smiled in return then saw Rory reaching for a chocolate sprinkle donut. He put his hands on his hips and gave her a stern look, one that made her freeze right where she was.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Rory stared at him for some moments before flashing him a sheepish smile. "Did I say you could get a donut?"

"Chocwa," she said quietly, pointing to the donut she wanted. Luke sighed.

"What's the magic word?" he asked, his hands still on his hips. Rory's face went blank for a minute as she looked back at the donuts. She looked between them and Luke a few times before putting the pieces together in her head.

"Pease?" she asked sweetly, flashing him her pout. Luke tried to keep a straight face but she was too adorable, he broke into a smile.

"Ok you can have a chocolate donut," he allowed. Rory grinned in accomplishment then proceeded to pick two donuts from the case. "I said one," he protested. Rory held one of the donuts out to Lorelai.

"Mama," she justified.

"Pleeeeaaaaase Luke?" Lorelai begged, imitating how he made Rory ask for her donut.

"Just take it," he waved off in irritation before he went to deliver someone's order to their table.

"Come over here sweets," said Lorelai, gesturing for Rory to shift closer to her on the countertop. Rory shuffled over in her snowsuit and sat in front of Lorelai as she nibbled her donut. "Are you gonna help me with this snowman cause I can't do it all by myself," she cooed.

"Meeee," Rory gurgled with a mouthful of donut. Lorelai smiled at her but was interrupted by someone taking the stool next to her, even though every other stool was free. She glanced round to see a young man, probably in his early twenties, staring at her.

"Hi," he said politely, holding out his hand for her to shake. Lorelai looked down at his hand suspiciously.

"Hey," she returned, completely ignoring the hand that was still held out to her. The man took the hint and lowered his hand to the counter embarrassedly.

"So I'm just passing through, what's good to eat here?" he asked.

"Uh burger's good I guess," she mumbled, focussing her attention on Rory. The young man noticed the baby in front of her on the counter and instantly jumped to conclusions.

"Cute sister," he said, smiling at Rory. Lorelai turned back to him and narrowed her eyes. Luke returned to behind the counter, called an order to Caesar then grabbed the coffee pot, turning to look at Lorelai. He saw her glaring at the young man next to her and instantly became concerned.

"Everything ok over here?" he asked, watching the man carefully. Lorelai's gaze fell onto Luke and she broke out into a grin, which didn't go unnoticed by Mr. No-name next to her.

"Everything's fine," she replied nonchalantly. Luke slowly nodded his head, keeping his eyes on the man, who had his eyes on Lorelai, HIS girlfriend.

"More coffee?" he offered her.

"Oh can I get it to-go? We should get out there before the contest starts." Luke nodded and turned to grab a to-go cup. That's when he heard the young man's voice.

"So you like coffee then?" he asked Lorelai. Luke did his best not to turn around; he wanted to know what this guy's intentions were.

"Yup," Lorelai replied. Luke smiled at how distracted she sounded, a sign that she wasn't paying much attention to the annoying man next to her.

"Maybe you'd wanna get some with me sometime," he continued. That's when Luke snapped. He turned around, put the coffee in front of Lorelai and glared at the young man that was harassing his girlfriend.

"Back off buddy," he warned, no sarcasm in his tone whatsoever.

"Excuse me?" he replied smugly.

"You heard me, leave her alone," he clarified, standing his ground.

"What right do you have to tell me what to do?" he asked ignorantly.

"When you're in my establishment hitting on my girlfriend, I can tell you to do whatever the hell I want," he said, raising his voice slightly.

"Girlfriend?" the young man asked, looking to Lorelai for confirmation. She simply nodded and lifted Rory into her lap.

"Luke do you have any wipes around here?" she asked, looking at Rory's chocolate covered face.

"Yeah I have a pack under here," he replied, bringing out the wipes from underneath the counter and taking one out. He reached over and wiped Rory's face clean before disposing of the wipe. Both were aware the man was still watching them. "If she get's hungry, thirsty, tired or she needs her diaper changed just bring her in. I have the stuff upstairs."

"Ok well we're going now; we'll probably be in for lunch." She leant over and her lips met his. She deliberately made the kiss last longer, for the sake of their audience. When they pulled apart, they realised the man had left and Luke grinned, knowing he had won. "See ya," Lorelai called as she swung open the door. Rory waved at him from her place on Lorelai's hip before the two of them left the diner, to join the festivities in the town square.

"Lorelai," called Sookie as she rushed across the square.

"Hey Sook, where's Jackson?" she asked, looking around for her best friend's boyfriend.

"He didn't wanna come cause he hates the snow," she shrugged. Lorelai's jaw dropped.

"He hates snow?" she asked incredulously. "But it's beautiful and magical," she gushed.

"He said it ruins his crops." Lorelai pouted.

"I don't see how anyone can hate snow."

"It is a little annoying, especially when you can't get your car out."

"You sound like Luke," she huffed.

"Does he hate snow too?"

"He doesn't hate it," she protested. "He just dislikes town events, so he's in the diner."

"Ah, so you don't have a partner?" she asked hopefully.

"Well I have Rory but she can't do much."

"Yay you just got yourself a snow buddy," Sookie squealed. Lorelai smiled at her then looked down at Rory who was now playing in the snow. She was sat in her snowsuit, the white blanket surrounding her as she played with it with her gloved fingers. "Hey Rory, you ready to build this snowman?" Sookie asked excitedly. Rory looked up at her.

"Sow," she squealed as she got to her feet. They looked around at the other competitors who had already begun piling snow together.

"We gots some tough competition," said Lorelai as she watched Babette and Morey use some sort of tool to erect their snowman.

"We need tools," said Sookie. "I didn't even think to bring any. You're supposed to build a snowman with your hands, not with a shovel."

"Tell me about it." The two girls stood thoughtfully for a few moments before an idea popped into Lorelai's head. "I'll be right back, watch Rory for a sec," she called, already halfway to the diner. "Luke," she shouted once she got through the door.

"What's wrong," he asked frantically, wondering why she sounded so panicked.

"I need Bert," she exclaimed, dragging her feet over to the counter.

"You need what? Or who?" he asked in confusion.

"Bert, your toolbox," she said as if it were obvious.

"My toolbox? You named my toolbox Bert?" he asked, not quite believing it.

"Yup, nice name I think," she said. "Now I don't have time for this, where is he?"

"IT is in my apartment," he corrected, pointing towards the curtain.

"Thanks." She took off up the stairs, the apartment door was unlocked so she flung the door open and found Bert on the kitchen table. Weird place for a toolbox she thought. She made her way back downstairs to the diner, feeling prepared for their mission now. "This thing's heavy," she complained as she held Bert tightly.

"It's a toolbox," he stated.

"Well anyway, thanks for letting me borrow him." She left the diner, making her way back over to Sookie and Rory as fast as she could with Bert in tow. It was the heaviest thing she'd ever carried.

"There you are," exclaimed Sookie as Lorelai approached them. "Where were you?"

"Getting this?" she replied, pointing to the toolbox.

"What's that?"

"Sookie meet Bert, Luke's toolbox."

"Ha you named Luke's toolbox Bert," Sookie chuckled.

"Dirty," said Lorelai. Sookie giggled. "Ok so let's get to work." They opened the toolbox, swatting Rory's hands away as she tried to grab certain objects. After examining the tools, they picked the ones they could get some use out of and got to work on building the best snowman of the whole town. Well trying to anyway.

By lunchtime, Lorelai and Sookie were literally exhausted. Neither of them were used to getting much exercise and building a snowman was proving to be more challenging than they'd thought it to be. Rory on the other hand, had sat and played in the snow all morning, trying several times to remove her winter suit and gloves before either Lorelai or Sookie stopped her. She trotted along in front of them as they trudged towards the diner, both in desperate need of fuel.

"Wow you two look exhausted," said Luke when they entered. "All you've done is build a snowman."

"It's harder than it looks you know, it requires a lot of physical exertion," defended Lorelai

"Sure it does," he replied sarcastically. Both Lorelai and Sookie scowled at him as they dropped onto adjacent stools. Luke fetched a high chair for Rory and placed her in it, ensuring she wouldn't be able to reach the donut case. "What can I get you both to eat?" he asked.

"Ooh something festive," she said thoughtfully. "Um...oh just give me a burger and fries," she decided. "And coffee." Luke nodded and filled a cup for her.

"Sookie?" he asked. "Coffee?"

"Uh no thanks, I'm not a big coffee drinker," she replied.

"Did you hear that Lorelai?" Luke asked half-jokingly. "You should take a leaf out of Sookie's book." Lorelai scowled at him before taking a few sips of coffee, polishing off the mug.

"More please?" Luke rolled his eyes but refilled her mug anyway.

"You'll die soon," he stated.

"What a way to go," she shrugged before sipping her fresh coffee.

"So what would you like to drink instead Sookie?" he asked.

"Hot chocolate would be good," she replied. Luke nodded.

"And to eat?"

"Caesar salad please."

"Coming right up," he said, pleased with Sookie's choice and wishing that Lorelai would choose the same. "How about some soup Rory?" he asked the toddler. Rory grinned at him, knowing she would be getting food very soon. Luke placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of Sookie and a sippy cup in front of Rory before he disappeared into the kitchen, giving the girls time to talk. They'd been trying to catch their breath all morning due to their lack of athletic abilities so they'd not really gotten a chance to have a chat.

"Luke's great," said Sookie.

"Yeah, good cooking too," she replied. "Luke what's taking so damn long with that burger?" she called in the direction of the kitchen.

"I'm making it as fast as I can ok," he shouted back in irritation. "Jeez," they heard. The girls chuckled at him. Not long after, Luke brought their food out. He gave Sookie her salad and Rory her soup before putting a plate in front of Lorelai.

"So that's what took you so long," she said, looking down at her plate. "What's this?" Luke shrugged.

"You made me a Santa burger," she stated, staring down at the disgusting concoction before her.

"It's no big deal," he grumbled, remembering Sookie was there and he didn't wanna get all lovey-dovey in front of her.

"Aw it's so cute," Sookie gushed, grinning widely. "It has a hat and everything!"

"It doesn't matter," said Luke. Lorelai looked up at him.

"No one's ever made me anything quite this disgusting before," she said lovingly. Luke waved off her comment. "How did you make this?" she asked.

"I just cut some wonder bread, poured on a little ketchup, piped on a little cream cheese," he brushed off. Lorelai grinned then leant up to kiss him, keeping it short and sweet because of Sookie's presence. Luke noticed Rory was about to stick her hand in her soup so he took her spoon and fed her while Lorelai dug into her burger.

"It's good actually," she complimented through a mouthful of food.

"You doubted me?" Luke asked.

"Well the cream cheese-on-a-burger thing kinda made me reluctant to try it," she shrugged.

"Don't expect it all the time," he mumbled as he spooned some more soup into Rory's waiting mouth.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the turkey was wearing a Santa suit tomorrow," she teased. Luke glared at her. He knew she was gonna mock him for this; he was only trying to do something nice. The girls finished their food and Lorelai dressed Rory in her snowsuit again, ready to go outside. She put her hat and gloves on, along with her own before saying goodbye to Luke and hurrying over to their half-built snowman.

"It's looking good honey," said Patty, walking up to them.

"Thanks Patty," said Lorelai. "Where's yours?"

"Please, I wasn't made to build snowmen dear, I was made to sit and watch other people do it."

"I'm beginning to think we weren't either," complained Sookie, rubbing her back soothingly.

"You girls are doing a fine job," she complimented. "You might wanna watch Rory though, she looks like she's gonna fall asleep at any moment." Lorelai looked down to see her daughter's eyelids drooping.

"You getting sleepy Ror?" she asked softly, bending down to stroke her cheek with her fingertips. "We'll go for a nap soon ok?" She stood up straight and turned to look at their snowman.

"I think it's done," said Sookie, looking it up and down.

"I think so too."

"It's nothing compared to that one over there though." They looked over to their right to see a man buffing a snowman perfectly. Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. He looked over and waved at them.

"I hate this man so much," she said through gritted teeth.

"He's like the Michelangelo of snowman building," said Sookie in awe. Lorelai looked back to their snowman and frowned.

"That one's too perfect, it's never gonna win." At that moment, the head dropped off their own snowman and Lorelai slumped her shoulders. "I'm going to get a nap," she mumbled.

"Me too," agreed Sookie. They walked off in opposite directions, Lorelai picking Rory and Bert up along the way. She made her way over to Luke's, thanking the person that held the door open for her before walking towards the curtain and dropping Bert on the floor.

"What's going on?" asked Luke, his head snapping up to find Lorelai stood next to the curtain with a half-asleep Rory in her arms.

"I'm going upstairs," she told him.

"Ok I'll be up in a minute." Lorelai nodded then climbed the steps. She entered Luke's apartment and made a beeline for his bed. She removed her and Rory's outerwear then climbed under the duvet, making sure her daughter was snug and warm before they both drifted into a much needed sleep.

Not five minutes later, Luke came upstairs to find both Gilmore girls asleep in his bed. A small smile traced his lips as he saw them snuggled up together under the duvet, their breathing heavy. He perched on the edge of the bed and looked down at them, stroking Rory's hair before moving onto Lorelai's. She began to stir from her deep sleep, her eyes fluttering open to look at him.

"You tired?" he asked softly.

"Hmm it's hard building a snowman," she muttered groggily.

"Which was yours? I had a look but I wasn't sure."

"The one with no head."

"Ok, what did it fall off or something?"

"Yup that's exactly it." Luke chuckled before kissing her forehead gently. He made a move to get up from the bed but Lorelai grasped his arm, holding him in place. "Stay here," she pleaded.

"I have to get back downstairs." Lorelai pouted.

"Just ten minutes?" she asked. Luke sighed and climbed into the bed behind her, throwing his arm over her waist and resting it on Rory's small body. Lorelai pushed back into him, trying to get comfortable and keep warm before falling back to sleep again. Luke didn't fall asleep though, he thought about the upcoming day and what it would bring. This time last year he was miserable, he didn't celebrate at all. He had no gifts because there was no one to buy them for him and there were no decorations in his unusually dark apartment. He was by himself, left to revel in his thoughts and drown his sorrows on the first Christmas without his father. This year would be different though. He had a feeling he was going to enjoy it this year and actually want to get out of bed in the morning to watch his girls open their presents. He was actually looking forward to it. That was a first for Luke Danes, looking forward to Christmas.

**What's the verdict? I'm not sure if anyone reads these A/Ns or not but oh well :D I finish College forever and ever a week on Friday so I will be an updating machine during the summer hopefully! That's if the weather is bad, if it's hot, which is unusual for England, I will only write in the evenings. I need to soak up some sun haha, I've resorted to fake tan! Anyway sorry for my rant, please review and make my day :P I might have a chapter up next week, if not though, I am sorry it's just that College is a lot more important to me than FF! In a few weeks I'm as free as a bird so expect some updates then if not before.**

**Emily.**


	36. Christmas Day

**Hi guys...I'm still terrible at updating, as you probably noticed. Well I am now officially free, we were way behind schedule at college and I only finished today, rather than on Friday when I was supposed to. But now I have absolutely nothing to do all day so I will probably write more, hopefully :D **

**This chapter is a long one, to make up for lost time of course. Thank you to all the reviewers, I'm glad you are all still interested in this, I thought you would have forgotten about it by now. So thanks so much and I hope you find this chapter to your liking ;P**

"Luke," Lorelai murmured. He simply grunted in response. "Luke you're breaking the rules," she warned as she turned to look at his slumbering form.

"Hmm," he answered. Lorelai sighed and snuggled further into his arms which had fallen limp due to his sleepy state.

"You have to stay awake through the whole movie you know, it's in the rulebook." Luke slowly opened one eye to peek at her.

"What rulebook?" he asked curiously, his voice thick with sleep.

"A book of rules," she retorted in all seriousness.

"There's no rulebook," he stated, both his eyes fully open now.

"Uh huh, of course there is. You don't think I remember all those rules do you?"

"No I thought you made them up as you went along," he mumbled as he rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Well I don't and we're breaking a rule right now; talking during the movie," she informed him. "Shush."

"You were the one..."

"Shh," she hushed. Luke sighed loudly in surrender and rested his head against the back of the couch.

"How much longer?" he asked after five or so minutes of silence.

"Luke," she whined.

"What? This is the most boring movie I've ever seen."

"Well you haven't seen many," she muttered. "Just a half an hour or so," she said in answer to his question.

"That long?" he complained.

"It's not that long."

"I'm tired."

"You're being awkward."

"Lorelai."

"Luke." They locked eyes, the seriousness in them fading away and laughter took over.

"This is the stupidest argument ever," he chuckled. Lorelai laughed along with him as he checked his watch. "It's Christmas day," he said quietly.

"It is?"

"Yep as of seven minutes ago." Lorelai grinned at him, a calmness taking over her.

"It's Christmas," she said quietly before turning to look at Luke. "Oh does that mean I can open my presents now?" she asked excitedly, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"No," he answered sternly.

"Please, please, please," she begged.

"Wait till morning."

"But it is morning," she whined.

"Lorelai," he sighed in frustration and irritation. "I often wonder how old you actually are."

"I want my presents," she sulked.

"You can have your presents later when Rory's awake to open hers to," he said, standing his ground at all costs.

"But...Luuuuke."

"Lorelai, the fourteen month old in the next room is more mature than you are." Lorelai pouted more at his comment. "It's true," he defended. "I think the fact that you're begging me to let you open your gifts, eleven minutes into Christmas day proves my theory."

"You're mean on Christmas," she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Hey, look at me," he ordered. Lorelai didn't move her head so he took hold of her chin and turned her head to look at him. "If you open your presents now then you'll be mad in the morning cause when Rory's opening hers you won't have anything to open yourself," he said knowingly. "Just wait eight hours or so ok?" Lorelai tried to hold her pout, she really did, but his soft facial expression and the warmth in his eyes made her smile at him.

"Ok," she agreed. "I'll wait till Rory's up." Luke could tell she didn't wanna agree with him but she did anyway and that made him grin to himself. He got Lorelai Gilmore to cave; he never thought it would happen. "Hey I'm gonna go tuck Rory in, then we should bring the gifts out so it looks like Santa's been." Luke nodded, knowing he'd have to keep an eye on her during the process.

"Hey Lorelai?" he called, just as she was about to step into Rory's room.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning back to look at him.

"Don't wake Rory," he warned. She smiled slyly

"I won't," she replied before disappearing into the next room. Luke shook his head as he quickly turned the movie off, then quickly followed her into Rory's bedroom. Lorelai was leant over the crib, her fingers tangling in the little girl's fine, wavy hair. Lorelai heard him approach her and smiled when his arms wrapped around her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"She ok?" he asked, looking down at their sleeping daughter.

"Yeah, she's out like a light," she whispered back, turning her head so their cheeks brushed.

"Tomorrow's gonna be good," he stated, more to himself than Lorelai.

"Tomorrow's gonna be great," she corrected. "But you're gonna miss half of it cause you'll be cooking my turkey." She brought her hands down to rest on top of Luke's on her stomach, and patted them lightly.

"Oh really?" he asked. "I thought you were cooking the turkey."

"Ha that's funny," she deadpanned before smiling slightly. "I'll be too busy putting my gifts to use."

"That and the simple reason that you can't cook to save your life."

"While that may be offensive for some people to hear that about themselves, I find it to be very true." They looked down into the crib again when they saw Rory squirming. That's when they realised that they'd been talking just a little too loud. Rory's eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times to let them adjust to the dark. When she saw her mom and dad stood over her crib, she gave them a confused look before rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. She looked up again and realised that they were actually there.

"Hi Rory," Luke said quietly as one of his hands left Lorelai's tummy to stroke her cheek. "Go back to sleep ok? We didn't mean to wake you." She didn't need to be told twice. The soothing feeling of Luke's finger running over her cheek sent her back to her slumber. The two teens watched Rory's eyelids drop again before smiling at the sight before them.

"She looks so adorable when she's sleeping," Lorelai whispered, being careful to keep her tone low to avoid waking her daughter again.

"I know," Luke replied. "She always looks adorable." Lorelai turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck.

"Big softie," she cooed before leaning up to kiss his lips. She ran her hand over his stubbly cheek and smiled. "You look like you're growing a beard," she chuckled. "Kinda like Santa Claus," she said ironically.

"Whatever Crazy Lady," he replied, brushing her hair behind her ears. She slowly pulled out of his embrace and turned back to Rory.

"Night babe, wake up early ok?" she whispered, leaving a feather light kiss on Rory's cheek.

"Night Ror," Luke also whispered. "Don't get up that early, your mom's talking crazy." Lorelai hit him on the arm and Luke reacted with a playful 'ow', before Lorelai grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door.

"Come on St. Nick, we've got presents to deliver," she said merrily as she closed the door slightly to Rory's room.

"Don't refer to me as Santa Claus in any way," he warned. Lorelai let go of his hand and went to her closet. She pulled out a bag full of wrapped gifts and Luke's mouth dropped slightly. "Who are all those for?" he asked as he watched her deposit them in front of the small Christmas tree they had decorated. Lorelai wanted a big one but with limited space in the potting shed, she was forced to buy a smaller, more suitable tree. The three of them had decorated it together; Luke holding Rory as she placed the small ornaments on the tree and Lorelai adding them at the other side. There were rainbow coloured lights attached to it and tinsel hanging from the branches. Lorelai thought it looked perfect.

"For the three of us," she replied as she sat on the floor and pulled gift after gift from the bag. "People have been giving me them this past week so instead of ripping them open straight away, I put them in my closet to open today."

"Where did you find the willpower to do that?" he asked jokingly. Lorelai shrugged with a smile on her face.

"There are some in here for you, let's have a look." She scanned the gift tags until she found a few belonging to Luke. "Here, one from Mia, one from Babette, one from Miss Patty and another from Kirk," she said.

"Kirk bought me a gift?" he asked incredulously.

"Well his mom probably paid for it but the thought's there."

"Damn Kirk," he grumbled.

"Now, now." She began sorting the various gifts into three piles under the tree, Rory's pile being the biggest. Luke pulled a box out from under the bed and put it down next to Lorelai.

"I've done the same thing you have," he said as he sat down next to her and began taking gifts from the box. "There's a gift each for you and Rory from Buddy and Maisy, and one from Liz and Jess."

"Ooh Liz got us a gift?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied as he added each gift to the various piles.

"You saw her?"

"She came in the diner a few days ago," he shrugged. "She didn't stay long, just dropped off the gifts and said hi."

"Was Jess with her?" she asked. She hadn't seen Luke's sister and nephew for so long now.

"Nah, I'm not sure where he was," he replied.

"He must be getting big now, how old will he be now?" she asked, trying to remember how big the age gap was between him and Rory.

"He'll be what seventeen or eighteen months?"

"Wow, they're growing up fast aren't they?" she commented, looking down at her hands.

"Yeah they are, soon they'll be running around Stars Hollow Elementary together." Lorelai nodded, somewhat sadly. This didn't go unnoticed by Luke. "You ok?"

"What? Oh yeah I'm fine," she brushed off.

"You sure?"

"Yeah I was just thinking," she shrugged.

"About Rory starting school?" She nodded again and the sadness returned. "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing I was just thinking about what it would be like when she's not around during the day anymore."

"It's still ages away; four years in fact, we've got plenty of time to think about that."

"But you were right when you said that it'll pass quickly, within the blink of an eye she'll be all grown up." Luke sighed and threw his arm around her shoulders, asking himself why he had to bring up the subject of school.

"Let's not worry about that yet ok? She's still a baby," he said soothingly.

"Ok," she replied, lifting her head from his shoulder and picking up a couple of gifts from his box. "Are mine in here?" she asked, peeking further into the cardboard box before them.

"Nope yours is hidden," he replied, smiling down at her.

"But it's Christmas," she whined. "If you don't put all the presents out it'll look like Santa hasn't been."

"But you're not supposed to see your presents before the day anyway, I'll put them out in the morning."

"Fine." Lorelai finished organising the gifts and arranged Luke's pile so her gift was at the back.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Save the best till last," she replied before getting to her feet. "I'm gonna brush my teeth and stuff, it's getting late." Luke watched her leave then glanced at his watch; one thirty in the morning. He had never stayed up this late before, except when his father died and when Rory was in the hospital. He sighed tiredly and walked towards the bed, stripping his shirt in the process, leaving his bare torso exposed.

He reached into the bottom drawer of the nightstand on his side of the bed and pulled out three carefully wrapped gifts. They were relatively small gifts but they were ultimately the best gifts a girl could ask for. He just hoped Lorelai felt that way. After putting them under the tree, he removed his jeans, leaving him in only his boxers, and fell onto the bed. He buried himself under the covers in an attempt to keep warm and waited for Lorelai to return.

Just short of ten minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom wearing a short nightie with the words 'Santa's Little Helper' written across it and a white fur trim, accompanied by a Santa hat over her brown locks. She made her way over to the bed and crawled across it to Luke, stopping when she realised he was asleep.

"Damn it," she cursed as she fell back onto the bed heavily. Luke felt the mattress jump and slowly opened his eyes, looking at the sight before him confusedly.

"What are you wearing?" he asked, his brows creasing.

"You were supposed to be awake when I made my grand entrance wearing it," she mumbled, not looking at him as she played with the duvet between her fingertips. Luke looked her up and down a few times before he realised what her intentions were.

"Oh Lorelai...I'm sorry I...I didn't mean to fall asleep," he stuttered.

"It's ok, you're tired I get it, we can just go to sleep," she replied.

"No," he protested as she settled under the sheets on her side, facing away from him. "Do you really think I can sleep next to you when you're wearing...that?" he asked shyly. Lorelai didn't make a move to turn so Luke shuffled closer to her. He rested his hand on her stomach then moved it down to her leg, inching his fingers up her thigh longingly until they came into contact with the silky material again. He pushed it up slightly and continued his journey up the inside of her thigh until he reached his destination. He heard Lorelai gasp quietly but she didn't move, so Luke tried a little harder. He gently applied pressure where his hand lay and moved it slowly and longingly in circles.

"Luke," she breathed, obviously enjoying his hand movement. Luke smiled against her hair, only moving back once she turned around to look at him. He definitely knew how to cheer her up.

It was five thirty that same morning when Lorelai shot out of bed. She dressed in Luke's blue flannel shirt and quickly answered her call from nature then strolled into Rory's room, walking through the darkness until she reached her daughter's crib. Sure enough, the toddler was still sleeping and didn't show signs of waking up anytime soon. Lorelai sighed, gave one last look at Rory then padded back into the main room which was equally as dark.

Christmas was the only day of the year when Lorelai woke up at this time willingly. She was pretty sure it was the only day she would ever wake up before Luke either, but now she knew how he felt. It was boring at this time of morning. There were no birds chirping, although Lorelai blamed that on being December, and the sky was still dark, the sun having not woken up yet. She felt like she was the only one awake in the whole world, well the United States at least. If you count time differences there were probably other people awake and wanting to open their gifts right now.

Lorelai sighed again and went over to the kitchen. She looked at the cheap coffee maker she had bought, it being the only one she could afford, and began going through the routine of making her favourite beverage. While fiddling with the settings, she got frustrated and 'accidentally' dropped her mug on the floor, smashing it to a dozen pieces.

"Ah," she half screamed as the pot shattered. Luke shot up in bed and looked towards where the noise had come from.

"Lorelai?" he asked confusedly.

"Yeah?"

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Making coffee," she replied nonchalantly. Luke glanced at the alarm clock and sighed.

"It's a quarter to six," he stated. "In the morning."

"I know, I wanted some coffee."

"Come back to bed for a little while," he begged as he fell back into the pillows. "Rory won't be up for a while yet."

"I can't sleep, I'm too excited," she beamed.

"Jeez, just come and lay with me for a bit," he pleaded. Lorelai looked over at him and shrugged before walking over to the bed. Luke held back the duvet for her and she slipped under, then he made sure she was all tucked in.

"Luke?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"Merry Christmas," she said quietly. She turned onto her side to face him and cupped his cheek with her hand.

"Merry Christmas to you too," he replied before closing his eyes. Lorelai watched him fall asleep again and sighed contentedly. His arms were wrapped around her so she couldn't move but she was happy to just lay there with him in the darkness. She buried her face in his neck, brushing her nose against his Adam's apple as it bobbed slowly. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep too, dreaming of what the day ahead had to offer.

Luke heard Rory gurgling loudly a couple of hours later. He climbed out of bed, being careful not to wake Lorelai, and padded into Rory's room. She was stood in her crib, clutching the wooden bar as she mumbled in riddles to no one in particular. She grinned when Luke appeared, and held her arms out for him to pick her up.

"Merry Christmas sweetheart," he said softly as he kissed her forehead. "Sleep well?"

"Good seep," she replied happily.

"Good sleep? I wish I had the same," he said, perking up a bit at his daughter's good mood. "Mommy kept waking me up all night; she smashed a coffee cup at six o clock this morning you know?" Rory stared at him in interest, her fingers in her mouth. "Ror can you say Christmas?" he asked. Rory looked at him. "Christmas," he repeated. She shook her head then rested it against his shoulder. "I guess it's too early in the morning for the word game huh?"

"Mama?" Rory asked, wondering why Lorelai wasn't in her room too.

"Mommy's sleeping right now honey," he said, then a thought crossed his mind. Lorelai had woken him several times that night and it was only right that he got his revenge. "Come on, let's go wake her up." He took Rory back into the main room and settled her on the bed next to Lorelai as he climbed in his side. Rory stared down at her sleeping mother and frowned.

"Seepy," she said, looking at Luke.

"You ready to wake her?" he asked. Rory lunged forward and landed on Lorelai's flat stomach. Lorelai jumped in her sleep but her eyes remained closed.

"Mama," Rory exclaimed excitedly.

"Ugh too early," she complained, hiding her face beneath her pillow.

"You weren't complaining earlier when you were making coffee at five thirty," Luke pointed out.

"Shut up," she mumbled sleepily, the words almost incomprehensible.

"Come on Lorelai," Luke teased, trying to tug the pillow away from her face and grasp. "You've gotta get up, we wanna open our presents," Luke joked, grinning down at Rory the whole time.

"Go 'way," she groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Mama pesents!" Rory said excitedly, just recognising the mountain of gifts under the tree. Luke pulled her closer to him and Rory squealed.

"I guess we'll just have to open mommy's presents for her won't we?" he asked.

"Don't you dare," Lorelai warned. She sat up in bed, glaring at Luke. He smirked and picked up one of her gifts. He pretended to rip it off and Lorelai's jaw dropped. "Luke Danes put my gift down," she demanded as she leapt out of bed and snatched the gift from him, holding it close to her chest. "I wouldn't open your gifts," she pouted.

"Oh believe me, you would," he said in all certainty.

"Pesents," said Rory again as she looked towards the tree from her place in Luke's arms.

"How about we have breakfast first?" he suggested. Rory face fell when he walked to the kitchen area, in the opposite direction to the presents she wanted so much.

"Dada?" she asked, pointing over his shoulder to the tricycle-shaped gift.

"We'll open them soon ok Ror?" he asked. Rory pouted when he put her in her high chair and looked toward Lorelai, hoping her mom would let her open her gifts. When she realised that neither of them were gonna give in, she sighed quietly and began to watch Luke prepare breakfast. "Here we go," said Luke not long after as he deposited a bowl of oatmeal in front of Rory and pancakes, eggs and bacon in front of Lorelai.

"Mmm, I love your food," she hummed appreciatively as she tucked into her plateful. "It's like having my own private Luke's." Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Don't expect it every day; you're only having it today cause the diner's closed."

"You don't wanna cook for me every day?" she asked through a pout.

"If you want food you can come to the diner like everybody else has to," he said sternly.

"Boy sleeping with you gets me nowhere," she muttered causing Luke to roll his eyes.

"Eat your food," he ordered before taking another bite from his dry toast. Less than five minutes later, Lorelai jumped up from her seat, dropped her plate in the sink and headed for her presents. Rory watched her carefully as she spooned some more oatmeal into her mouth, frowning when Lorelai dove for her first gift.

"Mine," Rory exclaimed, the oatmeal trickling down her chin. Luke was quick to react and wiped it off before it could make a mess. He looked over at Lorelai and put his hands on his hips when he saw her trying to rip open one of her gifts.

"What?" she asked when she caught his stare.

"Wait for Rory to finish her breakfast," he warned.

"But she's taking ages," she complained.

"She's one, how fast do you want her to eat?"

"I wanna open my gifts," she sulked.

"Wait."

"But..."

"Lorelai." He glared at her sternly and she found herself putting down the gift in her hand and backing away from the tree.

"I don't see why I'm not allowed to open them now, Rory doesn't mind."

"Jeez it's like dealing with a child," he muttered.

"You always say that."

"Exactly." Lorelai shrugged her shoulders and plucked the weaning spoon out from between Rory's fingers. She scooped up a large amount of oatmeal and fed it to her daughter before repeating the motion, all too quickly. She waited impatiently until the toddler had swallowed the previous spoonful before shoving the next one into her mouth. Luke watched incredulously. "Lorelai you'll give her indigestion," he told her.

"She's fine," she shrugged.

"Slow down a little," he ordered as he put his hand on top of hers to stop her.

"But I wanna open the presents," she whined.

"That's no reason to make Rory sick is it?" Lorelai slowed her pace down on feeding Rory the rest of her breakfast and grinned excitedly when the bowl was empty.

"Present time!" she exclaimed while clapping her hands. She picked up Rory from her high chair and sat her on the floor in the middle of her mountain of presents. Rory looked around her and smiled widely before pointing to the tricycle.

"That," she demanded, trying to reach for it from her sitting position.

"Why don't you save the best till last?" Luke asked, instead handing her a smaller gift. Rory eagerly snatched it from him and stared at it blankly for a few seconds. She looked up at her mother, who was currently ripping open her first gift, and looked down at her own gift thoughtfully. She found an opening on the wrapping paper and ripped it off quickly, smiling in accomplishment when her gift was revealed. She admired it for a second before holding the stuffed animal out to Luke.

"Ooh a coffee mug that has my name on it!" Lorelai exclaimed, tossing the wrapping paper away and focussing on the item in her hand. "Where did they find a mug that says Lorelai on the side? It's not exactly a popular name."

"Maybe they got it customised," he shrugged as he put Rory's first gift down next to him and watched her go for her second one.

"You can do that?" she asked curiously. Luke simply shrugged again so Lorelai dropped the subject and turned her attention to Rory. "What did you get sweets?" Rory finished ripping off the paper from her next present and looked at the item curiously.

"What is it Ror?" Luke asked. She continued to stare down at it until she remembered what it was called.

"Pig!" she exclaimed, making both Lorelai and Luke smile.

"It's a piggy bank," said Lorelai. "When you get older you can put your pennies in here and save them up until you have enough to buy a house," she cooed. Luke chuckled.

"Or maybe just a walkman or something," he corrected, taking the gift from Rory who was gurgling to the pig cluelessly.

"Luke why don't you open one of yours?" Lorelai asked, noticing he was just sat there watching the girls open theirs.

"No it's ok, you can open yours first," he replied.

"We can open them all together, you don't have to wait for us to finish." She was already tearing into another present as she spoke. Luke watched as she pulled out a t shirt reading 'our lips are sealed' across the front. Just below it, it had the band logo for The Go Go's.

"What's that about?" he asked, meaning the writing on the shirt.

"It's a song name, by one of the greatest bands of the eighties so far," she said excitedly. "Man Sookie is such a legend."

"It's from Sookie?"

"Yeah we were talking about this band one day and she must have picked up on how much I really like them."

"Huh," was Luke's reply. "What did you get her?"

"A duvet cover and pillowcase set with George Michael all over it," she admitted with a slight chuckle. Luke stared at her blankly.

"Who's George Michael?"

"No way did you just ask me that, do you live in a cave or something?" she asked in surprise. "Wham? Careless Whisper? Wake me up before you go go?" she asked, blurting out things relating to George Michael. Luke looked at her as if she had gone insane.

"What are you talking about?" he asked incredulously.

"Doesn't matter," she sighed, wondering how their relationship worked so well even though they actually had completely different personalities and interests. "Open some presents," she said, successfully changing the subject as she gave him one of his gifts. Rory crawled closer to him and peered up to see what his gift was. Luke smiled at her and carefully unwrapped the paper before tossing it aside. "What is it?" Lorelai asked eagerly.

"Baseball cards," he murmured as he pulled open the packet and spread the cards out in his hands. "Wow I haven't got these ones."

"You collect baseball cards?" she asked, wondering how she didn't know this about him. She knew he liked baseball, but never thought he'd be the type to collect the cards.

"Uh...yeah it's kinda nerdy," he said embarrassedly.

"No it's not," she protested. "It's quite cool actually. Why haven't you shown me them?"

"Well I almost forgot I had them," he shrugged. "With everything that's happened, baseball cards haven't been my priority." Lorelai nodded in understanding.

"How long have you been collecting them for?" she asked.

"I started when I was about nine then collected them over the years. When my dad died I just stopped, it was something we used to do together, you know?" Lorelai nodded again.

"Well now you can start again right?"

"I guess." He looked down at the cards still spread out in his hands and smiled slightly. "There are a couple of rare ones in here."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I was looking for these ones like three years ago; I can't believe I've got them."

"Who are they from?" Luke checked the tag on the discarded wrapping paper and grinned.

"Liz," he said quietly, as if he was processing that his sister had done a nice thing for him. It was usually the other way around.

"That was really nice of her," Lorelai commented.

"Yeah," he sighed. "She used to hate these cards, I used to annoy the hell out of her." Lorelai chuckled.

"That's what siblings do though right? I mean I wouldn't know, being an only child and all, but you're supposed to get on your sister's nerves." Luke nodded, a smile residing on his face as he remembered his childhood with his little sister.

"I used to trade them with my friends at school then all I would talk about when I got home was which card I got that day." Lorelai was smiling, enjoying hearing him open up to her about his younger years. Usually he kept to himself and didn't delve into his past but he seemed comfortable talking to her about it so she found no reason to stop him. "God she hated it, I can't believe she bought these for me. In fact I can't believe she knew which ones I needed."

"Sounds to me like she was interested after all, she obviously listened to you when you told her which ones you had and hadn't got." Luke smiled and set the cards aside.

"We're getting carried away, let's finish opening the presents," he said, picking up another gift to open. He glanced at Lorelai as reached for another gift with a content smile lighting her face, then looked over to Rory who was playing with the wrapping paper she had discarded on the floor. He was enjoying himself; he loved seeing the girls so happy, especially after how sad Lorelai was when they first met. He sighed silently and set down his gift, content to watch Lorelai and Rory open theirs for a while with gleeful expressions on both their faces.

Fifteen minutes later, they were surrounded by wrapping paper as the three of them lounged on the floor. Rory got to her feet and stumbled over to her last gift, the largest of them all. She looked for a place to start ripping the paper off but instead settled for sticking her finger straight through it. She quickly ripped it open, Luke and Lorelai waited to see her reaction as the tricycle was revealed.

"Bike," she exclaimed, lifting her leg up to reach over the seat but failing and instead falling to the carpet.

"Hey let's get you set up on it ok?" asked Luke. He lifted the toddler and settled her on the seat so her legs were at either side of the bar. He placed her small feet on the peddles and Rory instantly grabbed the handlebars.

"There you go Ror, do you like it?" Lorelai asked.

"Bike," she repeated.

"I'll take that as a yes." Rory began to inspect her feet on the pink peddles and tried to figure out how to move, while Luke and Lorelai settled back down to open the rest of their gifts.

"You still have to open your gifts from me," said Luke as he pointed with his head toward the three gifts that sat close to the tree.

"Oh how could I forget those?" she asked, eyeing the small boxes excitedly, guessing that it was probably jewellery. She chose the biggest one first and held it between her fingers, squeezing it to figure out what it was.

"Open it," Luke said. Lorelai quickly opened the gift and threw the paper to one side.

"These are so cool!" she exclaimed. "You got me coffee cup pyjamas?" Luke nodded and smiled at her reaction.

"Do you like them?" he asked shyly.

"I love them," she answered, leaning forward to lightly peck his lips. "Thank you."

"Welcome."

"Although it is strange that you bought me pyjamas, I would have thought you'd prefer me to sleep naked," she said slyly.

"Lorelai, not when Rory's around," he warned with a stern look.

"I really do like them though." She smiled again and put them on top of her mountain of gifts.

"Open these two," he ordered, both excited and nervous to see her reaction to the last two gifts. She eagerly took the bigger of the two and carefully untied the bow that was placed around the wrapping paper. She removed the paper and stared at the box that lay in her hand, it was jewellery alright. Luke noticed her staring at it and his nervous smile turned into a frown. "Are you ok?" he asked softly. She looked up at him and shook her head.

"You got me jewellery?" she asked, not bothering to hide the emotion in her voice. Luke swallowed thickly.

"Open it." Lorelai looked at the box again and slowly lifted the lid to reveal the delicate diamond necklace he had purchased for her. She gasped, her hand flying to her heart as she stared down at the necklace.

"Is that..."

"Diamond," he finished for her. "Half a carat." She looked up at him in pure amazement, her eyes filling with tears.

"Luke," she breathed. "You didn't have to get me anything this expensive."

"I wanted to get you something special," he replied nonchalantly. "Do you like it?"

"I love it, more than the coffee cup pyjamas," she said, leaning forward to kiss him but he stopped her before she could meet his lips with hers.

"Open the other one too," he said as he placed the smaller box in her hand. She pulled back and repeated the motion of unwrapping it before gasping again at the matching earrings.

"Earrings too?" she asked in shock. "Luke this is way too much."

"No it's not," he protested, reaching for the box containing the necklace. He opened the clasp and motioned for her to turn around. Once she had obeyed, he fastened the necklace around her neck and made sure it was in place before turning her back around to face him.

"Thank you so much," she murmured, rolling the diamond between her thumb and forefinger. "They're really beautiful."

"Anything for you," he replied before they engaged in a passionate kiss. When they pulled apart, Lorelai chuckled slightly. "What?" he asked.

"My gift has nothing on yours," she told him as she untangled herself from him.

"I'm sure whatever you got for me is great," he assured.

"Yeah maybe, but nothing can top diamonds," she pointed out. Luke shrugged and reached for the gift she had gotten him. He slowly unwrapped it, watching Lorelai's nervous expression as more and more paper was peeled away. He looked at the giant foam hand he had received confusedly before looking up to meet Lorelai's eyes.

"What's this for?" he asked. Lorelai stood up and went to her nightstand. She opened the top drawer and pulled out an envelope then walked back over and handed it to him. "What..."

"Look inside," she said. Luke slipped his finger under the seal then pulled out the small pieces of card inside.

"Tickets to a baseball game?" he asked, both surprised and ecstatic. Lorelai smiled at his facial expression, knowing she made the right decision to buy them. He read the information printed on the ticket and looked up at her again.

"In New York?" he asked, once again surprised.

"Yeah, are they ok?"

"Lorelai these are amazing, great seats too. How did you get these?"

"I asked around," she shrugged. "Babette and Patty weren't much help but Bootsy from the magazine stand knew what he was talking about. He ordered them for me." Luke shook his head in disbelief.

"I thought they'd be all sold out by now."

"The game's not till the end of April," she informed. "It's four months away yet, of course they weren't sold out."

"Believe me; these tickets are in pretty high demand." He tore his gaze away from the tickets and grinned at her like a little boy. "Thanks," he said shyly. They shared a kiss again and Lorelai was the first to pull away.

"I thought you could use your foam hand when we go."

"You wanna come too?"

"Of course, I bought the tickets didn't I?"

"Yeah but I didn't think it was your kind of thing. I thought maybe you'd wanna go shopping or something while I was at the game."

"It's something you enjoy doing and I wanna come with you. Plus you come shopping with me all the time, I owe you."

"That's right, you do," he said cheekily before leaning in to kiss her again.

"Luke, not in front of Rory," she said mockingly. He looked at the little girl who was still sat on her new bike.

"Is it fun Ror?" he asked.

"Go!" she screeched, demanding that the bike move.

"You've gotta pedal," he said.

"She's probably too young to pedal herself yet," interrupted Lorelai. "There was a bar you can attach in the box where you can push it along instead of her having to move it herself."

"That's a good idea," he said. "We'll try it out when the snow's gone won't we?" he asked Rory. He heard Lorelai sigh and turned to look at her. "What's up?" he asked, noticing her pouty expression.

"It's over," she said sadly.

"What's over?"

"Christmas."

"It's nine in the morning, there's still fifteen hours left of Christmas yet."

"But the presents are all gone," she whined.

"There's nothing I can do about that," he said. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted further. "Come on, let's get dressed and I'll start preparing the turkey."

"I thought we were going up to the inn for Christmas dinner," she said thoughtfully.

"We are, I told Mia I'd bring the turkey."

"You're cooking a turkey for god knows how many people?"

"Yeah, I volunteered," he shrugged. "I don't mind, I'm used to cooking for people." Lorelai nodded then looked through her closet for an outfit.

At exactly one o' clock that afternoon, a handful of townspeople sat down at the extravagantly decorated table in the inn's dining room. Mia sat at the head of the table as the other townies sat along the sides. There was Babette and Morey, Miss Patty and her current husband, Kirk and his mother, Taylor, Bootsie, Gypsy, Andrew, Fran, Liz and Jess, and of course, Luke, Lorelai and Rory. Sookie and Jackson couldn't be there because they were both having dinner with their parents.

Luke appeared from the kitchen carrying the turkey he had prepared and hums of appreciation could be heard throughout the table. He set it down near the edge and grabbed a knife, preparing to carve the cooked bird. After slices of the succulent turkey had been distributed, Luke took his place next to Lorelai, Rory's highchair set up on the other side of her.

"It looks really good," Lorelai said to him, shuffling her chair a bit closer to him.

"It's nothing," he shrugged off. Mia's voice cut through their private conversation as she announced that everyone could help themselves to the food set out along the middle of the table.

"Ooh Luke can you pass the stuffing over here?" she asked, greedily reaching for it.

"Magic word?" She rolled her eyes and was about to say it when Gypsy took the plate she wanted.

"Damn it," she cursed. She picked up a bowl of carrots and spooned some onto Rory's plate, along with broccoli and spinach. "You're gonna eat your vegetables today aren't you Rory?" she cooed.

"It's a shame her mom isn't gonna," Luke mumbled coherently.

"I heard that," she scowled.

"You were supposed to," he retorted.

"How about I have a few carrots and some broccoli, will that make you happy?" Luke shrugged.

"I guess." She carefully put exactly two baby carrots onto her plate and one stem of broccoli, causing Luke to roll his eyes. "So when you said a few, you meant a few," he said, taking the bowl from her and adding some veggies to his own selection.

"Yup. Gypsy can you pass the stuffing over here?" she called across the table. Gypsy held the bowl out to her but pulled it back slightly when Lorelai tried to take it.

"I want the carrots in return," she bribed.

"My pleasure," she replied, glad to be getting rid of the vegetables for something way better. She snatched the bowl from Luke's hand and handed it over to Gypsy as they made the swap. Lorelai greedily added stuffing to her plate then looked up at Luke, who was glaring at her. "Want some stuffing?" she asked before noticing the way he was looking at her. "What?" she asked.

"I wasn't finished with those." She shrugged.

"Stuffing is way better than some gross orange vegetable."

"That's just your opinion." Lorelai sighed and put some stuffing onto Luke's plate before turning to Rory.

"Want some stuffing sweets?" she asked.

"Uck," said Rory, making a disgusted face.

"No it is, how about some mashed potatoes huh?" Lorelai loaded Rory's plate up, keeping in mind she was only one, then gave her a spoon to eat with. Rory chose to use her hands for the most part but after sticking her hand right in the lump of mashed potatoes and finding it gooey, she picked up her spoon and proceeded to feed herself the proper way. "Luke this turkey's delicious," Lorelai complimented as she shovelled another slice into her mouth.

"Not too dry?" he asked. Lorelai shook her head. "Sometimes turkey can go dry, that's why chicken's better."

"This is perfect," she replied before taking a sip of her white wine. "Is there anymore cranberry sauce Mia?" Lorelai asked the older woman. Mia scanned the table and found a small amount left in the bottom of the pot.

"Just this dear, shall I get some more?"

"No this is fine, just need some to go with my turkey."

"So how is Rory enjoying Christmas?" she asked, watching the toddler bring a spoon of mashed potatoes to her mouth and chewing appreciatively before repeating the action.

"She loves it," she replied. "Luke and I bought her tricycle."

"Jess has one of those don't you Jessie?" said Liz, putting her two cents into the conversation.

"My bike!" Jess exclaimed.

"Bike!" repeated Rory just as excitedly.

"These two are just too cute," cooed Patty from her seat on the other side of Rory. "Are you enjoying those mashed potatoes sweetie?" she said to Rory. Rory smiled at her shyly then filled her spoon again and pushed it towards Patty's mouth. "That's ok honey, I've got my own mashed potatoes." Rory frowned then popped the spoon into her own mouth, her thoughts forgotten as she began chewing again.

"You having fun?" Lorelai asked Luke quietly as the chatter continued around them.

"Yeah, are you?" Lorelai nodded and popped a stuffing ball into her mouth.

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had," she answered honestly. "We never would have eaten like this at my parent's house, it's always so organised. It's nice to be out of the ordinary." Luke smiled at her softly.

"Reminds me of Christmas when I was younger," he said.

"Oh yeah?" He nodded.

"We'd always have a meal just the four of us and then come to the inn later on to see Mia and the townspeople. It was quite eventful."

"Just like this one?" she asked.

"Yeah." They watched as Babette pulled a cracker with Jess, the little boy winning.

"Jess win!" he said happily. Liz got his prize out and sat the hat on top of his head; it was a little bit big though and fell over his face.

"Best Christmas ever," she repeated, resting her head on Luke's shoulder as they watched everyone have a good time around them.

**Whoa, that felt long...I've actually been trying to write this for days now but I've been failing epically. Anyway what matters is that it's finally done. I'm sorry for ending it abruptly, I was going to carry it on a bit longer but it was taking foreeever and eveeeeeer so I finished here...I might carry on from here in the next chapter though, I'm not sure yet. Anyway sorry for ranting again, I just have a lot to say! Please leave a review and I'll try to update within the week **** Thanks!**

**Emily.**


	37. An Unwanted Visitor

**Hello **** slowly and surely I am getting back into the updating thing, it's just taking some time. I was sunbathing earlier cause it's so hot over here right now and I was gonna write then but the damn sun was shining on my laptop screen and I couldn't see it. Not that I'm complaining about the sun or anything :P **

**Thank you for your reviews, I am still a junkie you know!**

"Lorelai," Mia called, five days after Christmas.

"Yeah?" the teen asked, rounding the corner into the lobby from where she'd been cleaning.

"There's a phone call for you," she replied.

"Who is it?"

"Your mother."

"Oh they must be back from their vacation," she said in realisation as she took the phone from the elder woman. "Lorelai here," she said into the receiver.

"Lorelai, it's your mother," said Emily in an overly loud voice.

"Gah why are you shouting?" she asked, holding the phone away from her ear slightly.

"We're in the car, Richard gave me his cell phone to use, damn horrible thing. It's the size of a brick and weighs a ton," she complained.

"Mom," she said, reminding her that she was the one to call her.

"Well we're in the car back from the airport and I thought I'd check to see if you were coming to dinner tonight." She was still shouting.

"Mom seriously, I can hear you just fine, please speak at a normal volume."

"So are you coming to dinner?" she asked, quieter this time.

"Erm I guess so, I mean are you up for it after all the travelling?"

"We were only in the Vineyard Lorelai; it's not exactly the other side of the world."

"Sorry," she said quietly. "We'll be at dinner," she answered the previous question.

"Oh good it will be nice to see you again, did you have an enjoyable Christmas?"

"Yeah it was great," she replied.

"What about Rory, did she have a good time?"

"She loved it, she couldn't wait to open her presents."

"Well good, I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves. We'll talk more at dinner tonight."

"Ok mom, see ya tonight." The mother and daughter hung up before Lorelai turned to Mia. "I'm gonna finish up down here then take my lunch break, is that ok?" she asked.

"Yes you're doing a marvellous job dear, where is Rory today?"

"She's with Luke, I'm gonna go over there for lunch."

"She did enjoy Christmas didn't she? Her and Jess seemed to have such a good time together."

"Yeah, they get along really well," she replied. "Probably cause they're around the same age."

"They were adorable together; you should have them play together more often."

"Liz and I were talking about that actually, we were gonna set up a couple of play dates."

"What a wonderful idea." Lorelai nodded. "Anyway I'll let you get back to work; no doubt you'll be missing that little girl of yours."

"There's no doubt about it," she replied before picking up her duster and getting back to work.

Lorelai breezed into the diner twenty minutes later, to find a pretty busy crowd. She closed the door behind her and looked around for Luke, Rory or even just a seat to sit at. She saw one open up at the counter but as she was about to rush to it, she heard the unmistakable sound of her daughter's giggles coming from one of the tables. She looked around curiously then settled on Patty, Babette and other various townies; there she spotted Rory happily sat in a high chair, munching on what looked like carrot sticks.

"Look who's here Rory!" Patty exclaimed as she pointed toward Lorelai. Rory followed the direction of her finger and giggled again when she saw Lorelai watching them curiously.

"Hi ladies," she greeted as she made her way over, the stool she had her eye on seemingly forgotten. "Hey Rory." She kissed Rory's forehead then pulled up an empty chair to the table.

"Cawa," Rory said, offering a carrot stick to her mother.

"Aww thanks baby." She took the vegetable from her daughter and munched it thoughtfully.

"No way did I just see that," she heard a voice from behind her. Her head snapped around quickly and she grinned. "Hey," he said shyly, aware of the women that were watching him.

"Hi," she replied, her mouth full of carrot.

"Did you just eat a carrot?" he asked, not sure if he was seeing things or not.

"Well Rory was offering and I couldn't say no to her little face," she explained, squeezing Rory's cheek between her fingers.

"Uh huh," he replied with a slight shake of his head. "Want some coffee?"

"Always," she said quickly. "And a burger, with some chilli fries," she added.

"You disgust me."

"Good to know." He scowled then went behind the counter to place her order and get her coffee.

"Are you coming to the party tomorrow night sugar?" Babette asked.

"Party?"

"Yeah, we plan to celebrate the New Year in style," said Patty. "You should come."

"Oh well I have Rory so I don't know if I can," she answered with a frown.

"You have to come, it's the first New Year's you're spending in Stars Hollow," Babette pleaded.

"I really want to but Rory has to be in bed by eight and the party will be way past midnight."

"Well Luke could take care of her," Gypsy suggested.

"But I don't wanna leave them while I go paint the town red, that's not what mom's are supposed to do."

"Honey you're allowed a night to yourself now and again, have a think about it and let us know if you can find a babysitter. If not you can always bring Rory with you," Patty shrugged.

"I'll see what happens," she replied, taking a sip of the coffee that Luke had put in front of her minutes ago. A New Year's party sounded like fun, especially with all the citizens of Stars Hollow. She'd only ever been to rich kid parties for New Year's and they were usually boring and stuffy, but she had a feeling that this party would actually be enjoyable. She sighed and waited for her food to arrive as she listened to the women gossip around her.

"Hey I have to get back to work," said Lorelai after half an hour. The rush had died down and there were only ten or so customers left.

"Ok, Ben's coming in at five thirty so do you want me to swing by after that?"

"Ooh actually I forgot to tell you, my parents are back from their vacation and want us to go to dinner tonight. I'm going but you don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'll go with you," he said decisively. "I kinda got used to not having to go to dinner the past couple of weeks, it's weird."

"I know but we haven't seen them since the Christmas party and it'll be nice to catch up." Luke smiled and Lorelai looked at him confusedly. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about how far you and your parents have come since I met you, you've really turned things around." Lorelai shrugged.

"We just needed to communicate more. I don't think they'll ever forgive me for running away, I mean, my mother probably won't but dad might be more understanding. It's nice having a semi normal relationship with them."

"Ok so I'll pick you both up at a quarter after six?" he asked, tickling Rory's stomach as she sat on the counter in front of him.

"Yeah, I'll make sure we're ready on time."

"You're never ready on time," he rolled his eyes. Lorelai picked up Rory, ready to take her back to the inn with her.

"Bye Burger Boy, love you." Before Luke had a chance to reply, Lorelai had kissed him on the cheek and had exited the diner. He watched her stroll past the window and smiled to himself as he shook his head. She was crazy.

"Lorelai are you ready?" he asked as he entered the potting shed that evening.

"Almost," she called from the bathroom. "Can you put Rory's coat and shoes on?"

"Sure." He picked up the tiny coat that was lying on the arm of the couch then looked around the room for his daughter. "Where is Rory?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room curiously.

"She might be in her room," he heard the faint answer before walking over to the open door that was Rory's bedroom.

"Rory?" he asked softly as his eyes adjusted to the dark room. "Are you in here?" He felt around on the wall for the light switch and flicked it on, his eyes squinting at the bright light. "What are you doing sitting in the dark?" he asked, bending down to where she sat on the floor, hugging Colonel Clucker.

"Cuckoo," she said, holding the hen out to him.

"Come on, we've gotta go to your grandparent's for dinner." He lifted her to him and took her out to the main room of the shed. He sat her on the couch and put her coat on, zipping it up to ensure she'd be warm enough, then gathered her shoes and fastened them onto her feet. "Lorelai," he called again.

"Yeah?"

"Come on we've gotta go." She appeared in the doorway, her arms reaching behind her back. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Can you zip me up? I can't get it to fasten," she complained. Luke nodded and she turned around so her back was facing him. He slowly slid the zip up her back then ran his hands down her arms once it was secured.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked softly.

"Yeah let me just grab my purse."

"Cuckoo," Rory said, just as they were about to leave.

"You can't take Colonel Clucker with you sweets; grandma wouldn't like him very much." Rory's face saddened visibly.

"She won't go to sleep without him though; we'd better bring him for when we put her down," Luke said logically. He transferred Rory into Lorelai's arms then disappeared into Rory's bedroom, coming out moments later clutching the stuffed hen under his arm. "Come on, we'll be late if we don't set off now."

They arrived at the Gilmore's ten minutes before seven, there was little to no traffic on the road so they got there quicker than they normally would. They trudged up to the large front door, Rory holding Lorelai's hand as she clutched Colonel Clucker with the other. Luke rang the doorbell and they waited until they heard shuffling coming from the other side.

"Good evening," the maid said politely. She stepped aside to allow them to enter then stood in front of them graciously. "May I take your coats?"

"Yes please," Lorelai replied as she removed her own, then Rory's. Luke took off his too and handed them all to the maid.

"Mr and Mrs Gilmore are in the living room."

"Thanks."

"Doesn't your mom usually come to the door?" Luke asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, this means she has something to show us," she whispered back. "Mom, dad, hi," she greeted as she made her way over to her usual spot on the couch.

"Hello Lorelai, Luke," Emily said with a curtly nod.

"Richard, Emily," Luke replied politely, nodding back.

"Hello Rory darling," cooed Emily, her voice turning soft. "How is my favourite girl?" She lifted the toddler into her lap and smiled down at her.

"I thought I was your favourite girl," Lorelai joked, pouting for effect.

"Lorelai," Emily warned, not taking her eyes off of her granddaughter. "You've grown haven't you sweetheart? You're growing into a big girl."

"Gama," said Rory, moving her fingers towards Emily's face. She poked her nose then giggled at Emily's scrunched up face.

"What's this?" Emily asked, referring to the stuffed hen still held between Rory's fingers.

"Cuckoo," Rory replied excitedly. Emily's brows creased.

"It's a very ugly stuffed toy," she commented. "Lorelai couldn't you have bought something less...scary?"

"We got it from Martha's Vineyard," Lorelai replied, not really paying any attention to Emily's dig at her.

"It's an ugly looking thing."

"Rory loves him, she won't sleep without him," Luke informed, jumping into the conversation.

"I don't see why, it'll do nothing but give her nightmares." Emily plucked Colonel Clucker from Rory's clutches and put him on the floor beside her chair.

"Cuckoo," Rory said sadly as she tried to reach for him.

"You can have it later sweetheart, you don't need it right now," Emily said dismissively.

"Cuckoo," she whined, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Lorelai stood up and took her daughter from Emily, picking up Colonel Clucker too. She reclaimed her seat and sat Rory in her lap, letting the little girl take the hen from her. Rory smiled happily, her tears seemingly forgotten about. Emily just stared after her, both shocked and appalled.

"So how was your vacation?" Lorelai asked changing the subject.

"It was nice Lorelai, thank you," Richard replied, smiling at his daughter. "Cold, bitter weather this time of year in the Vineyard but we still found it very enjoyable."

"That's good," she replied, nodding her head slowly.

"We got you gifts," said Emily, looking over at Richard as she silently told him to fetch them. He returned with three wrapped presents, large bows were tied around them and were perfectly fastened on the top.

"Wow look at them, I kinda don't wanna open it," Lorelai said, eyeing the gifts in Richard's hands. "Rory look." She pointed towards Richard and Rory followed the direction of her finger, her eyes widening when she saw that she had yet another gift to open. She thought the gift giving process had ended.

"Pesents!" she exclaimed, holding her hand out longingly.

"If you say please I'm sure grandpa will give you one." Rory looked up at her blankly. "Say, please grandpa," she pushed. Rory looked over to her grandfather, back to Lorelai then over at Luke before she settled on Richard again.

"Pease ganpa," she mumbled, suddenly becoming shy at all the eyes watching her.

"Here you go sweetheart, this one's for you," he said in his Rory voice, it was a soft tone he saved only for his granddaughter. Rory held her arms out to take the present then rested it in her lap, Colonel Clucker dropping to the floor forgotten.

"What do you say to grandpa, Rory?" Luke asked quietly. The little girl looked up at him then over at her grandfather again.

"Tank you," she muttered before trying her best to tackle the ribbon surrounding her gift.

"You want some help there?" Lorelai asked, beginning to pluck the gift from her daughter's grasp.

"No," she protested. "Me."

"Ok." Lorelai held her hands up in surrender, knowing that Rory would soon get frustrated and ask for help. They waited patiently while she studied the bow-tied ribbon, hastily pulling on it but finding that nothing happened.

"For god's sake Lorelai, will you please open it for her?" Emily asked, growing impatient. Emily had never had much patience.

"No, let her figure it out herself, she'll ask if she needs help. Emily sighed and crossed her arms over her chest in irritation. After at least three minutes of struggling, Rory moved her hands away from the gift and pouted. "What's up sweets?" Lorelai asked, knowing the answer already.

"Shtuck," she whined.

"It's stuck?"

"Yesh."

"Do you want mommy to try?" Rory answered by picking up the gift and holding it out to her. Lorelai took hold of it and easily untied the ribbon before setting it aside and giving the present back to Rory.

"Mine," she claimed before ripping the paper off. She tossed it aside then stared down at the box in confusion. "Dow," she said, holding it up for Lorelai and Luke to see.

"A china doll?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes it's a very lovely doll Lorelai, wait until you see it's hair and the outfit of course," Emily gushed.

"Mom, she's fourteen months old," she reminded her mother.

"I do know this Lorelai, she's my granddaughter."

"She's literally still a baby and you bought her a china doll?"

"I don't see a problem here, it's something she can keep until she's your age, or my age even."

"That is the problem; it probably won't last until she's two, never mind forty."

"Of course it will last, it's an expensive antique, they're made to last."

"But it'll get smashed and broken," Lorelai protested. "She'll drop it or sit on it or something."

"No she won't because it will stay in the box." Lorelai shook her head.

"Lorelai maybe you should open your gift," Luke interrupted her before she could say anything else. He gave her a look telling her not to go any further, one that she ignored.

"Why couldn't you have just gotten her a soft doll, you know, one that she's actually allowed to touch."

"Lorelai," Luke sighed.

"You're being ridiculous Lorelai," Emily cut him off. "Every time we try to do something nice for that girl you call us up on it. There's always something wrong with our gestures, no matter what we do for her, you hate it and I can't take it anymore." She stood up and hurried out of the room, almost running into the maid on her way. They saw her rush up the stairs and Lorelai frowned.

"You happy now?" Luke asked quietly, he almost sounded angry.

"Dinner is ready," the maid announced. All eyes fell to her and she shifted from foot to foot nervously. Richard waved her back into the kitchen then covered his face with his hands.

"I'll be right back ok?" She also stood and held Rory out to Luke. He took her and settled her in his lap before all three of them; Luke, Richard and Rory, watched Lorelai follow Emily's path up the stairs.

"Just when they were getting along so well," Richard said with a shake of his head, Luke nodded in agreement as they sighed at the same time.

Lorelai wandered down the hall toward her parent's room. She pushed open the door and frowned when she found it to be empty. She then decided to check her old room; the door was already open so she peeked her head inside. There she found her mother sat on her old bed, facing the opposite wall. Her head was bowed and she was clutching something between her fingers, something Lorelai couldn't quite tell what it was. She walked into the room, Emily completely oblivious to her presence until she felt the bed shift. She didn't need to turn her head to know who was there.

"What do you want Lorelai?" she asked shrilly, still facing the opposite wall.

"I..." she cleared her throat. "I came to apologise."

"Oh really?" Emily asked, in a tone that said she wasn't quite believing it.

"Yeah I was kinda...um...I was out of line just then," she mumbled. Emily didn't say anything so Lorelai crawled across the bed and seated herself next to her mother. "What's that?" she asked, gesturing to the white material in Emily's hand.

"Your baby blanket," she replied, running her fingers over it. "You wouldn't sleep without it."

"You kept it?" Lorelai asked in surprise.

"Of course, it reminds me of a time when you didn't hate me," she admitted. Lorelai frowned further.

"Mom, I don't hate you." Emily remained silent. "You know, I was actually looking forward to seeing you and dad again tonight." Emily turned her head slightly in curiosity, silently asking for her to continue. "I missed you guys while you were on vacation." Lorelai sounded so genuine and it melted Emily's heart hearing her daughter admit that to her.

"I missed you too." The mother and daughter shared a smile before Emily's gaze dropped to Lorelai's neck. "That is a gorgeous necklace," she stated, wondering how her daughter could afford such a thing.

"Oh thanks, Luke bought me it for Christmas," she said happily, willing to boast about her boyfriend's excellent taste in jewellery.

"Is that a diamond? Lorelai nodded. "Oh my."

"He got me matching earrings too." She tucked her hair behind her ears and showed off the earrings to her mother. Emily was speechless.

"How did he afford them?"

"He owns his own business," she reminded her mother.

"But it's only a diner." Lorelai rolled her eyes at her mother's judgement.

"Luke's is the most popular place to eat in Stars Hollow; it's packed out every day."

"Oh," was Emily's reply, she couldn't think of another way to respond. "Well it's beautiful, Luke has good taste."

"I know," she replied smugly. Emily checked her watch.

"Dinner will be ready, we should go downstairs." Lorelai nodded and followed Emily as she stood up. They linked arms, both aware that it felt slightly weird but neither making a move to break the contact.

"There's no shouting so that's a good sign right?" Luke asked uncomfortably. Richard nodded but didn't say anything. Luke shifted Rory on his lap and picked up Colonel Clucker from the floor. "You forgot about this," he said to her, speaking quietly in hope that Richard wouldn't hear him. The older man did though.

"Cuckoo," said Rory, seeming happy to see him again. She grabbed the toy and hugged him tightly to her.

"It's nearly bed time," Luke said. Rory pouted, not wanting to go to sleep.

"Mama," she exclaimed, pointing toward the stairs where her mom and grandma made their way down, arms still linked.

"Hey sweets, bed time soon," said Lorelai, sweeping Rory up into her arms from Luke's lap.

"Noooo," she whined

"What? You wanna stay up later with us?" she asked her daughter.

"Yesh!" she agreed over-excitedly.

"Oh I don't know about that, I wonder what daddy thinks." She turned to Luke and smiled while Rory pouted at him.

"We'll see," he answered her pleading little face. Rory smiled, that was a good enough answer for her.

"Mrs Gilmore, dinner is ready," the maid announced once again, snapping Emily and Richard out of their trances as they watched the two teens with their granddaughter.

"Very well, let's move this to the dining room," Emily ushered. Her and Richard went ahead while Luke held Lorelai back for a second.

"Everything ok?" he asked once the elder Gilmores were out of earshot.

"Yeah, we sorted it out," Lorelai assured. "Again," she added. Luke nodded and his hand went to her lower back as he guided her into the dining room.

"This is really good Emily," Luke complimented as he stabbed some more of the white meat with his fork and brought it to his mouth.

"Why thank you Luke," Emily replied happily.

"What is it?" Lorelai asked, not recognising the taste as turkey or chicken.

"Yes I was just wondering the same thing," Richard added.

"It's rabbit," Emily announced, causing Luke and Lorelai to look down at their plates, both frowning.

"Rabbit," Lorelai repeated.

"Yes Lorelai, you know those fluffy creatures that hop around everywhere and dig holes in your perfect lawn?" Emily asked sarcastically.

"But rabbits are adorable," she protested. "How could anyone kill them intentionally?"

"Good heavens, does it matter?" asked Emily. "The thing's already dead anyway, just eat it."

"I..." Lorelai was about to retort something but thought better of it and instead stabbed at her asparagus with her fork. She looked up at Luke who was staring down at his plate, also looking a bit disgusted with the thought of eating any more. Emily noticed both of them focussing on their veggies when a moment ago they couldn't get enough meat down their throats.

"Why aren't the two of you eating your meat?" she asked, hating seeing it go to waste.

"I don't like it," Lorelai mumbled in reply.

"But moments ago you were stuffing it down like there was no tomorrow," she reminded her daughter.

"That was before I found out what it was." Emily shook her head and focussed on Luke.

"Luke is there a problem with your food?" she asked as she watched him push a few carrots around his plate.

"No Emily, it's lovely," he replied politely, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Good I'm glad you like it, you might want to eat that meat before it goes cold," she said, somewhat forcefully. Luke caught on to what she was saying and looked up at her, finding that she was watching him, along with Lorelai and Richard, waiting for him to eat his food under her watchful eye. He cleared his throat, shot a quick 'help me' glance at Lorelai, then proceeded to chop a small piece from his slice of rabbit.

He slowly brought the fork to his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, trying his hardest to hide his grimace as he swallowed. Emily smiled in accomplishment then looked back at her own plate. She was grinning smugly, obviously pleased with herself. Luke took a few tentative sips of his water to dislodge the after taste of his meal from his throat then looked across the table at his girlfriend. She mouthed an 'I'm sorry' and he shrugged in return, his eyes pleading with her to get them out of there soon.

"Dinner was delicious, thanks mom," Lorelai said appreciatively as she gave her mom a semi awkward hug.

"You're welcome Lorelai." Luke adjusted Rory so she was laying his arms rather than having her head rested against his shoulder then reached out to shake Richard's hand.

"We'll see you next week," Richard said. The teens nodded, said their final goodbyes, then exited the house.

At the potting shed, Luke settled Rory in her crib then came back out to find Lorelai searching through the kitchen cupboards.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm starved," she complained.

"We just ate dinner," he reminded her.

"Ugh you call that dinner? I call it road kill." Luke rolled his eyes and walked closer to her. "God I'm so hungry, I'm surprised my stomach hasn't disintegrated."

"Don't be so dramatic. What exactly are you looking for?" he asked.

"Food," she whined.

"What kind of food?" he asked patiently. "Junk food or something proper to eat." Lorelai pouted while she thought for a moment.

"Grilled cheese," she said dreamily. "With extra grilled cheese."

"Ok well you get to making that, I have early deliveries at the diner tomorrow."

"But Luuuuke, I don't know how to make grilled cheese," she moaned.

"It's not hard," he muttered with a sigh. "Fine I will make you grilled cheese but then I'm going to my apartment to get a proper night's sleep," he warned. She hesitated.

"Fine," she sighed unhappily before flopping down onto the couch and removing her shoes. Just as she'd undone the first buckle, there was a knock at the door. She looked over at Luke but saw that he was busy preparing her late night snack so she pulled herself up and over to the door. She could hear a baby crying from outside as she fiddled with the lock and furrowed her brow in confusion. She finally swung open the door to reveal a worried looking Liz with a hysterical Jess wrapped in a blanket in her arms. "Liz," she gasped. "What's wrong?"

"It's Jess," she said in a panicked voice. "I think there's something wrong with him, he won't stop crying and he has a fever and I don't know what to do," she said frantically. Luke had long since abandoned Lorelai's grilled cheese and was stood by his sister's side, his arm around her waist.

"It'll be ok," he said soothingly. "Let's take a look at him." Luke brought his nephew to his chest and brushed a dark brown lock from his face. "What's up buddy?" he asked, beginning to worry himself when he felt the heat radiating from the little boy's forehead. Lorelai went over to the kitchen and pulled out the bottle of Tylenol she kept in supply for situations like these. She grabbed one of Rory's plastic spoons and filled it with the funny coloured liquid.

"Here sweetie, have some of this," Lorelai cooed to the screaming child in her boyfriend's arms. She managed to empty the contents of the spoon into Jess' mouth and went to rinse the spoon, leaving it to drain.

"Is he ok?" Liz asked, beside herself with worry for her son.

"We'll wait and see if the Tylenol helps his fever, if it doesn't calm down then we'll cross that bridge if we come to it," Luke replied calmly, rocking his nephew from side to side slowly. It always soothed Rory. Speaking of Rory, her soft cries could be heard from the other side of the door. She'd obviously heard Jess' screams.

"I'll get her," Lorelai said before making her way into Rory's room.

"God Luke I was so worried," Liz said, falling into the couch and running her hands down her face. "He's never been like this before, he hardly ever gets sick. He just woke up in this state and I was frantic, you and Lorelai were the only people I could think of to help me," she rambled.

"Liz," Luke began in his ever so soft voice. "Calm down ok, he'll be fine."

"How do you know?" she asked, almost snapped at him.

"Let's just say it's not the first time I've had to deal with a toddler in this situation," he winked.

"Rory?" she asked knowingly.

"Yeah, kids get a fever sometimes," he shrugged. "Just give 'em Tylenol and they'll be fine," he told her. Liz smiled slightly.

"When did you become an expert?" she asked. "When Jess was born you didn't even know that you had to hold his head and now you know more than I do."

"Practice," he said nonchalantly.

"Hey sweets," Lorelai said to her bawling baby. She scooped Rory up and cradled her in her arms as the girl's cries subsided. "Did Jess wake you huh?"

"Jesh?" Rory asked questioningly.

"Yeah, he's right out there with daddy and Aunt Liz," she said softly while brushing Rory's growing hair off her damp cheeks. "But he's not very well at the moment she we have to be extra quiet ok?"

"Shh," Rory hushed, fully understanding her mom's instruction.

"Good girl," she whispered before kissing her daughter's forehead. She took her out to the main room of the potting shed and sat on the couch next to Luke, allowing Rory to see Jess. The little boy was clinging to Luke's dress shirt while he sobbed quietly, taking comfort in being close to his uncle.

"Hey Ror," Luke greeted, stroking her cheek with the back of his finger.

"Shh," she scolded before looking at Jess again. "Jesh," she whispered, almost inaudibly. He looked round at her and rubbed his cheek against his uncle's shirt.

"Wowy," he replied, acknowledging her presence.

"You know," Lorelai spoke over their moment. "I think these two are gonna be really great friends when their older, or even boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Eww that'd be weird," Liz said, shaking her head in disgust.

"Why would it?" Lorelai asked.

"Cause if you guys get married then they'd be like cousins!" Both Luke and Lorelai blushed at the mention of marriage and looked away from one another shyly. "Oh did I make things awkward?" Liz asked, not at all sorry.

"Just a little," Lorelai replied quietly as she refocused her attention on Jess. "You doing better hon?" she asked him, reaching over to feel his forehead. "He's still warm but he seems to be dealing with it better," she assessed, referring to his quieter state.

"So he's gonna be ok?"

"He'll be fine," she assured her boyfriend's sister. "He just needs his sleep." Liz nodded.

"Well I guess we should get home then," she said, standing up ready to leave. "Thanks for helping me tonight guys."

"It was no problem," Lorelai replied, happy that Jess was fine.

"Hey, why don't you come and stay at my apartment with me tonight?" Luke suggested, not wanting his sister to be alone.

"Aren't you staying here?" Liz asked in confusion.

"Early deliveries," he explained. "You can take the bed and I'll take the couch. I still have a crib up there." Liz looked like she was thinking about it.

"Ok," she agreed. "I'll have to go to my place first and get some of Jess' stuff, if that's ok?"

"Sure," he replied. He tossed his truck keys to her. "Go get in the truck, I'll be there in a minute." Liz nodded, understanding that her brother need some time alone to say goodnight to his girlfriend. She took Jess from him and made her way over to the door.

"Bye Lorelai."

"See ya Liz, I hope everything's ok in the morning." Liz nodded again then left the potting shed. Both Luke and Lorelai stood up at the same time and Lorelai sat Rory on her hip.

"You coming in the diner for breakfast tomorrow?" Luke asked, grazing her hip with his fingers slowly.

"I might be persuaded," she replied, leaning into him the best she could with Rory attached to her. They kissed lightly and pulled away before it went too far.

"Goodnight," he said, leaving another kiss on her cheek. "See ya Ror." He kissed the toddler's forehead then turned toward the door.

"Night," Lorelai returned, watching him leave the potting shed. She sighed as the door closed behind him then looked down at Rory. "It's just me and you tonight sweets." Rory looked up at her and smiled sleepily before returning her head to her mother's shoulder. Lorelai looked over at the kitchen; her half prepared grilled cheese sat uncooked on the countertop. She sighed and tossed it in the trash before sitting Rory on the bed and changing herself into nightwear.

"Seep," Rory mumbled as she crawled under the large duvet and laid back into the pillow.

"You go to sleep honey; I'll be back in a minute ok?" Lorelai was just about to enter the bathroom but Rory's voice stopped her.

"Cuckoo," she said, rolling over and looking around for her stuffed hen.

"I'll bring Colonel Clucker in with me ok?" She continued into the bathroom and went about her nightly routine, rushing herself because she'd left Rory by herself. She emerged just over five minutes later then collected the stuffed animal from the couch. Rory had managed to fall asleep just fine without him so she tucked the hen under the covers then settled herself at the other side of her daughter, turning the light off as her head hit the pillow.

"Coffee," Lorelai called, pushing Rory's stroller ahead of her through the diner's door.

"No my name's Luke," he deadpanned as he came up to greet them. "Good morning Rory, did you sleep well?"

"Yesh," she replied. "Hugwy."

"We'd better do something about that hadn't we?" He greeted Lorelai with a quick kiss then went back behind the counter while Lorelai got settled on a stool.

"Happy New Year's Eve," she said excitedly as Luke poured her a cup of coffee and set it in front of her. Luke simply grunted in response. "So is Liz still here?" she asked, changing the subject.

"No she left earlier; she was taking Jess to the doctor just to be sure there's nothing wrong."

"Was he ok this morning?"

"He seemed to be his giddy self but he was still quite warm, Liz is really worried."

"It's good that she's trying with him, not like when I met her." Luke nodded and she could see in his eyes that she didn't really want to talk about it.

"So what will you have today?" he asked formally.

"Bacon and lots of hash browns kind sir," she replied in her 'posh' voice.

"And for the little one?" Lorelai smirked at his behaviour, usually he was so uptight.

"Lucky charms I'm thinking, with a cup of milk. That ok Ror?" she asked, knowing the girl wouldn't mind what she ate.

"Hugwy," she complained again.

"Ok lucky charms it is." Luke nodded and put in the order with Caesar before going in the back and reappearing with a box of lucky charms under his arm.

"Bought them especially for Rory," he explained, pouring some into a bowl and setting them in front of her.

"How sweet," Lorelai gushed, putting her hand to her heart exaggeratedly.

"Your breakfast will be ready soon," he mumbled. They fell into silence where Luke wiped the counter and Lorelai stole some of Rory's cereal. She chewed thoughtfully then opened her mouth to speak.

"So dinner was weird last night," she commented. "As if my mother served rabbit, it's so gross."

"At least she didn't force you to eat it."

"Oh yeah, sorry about that," she apologised. Luke shrugged. "It's so cruel when people eat rabbit," she said sadly. "They're such cute animals, all small and fluffy with their big ears," she gushed.

"You're not getting a rabbit," he said, stopping her rambling before it went too far.

"I never said I wanted one."

"You were getting there so I felt the need to stop you."

"But they're so cute," she whined.

"So is Rory, play with her," he ordered.

"But Rory's not fluffy," she pouted.

"Buy a stuffed toy," he shrugged as he put her breakfast in front of her.

"Luuuuke," she complained. "You're being unreasonable." Luke was determined to stand his ground, no matter how much she begged and pouted. There was no way she was getting a pet rabbit, or any other pet for that matter.

After what seemed like hours, but was in fact only forty minutes, Lorelai and Rory left the diner after a pretty intense debate with Luke about pets. He had won in the end and she had relented, promising him that she wouldn't buy anything furry or slimy. The breakfast crowd died down and the minutes ticked by slowly.

By ten thirty, Luke was bored. He usually began to feel this way around this time every morning, then again in the afternoon. He sighed as he flicked through the newspaper on the counter for the third time then looked up when the bells jingled. He smiled at his new customer and went to pour their coffee. Just as he was setting the pot down again, the bells sounded again but Luke didn't turn around straight away this time.

"Hey Luke," said a woman's voice. Luke froze momentarily. He recognised that voice and frankly, it was one he didn't really want to hear right now, or ever for that matter. He slowly turned away from the coffee pot and looked towards the door. Sure enough, there she was.

"Rachel..."

**Ooooh...figured it was time for her to make an appearance in Stars Hollow, mix in a little drama :D Sorry about the cliffhanger, I promise that I will try to update sooner than I have been doing so you can read how this plays out. So please leave a review and I will love you forever ;) Till next time...**

**Emily.**


	38. A New Year's Surprise

**Hey it's only been two days...go me! Thank you for the reviews, there are less people reviewing now so I'm guessing I lost you all when I stopped updating for a while...oh well **

**Because I left it on a cliffhanger, I have tried extra hard to bring you this chapter and look at the outcome! Now Rachel may be a little out of character, I really wanted her to be kinda evil so I may have changed her personality a little...she was actually a really nice person on the show. So I have warned you, that means you can't call me up on it! Enjoy...**

"Rachel..." He didn't know what to say, he hadn't seen her in over a year.

"How's it going?" she asked, like nothing had even happened between them.

"Uh..." Luke swallowed nervously and glanced over Rachel's shoulder to check no one was watching them. "What are you doing here?"

"I came back, to see you," she answered, smiling shyly at him.

"But um...why?" Rachel frowned at his response to her appearance.

"Because I missed you," she shrugged. Luke inhaled and exhaled deeply. Why did she have to show up now, when things were going so well between him and Lorelai?

"I can't do this right now, I have to work."

"You have one customer Luke." She glanced around the establishment, recognising certain areas from the hardware store it once was. When Luke ignored her, she continued on. "So what happened to the hardware store? Doesn't William mind that you changed it?" Luke pushed the rag around on the counter and shook his head in irritation.

"Why are you here Rachel?" he snapped.

"I...told you, I missed you," she stuttered, taken aback by his tone of voice.

"No what are you doing here? As in here in my diner, right now."

"I just...I thought we could talk," she replied, not so confident anymore.

"Talk?" he asked incredulously. "After a whole year of no calls and no letters? After you left Stars Hollow without even saying goodbye?" She could hear the hurt and pain in his voice.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Well you did, real bad." Luke stared at her sympathetic face and his expression softened a little. "We we're supposed to get married," he said quietly. "It was pretty much planned."

"I know," she murmured, almost inaudibly.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I needed a change of scenery; this town wasn't enough for me. I needed to get away after we graduated high school."

"You could have told me," he said, looking down at the counter. "I could have come with you."

"Would you have?" she asked curiously. Luke looked at his hands thoughtfully before shaking his head slowly. "I thought so."

"This is my home Rachel, I couldn't just leave. There're too many memories here."

"Of your mom?" Luke nodded briefly.

"And my dad," he muttered, kinda hoping she wouldn't hear the last comment.

"What?" she wondered if she'd heard him correctly.

"My dad...he uh...he passed on," he said, trying to keep his emotions in check. He did this quite successfully.

"Oh my god, how, when?"

"He was sick for a while, you know cause you were there." He cleared his throat as Rachel nodded. "Then we thought he'd gotten over the worst of it about a week before you left, but we were wrong. He died three weeks after you disappeared."

"Oh Luke, I'm so sorry." She seemed really genuine, which surprised Luke a bit. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it's been over a year. I've been through the grieving process and made it out the other end."

"1984 must have been a really bad year for you," she whispered loudly. Luke just nodded again before realising how much he'd let Rachel in already. He stepped backwards away from the counter, as if protecting himself from her charm.

"Anyway I do have work to do so I think it'd be best if you left now." His cold exterior was back. Rachel glanced at her shoes before nodding sadly in agreement and turning towards the door. She stopped once she had opened it and turned back.

"I am really sorry Luke, about everything." He didn't look up at her; he just continued to wipe down the counter. "William was a really great guy." Luke sighed, frustrated that she wouldn't leave. He glared up at her and she took the hint. "I'll see you around," she said finally before she closed the door behind her. Luke watched after her in annoyance, why was she here?

He knew if she was spotted by Miss Patty or Babette then news would be all over town that she was back. Then the rumours would start about the two of them getting back together, then the crazy stories. But what he was most worrying about was Lorelai finding out she was here. They managed to stick together when Christopher showed up and they had to fight against him, but he had a feeling this would be different.

Yes he had understood when Christopher appeared out of the blue, and he helped Lorelai when he took Rory. But this was different, there was no child involved between him and Rachel the way there was between Lorelai and Chris. He feared that Lorelai would take all the rumours the wrong way and begin to suspect something is going on between them. He feared that she'd leave him.

"Good afternoon," Lorelai greeted when she strolled into the diner on her lunch break.

"Is it?" Luke grunted, clearly still annoyed by his visitor that morning.

"What put you in such a good mood?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nothing, doesn't matter." Lorelai shrugged it off and rested her palms on the counter.

"Can I get some coffee please?" Luke smiled slightly and poured the dark liquid into her 'Lorelai' mug she got for Christmas. She had left it in the diner for when she came in to get her fix.

"Where's Rory?" he asked, just realising she wasn't there.

"She was helping Sookie cook something in the kitchen at the inn when I left. I asked if she wanted to come but she said no."

"You left her with Sookie, near a stove?" Luke asked incredulously. Lorelai nodded, obviously not thinking much of it. "What were you thinking? That woman's accident prone! She breaks a bone every week, needs stitches twice a week and sheds blood four times a day." Luke seemed really worried and Lorelai smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"Luke, honey, you need to chill out."

"What if she sets our kid on fire? Or chops her head off or something?" Lorelai chuckled.

"She's not gonna chop Rory's head off, she'll be absolutely fine," she tried to reassure him. Luke exhaled loudly. "Are you ok? You seem tense."

"I'm fine, just tired," he brushed off.

"Jess keep you awake last night?"

"Yeah that's it, he was up most of the night," he lied.

"Oh I wonder how he is, I'll go see Liz after work," she said decisively. "Ooh maybe I could ask her to come to the party tonight." She looked up from her coffee and smiled at him. "You are coming right?" she asked hopefully.

"What about Rory?"

"I was gonna bring her with me, I don't wanna be away from her on New Year's."

"I'll see ok? I think Liz would like to go though."

"Cool, I'll take Rory round there later." She took a few sips of her coffee then watched him deliver some plates to a table by the window. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something going on with him, he seemed off. She furrowed her brow as she tried to think of something she might have done to upset him but she came up empty. So it remained a mystery to her.

"Burger, fries and onion rings?" he asked as he reappeared in front of her. She was still in her trance and suddenly snapped out of it when he said her name.

"Uh...no I fancy something different today," she replied thoughtfully.

"What would that be?"

"A New Year's Eve burger," she replied.

"What's that?" he asked, confused.

"Well it's like a Santa burger but it's New Year's related rather than Christmas." Luke rolled his eyes, not amused by her mocking him.

"That was a onetime thing, stop mocking me," he whined, smiling while he said it.

"You love it really," she flirted. Luke shook his head.

"No I love you really," he replied, leaning forward to kiss her. She grinned as they pulled away and sat her chin in her palms, her elbows leaning on the counter. "So what will it be?" he asked.

"I want a Luke burger," she said cheekily. Luke blushed and looked at the counter.

"Tonight," he whispered.

"Can't wait."

"Now are you actually gonna order something? I have other customers you know."

"Hmm turkey burger please."

"Turkey burger? Is there something wrong?" he asked jokingly.

"Just fancy something different," she defended. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No not at all, it's just not like you at all."

"People change Luke."

"Not in the space of a couple of hours they don't. Was it or was it not you that came in here at breakfast and ordered a plateful of bacon and hash browns?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him.

"That must be the other Lorelai Gilmore you know. She likes to eat crap all the time cause her metabolism is so on track right now," she joked.

"Hmm this other Lorelai Gilmore sounds delightful," he said, playing along with her game.

"Oh she is, you should meet her sometime."

"I think I will," he said with a nod.

"You'll definitely be the perfect match, she loves coffee you know and you serve it so..." She stared down at her empty mug and back up at Luke suggestively. Much to her delight, he was already stood holding the coffee pot in front of him, ready to pour into her mug. She smiled appreciatively and he leaned forward to kiss her again.

"How's that for you, Crazy Lady?"

"Perfect, thank you." He smiled at her but it quickly vanished when he spotted a familiar redhead hovering on the steps outside. His heart stopped momentarily and the colour drained from his cheeks as he watched her peek through the window. He could tell she was debating on whether to come in or not and he hoped to god she chose not, he couldn't deal with Lorelai's reaction right now.

"Luke are you ok?" Lorelai asked in concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He didn't hear her though; he was too busy watching his ex. When she finally turned around and walked down the steps, away from the diner, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Luke," Lorelai repeated worriedly.

"Huh?" he asked, realising Lorelai was addressing him.

"Are you ok?" she asked again.

"Yeah I'm fine," he replied, pretending that everything was ok."

"You sure? You were really pale a second ago."

"I just uh...thought I saw something outside, it was just a figment of my imagination though." He smiled widely at her and she smiled back weakly, not exactly believing him. He took her plate from Caesar and put it in front of her, watching as she took a bite from her turkey burger, with all the dressings.

"Um Luke?" she asked, staring down at her burger.

"Yeah?"

"There's green stuff in my burger," she complained. He leaned over the counter to look at her food.

"It's called lettuce," he said sarcastically.

"And why is it on my food?"

"Cause a turkey burger generally consists of turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo." She lifted the bread from the top of the burger and carelessly tossed the lettuce to the side of the plate, along with the tomatoes.

"That's better," she said happily as she took a huge bite. "I can still taste the lettuce essence though." She scrunched her nose up and Luke shook his head.

"I thought you'd changed," he told her.

"Temporary insanity," she mumbled through stuffed cheeks.

"More like permanently," he muttered, gaining a slap on the chest from Lorelai.

"Beef is so much better though, turkey's too dry."

"That's cause Caesar made it," he replied. "I make it succulent."

"Dirty," she whispered.

"I heard that Luke," Caesar called, appearing in the doorway to the kitchen. "You just know how to hurt my feelings don't you?" Lorelai grinned at his overdramatic-ness while Luke rolled his eyes.

"Get back to work Caesar," he ordered. The young chef stormed into the kitchen, only to reappear a few seconds later.

"My turkey is succulent too!" he shouted before he scurried into the kitchen again.

"Man this conversation is earning a fair few dirties," Lorelai said as she took another bite of her burger. She quickly polished it off and jumped up from her stool, leaving a kiss on Luke's cheek. "Gotta run, I'm gonna be late for work." She started to run over to the door but Luke grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to the curtain. "Gonna be late Luke," she reminded him and he pulled her behind the curtain and pinned her up against the wall, trapping her with his body.

"What time does this party start?" he whispered close to her neck. She could feel his breath on her ear causing shivers to run down her spine.

"Erm seven or eight I think," she replied, her breath catching in her throat.

"Come to the diner at seven thirty."

"Ok," she agreed before capturing his lips with hers. They shared an intense make out session then Lorelai pulled away. "Gonna be really late Luke," she said breathlessly. He unhooked her leg from around his waist and moved his body from covering hers. She stepped away from the wall and turned to look at him. "We'll continue this tonight ok?"

"After the party?"

"Yeah, or you know, maybe during at some point," she shrugged. Luke felt his already excited self perk up a bit more and blushed furiously. "See you at seven thirty," she said, looking back to see if she was following him. When he remained rooted to the spot, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Something wrong?"

"I just need a minute," he said shyly, gesturing towards his bulging jeans. She smiled and nodded.

"Ok, see you tonight Burger Boy." She kissed him one last time then made her way out of the diner quickly. She was at least ten minutes late. She rounded the corner outside Luke's, not taking any notice of where she was going, and accidentally ran into someone. She fell back onto the floor clumsily and put her hand over her face in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," the person she'd run into apologised, holding their hand out to aid Lorelai back into a standing position. She gladly took the help and was pulled to her feet easily.

"No it was my fault, I was rushing to get to work," she explained.

"I'm Rachel," she greeted.

"Lorelai."

"Wow that's a lovely name."

"Thank you," she replied uneasily, she wasn't sure why she was having a conversation with this stranger.

"So were you in the diner?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Yeah, Luke serves the best coffee in town," Lorelai replied. "Are you new in town?"

"Returning actually, I used to live here a while ago." Rachel eyed Lorelai. "I don't remember seeing you around, are you new here?" Lorelai obviously wasn't putting the pieces together or else she would have worked it out by now.

"Lived here for about five months," she replied. "My daughter and I really like it here." She could see the shock written on Rachel's face but she chose to ignore it, she was used to it after all. "Anyway as I said, I'm rushing to get to work so I'd better run. See you around hopefully," she called, already halfway down the street. Rachel watched after her, there was something she didn't like about this girl, it was like a gut feeling she had. She sighed and carried on down the street until she reached her destination.

"I'm so sorry Mia, I didn't mean to take so long," Lorelai apologised once she arrived at the inn.

"You were at the diner I assume?" the elder woman asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Yeah Luke and I were talking and I kinda lost track of time."

"Ok well try not to let it happen again," she called as she turned around to go into her office. "Oh and Lorelai?"

"Hmm."

"You might want to redo your lip gloss, it's a little smudged." Mia smiled and Lorelai blushed uncontrollably. She quickly rushed to the bathroom, reapplied her lip gloss then went to the kitchen to collect her offspring.

"Oh Rory?" Lorelai called, her eyes scanning the crowded kitchen for her daughter.

"Mama," came Rory's muffled reply. She winded her way through the kitchen staff and found Rory sat on a stool, Sookie stood next to her with a tray of cookies.

"Ooh what are these?" Lorelai asked, dying to eat one.

"These are what Rory and I made over lunch, wanna try one?"

"Do I?" She picked up a lukewarm cookie and shoved it in her mouth whole. "Oh my god, that's amazing!" she gushed. "Well done Ror." She ruffled Rory's hair with her fingertips and smiled down at the little girl.

"Do you wanna take them home with you? I can just make some more later," Sookie offered.

"Aww thanks Sook; I'll take them with me when I go see Liz after work."

"Rory's already had three so don't give her anymore," she warned, holding the tray just out of Rory's reach.

"Got it," she replied. "I know you're really enjoying yourself in here sweets but it's time to get back to cleaning." She put Rory on the floor and took hold of her hand. "Say bye to Sookie."

"Bye bye," Rory said, looking up at Sookie from her tiny height.

"I'll drop by when my shift's ended to pick up the cookies ok?" Sookie nodded and watched Lorelai pull Rory through the kitchen and into the lobby.

"You again," Luke commented when he saw Rachel enter the diner for the second time that day. "I thought I told you to leave."

"I told you I was gonna stick around for a while," she replied.

"Until you get bored again," he muttered.

"Luke I've changed, I'm staying for good."

"I'll believe it when I see it," he said snidely.

"It's true!" she reasoned. "I wanted to start things up again between us, that's why I came to see you."

"Well you're wasting your time," he spat. The diner was empty so he raised his voice. "Do you really think after everything you put me through, after all the pain you caused, that I'd welcome you back with open arms and get back together with you right away?" Rachel shrugged.

"We were good together," she said quietly.

"We were teenagers."

"We still are," she said, raising her voice also.

"Well I've grown up, after my dad died, I took care of Liz, Jess and myself cause that was my duty. You're obviously still a kid."

"Luke I've grown up too, do you really think I haven't grown up while I've been away? I had to take care of myself too you know."

"Yeah but that was out of choice, I didn't choose for my dad to die, it just happened. Don't stand there and tell me your life has been as hard as mine, it's crap."

"Luke I didn't mean it like that, I just...god I've grown up, I'm not a kid anymore."

"Well we're different people now; I can't do this with you."

"Luke please," she begged. He turned around to the coffee maker and expertly prepared another pot, completely ignoring the woman stood behind him. Rachel's eyes bore into his back and he could feel her gaze on him. He didn't turn though, he stood his ground. "You're seeing someone aren't you?" she asked, she had a feeling she knew who as well.

"What makes you say that?"

"Why else would you be acting this way?" He turned around to face at her fully.

"I'm acting like this cause you just waltz back in here after more than a year expecting everything to be the same as it was before, well newsflash, it's not."

"It's that brunette I ran into earlier isn't it?" she asked knowingly. "The one with the bright blue eyes." Luke avoided eye contact with her and instead, looked at his shoes. "I knew it."

"You don't know what you're talking about," he protested.

"Come on Luke, she came right out of the diner with lip gloss smudged across her cheek, it's pretty obvious what she'd been doing." Luke felt his cheeks turn pink and quickly turned to fiddle with the toaster so she wouldn't notice. "So she's got a kid right? Do you like playing daddy to some other guy's child?" Her words were so harsh; he was close to breaking point.

"Leave Lorelai and Rory out of this, this is between you and me," he growled, his anger evident.

"Oh what's the matter, did I offend you?"

"Rachel I swear."

"What are you gonna do?" she asked. Luke stood still, not moving a muscle. "That's what I thought. So this Lorelai, how old is she?"

"What's it to you?" Rachel shrugged.

"Curious."

"Jealous, more like." Rachel snorted.

"Jealous?" she asked. "You've got to be kidding me right. Why would I be jealous of her? She's what, seventeen or eighteen with a kid? No thank you. What a way to throw your life away huh?" she chuckled lightly causing Luke's fist to curl up.

"Shut up, you don't know her," he said angrily, determined to defend his girlfriend. No one would talk about her like that and get away with it.

"God, defensive much."

"I suggest you leave now, right now," he said, emphasising the 'right'.

"Fine," she shrugged. "I'll be around though; you'll be seeing a lot more of me from now on."

"Yippee," he mumbled.

"I do love you, you know," she said softly, reaching a hand forward to touch his face. Luke stepped backwards so she couldn't touch him.

"Get out." She did as she was told, but not without one last glance back at him. Luke sighed heavily when she'd left, he couldn't believe this was happening to him. His life seemed so perfect just four hours ago before she turned up, now it was quickly turning into chaos. So Lorelai had met Rachel, he hoped she hadn't figured it out, he wanted to explain things to her himself instead of her finding out elsewhere. That could possibly make this whole situation worse.

"Liz!" Lorelai called as she knocked on the door. She had rung the bell four times and so far there was no answer.

"Lorelai?" came a voice from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, can I come in?" The door swung open and Liz stood there with Jess hiding behind her legs.

"Hey, sorry the doorbell's broken. I'll have to get Luke to fix it." She ushered Lorelai in, Rory following close behind with the box of cookies held carefully in her tiny hands. "Hey gorgeous, what've you brought with you?" Liz asked Rory, bending down to her level.

"Rory and Sookie made cookies earlier and we brought some to share while we're here," Lorelai said, smiling down at Jess. "Hi stud, are you feeling better now?" she cooed.

"Jess ok," he replied proudly.

"Well that's good isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"There," Rory said, holding the box out to Liz. Liz opened the box and took a cookie. "Jesh," she said, toddling over to him and offering him one. He gladly took one.

"Fank you," he said politely before falling back onto his butt and munching on his cookie happily.

"So what did you wanna see me about?" Liz asked, sitting on the couch and putting her feet up on the coffee table. Lorelai did the same but curled her feet underneath her.

"I just came to see if Jess was ok really, I'm glad he is."

"I know, I'm really sorry about coming over last night, I was just really worried."

"It's ok," she assured. "I probably would have done the same thing."

"No you wouldn't, you're like supermom," she chuckled.

"Not exactly."

"Uh yeah you are, you always know what to do. Look at you with Jess last night."

"Well that was mostly Luke."

"But who taught Luke all that stuff?" Lorelai smiled shyly. "You're too modest, you're a great mom."

"You are too, I mean, Jess is really well mannered and he's really cute," she gushed.

"He has his moments."

"I know what you mean, Rory's still out of it cause she just had a nap but she'll be bouncing around soon enough."

"She's so pretty though, she's gonna break hearts when she's older."

"Not if Luke's got anything to do with it," she chuckled.

"I can't believe how much he's changed since he met you. He hardly knew anything about babies before; he treated Jess like an alien."

"I doubt that."

"It's true; he was so clueless before, now he really knows his stuff." Lorelai smiled thoughtfully then looked at the two toddlers on the floor beside the couch. Jess was greedily munching on a cookie. He stuffed the last piece in his mouth before reaching for another from the box. "Jess no more," Liz said sternly. He removed his hand, chewed more his cookie then opened his mouth to speak.

"But Momma," he whined, staring at the cookies longingly.

"No," she said. He looked at Rory who was also about to pick up a cookie and pointed to her.

"Wowy," he said.

"Ror you can't have any more cookies either," said Lorelai, reaching over to take the box away. Rory began to pout and Jess giggled at her face.

"Siwwy," he said, still giggling stupidly.

"She does look silly when she does that doesn't see Jess?" Lorelai asked, taking another cookie for herself then giving the box to Liz.

"No," Rory protested.

"Hey are you guys hungry?" Liz asked.

"Hungry!" Jess shouted.

"Yesh!" Rory followed.

"How about we have mac and cheese?"

"Macnsheese!" Jess exclaimed, obviously it was one of his favourite meals.

"You can cook?" Lorelai asked, not expecting her to be able to.

"I can make instant mac and cheese," she shrugged. Lorelai nodded in understanding. Ten minutes later, Rory and Jess were sat in their mom's laps happily munching on macaroni and cheese. Jess grinned after each spoonful while Rory greedily reached for more.

"So what are you doing tonight?" Lorelai asked as she quickly caught some cheese sauce before it dripped from Rory's chin.

"Nothing much, I was just gonna stay in and watch TV," she replied.

"But it's New Year's."

"I know but I have Jess to take care of and it's too late to find a babysitter now."

"Well Luke and I are going to the party at the school; we're taking Rory with us so you're free to come with us."

"Are you sure? I don't wanna gatecrash."

"Yeah, sure you can come. Most of the town's gonna be there so there's no problem."

"Thanks Lorelai, what time should I be there for?"

"Well I'm meeting Luke at the diner at seven thirty so you could meet us at the school at a quarter to eight?"

"Ok, ooh I'm excited now. What do you think Jessie, wanna party tonight?"

"Pardy!" he said excitedly.

"You are too cool my friend," Lorelai said, reaching down to give him a high five. Jess didn't understand though. "Never mind, we'll work on that later." She stood up from the couch. "We should get going, I need to choose what I'm gonna wear tonight."

"Ok thanks for coming round Lorelai."

"It was no problem." She looked down at her daughter. "Are you gonna say bye, sweets?"

"Bye Jesh," she said to her friend. "Bye bye," she said to Liz before getting to her feet and following Lorelai to the door.

"Bye Wowy," said Jess, waving his arm frantically. Rory waved back then Liz and Lorelai said their final goodbyes before the two Gilmore girls left the house.

"How do I look?" Lorelai asked as she stood in front of Rory later that evening.

"Pity," Rory replied.

"Pretty?" she asked. Rory nodded. "Aww thanks baby, you look really beautiful too." Lorelai had made Rory a blue dress with flower embroidery on it. She had chosen white shoes to go with it, although she knew they'd probably get dirty or ruined, and had tied her hair in two ponytails because it was just long enough to do that now.

Lorelai was wearing a black dress that rested halfway down her thighs and had a pink sash around the waist that was tied in a bow at the side. She had opted for elegant yet natural makeup and her hair was half pinned up with loose curls hanging down. The shoes were heels, not so high that her feet would be painful after a couple of hours of dancing, but high enough to add to her already tall height. She did look gorgeous.

"Are we ready to go then sweets?" she asked while she put her own coat on. She put the little girl's coat on then added a scarf, hat and gloves to her body for extra protection from the cold. It was harsh this time of year in Connecticut. Lorelai hung Rory's diaper bag around the handle of the stroller then positioned Rory in the seat and strapped her in. She covered her with some blankets and made sure she'd be warm enough before they started the short walk into town.

She hurried into Luke's and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the warmth of the diner radiate through her. She parked the stroller next to the counter then searched the diner for her boyfriend, looking in the kitchen, the store room and even the bathroom but he wasn't around. She went over to the curtain and called up the stairs, getting an 'I'll be there in a minute' in reply.

"Hey, you cold?" he asked when he noticed her shivering slightly.

"I'm ok I just need to warm up," she replied, running her hands up and down her covered arms.

"You look beautiful," he complimented, admiring the way her hair was pinned back. "It suits you like that."

"Thanks, I love it when you say I'm beautiful," she said quietly.

"You are though," he said shyly. "Just telling the truth." Lorelai smiled at him then looked down at Rory.

"She has that dress on I made, but she's covered with all the blankets so I'll show you when we get to the party."

"Ok, do you want some coffee before we go?"

"Yes please," she said eagerly. He poured some into her mug and pushed it across the counter to her.

"How was your day?" he asked as she sipped her coffee slowly.

"It was good, Rory made cookies with Sookie at lunch so we took them over to Liz's and hung out there for a while."

"Oh yeah, is Jess ok?"

"Yeah he's back to his normal self. They're coming to the party tonight actually; we're meeting them outside the school in about ten minutes."

"Ok, I hope Liz stays off the liquor tonight. She'll make a fool of herself if she doesn't."

"I don't think she's like that anymore you know, I think she's changed."

"Don't be too sure," Luke snorted.

"I'm serious, we were talking today and she really cares about being a good mother." Luke nodded and smiled at her.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"Lemme just finish this," she said, gulping her coffee down and not taking a moment to breathe. "Ahhhh," she sighed once she'd finished. "I can't get enough of this stuff." Luke grinned and guided her over to the door, leaving her mug on the counter. He got the stroller down the steps onto the sidewalk then flicked the lights off and locked up the diner. The two teens made their way over to Stars Hollow High School where a whole lot of fun was about to begin.

"This is cool!" Lorelai exclaimed as they walked through the big double doors. "It's like a school disco."

"With Patty's punch and other various alcoholic beverages," Luke added, causing Lorelai and Liz to smirk.

"Tonight's gonna be fun," she said happily, bending down in front of Rory's stroller to get her out. After successfully unwrapping her from all the blankets and removing her coat, scarf, hat and gloves, she held her daughter up to show off her dress. "Do you like it?" she asked hopefully.

"It's nice," said Luke, taking Rory from her and settling her on his hip.

"Lorelai that dress is gorgeous, did you make that?" Liz asked, not believing it.

"Yeah, I make most of Rory's clothes," she replied.

"Wow you're really talented."

"Thanks, if you want I could make you some dresses."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah just tell me your measurements and what you want," she shrugged.

"Thank you," Liz said excitedly. "If you ever need jewellery, I can make you some. I'm a bit of a whizz at that."

"Sounds good." She looked down at Jess who was taking in his surroundings. "You ready to get up and party Jess?" she asked.

"Yes!" He replied. "Pardy now," he demanded.

"Come on then." Lorelai lifted him from the stroller and put him on his feet next to her. He started to jump up and down to the music and the three teenagers grinned at him.

"I'm gonna go park the strollers over in the corner," said Luke. He put Rory on her feet next to Jess and shook his head as the two danced stupidly together.

"Lorelai!" Patty called once Luke had disappeared. "You look absolutely divine honey, what I would do to have a figure like that," she gushed. "And you brought Rory with you. Oh my look at that dress, it's amazing."

"I made it," she said proudly.

"Wow." Patty gushed over it for a few more minutes before dragging Lorelai and Liz over to the dance floor. Luke refused and took the kids over to the bleachers where he sat and watched them run around together in front of him. He watched his sister and girlfriend dance to the beat of the song, both girls laughing and having a good time. Luke grinned as he watched them, hoping that a certain person didn't show up and ruin all the fun.

"Luke you have to come dance with us," Lorelai begged as she grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him up.

"No, I can't dance to this song," he protested.

"Why?"

"Cause it's too fast."

"Oh I get it, you're Mr. Slow Dance," she teased. He rolled his eyes as she continued to tug on his hand.

"Why don't we go get a drink instead?" he asked.

"Ok, nothing alcoholic though, we're responsible tonight," she warned.

"Of course," he replied. "Liz do you want a drink?" he asked.

"No thanks, I'm gonna go dance some more. Do you guys wanna come?" She held her hands out to Jess and Rory and the toddlers gladly took them and followed her onto the dance floor.

"Come on Crazy Lady," he said, taking hold of her hand and dragging her over to the drinks table. "Soda?" he asked as he surveyed the selection.

"Yes please." She took it from him and thanked him before following him over to the bleachers again. They sat down next to each other and looked around the room. The party was in full swing; many people were dancing drunkenly while others relaxed on the bleachers, talking and watching the dancers. "Great party," she commented. "I'm glad we came."

"Me too," he replied, running one of her loose curls through his fingers.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that," she teased. "You usually hate town events."

"I know, but you and Rory are here so I'm good," he replied. They looked over at Liz, Jess and Rory and smiled at the happy look on their little girl's face.

"She's enjoying herself isn't she?"

"Yeah," he agreed. He noticed her watching them intently. "You can go join them you know, you don't have to sit here with me."

"I wanna stay here," she assured him. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. She smiled into the kiss as her arms snaked around his neck and his palms moved further down her back. Neither of the two realised that a certain redhead was watching from the other side of the hall. They pulled apart and shared a smile before looking back over at Liz and the kids. Rory spotted them sat on the bleachers and pulled away from Liz's hand. She scurried over to them and tried to jump into Luke's lap.

"Dada!" she said excitedly, holding her arms out to him.

"Come on," he lifted her into his lap. "Are you a bit overexcited?" he asked, bouncing her in his lap and making her laugh.

"Are you getting tired Ror?" Lorelai asked, playing with Rory's ponytails between her fingers.

"No," she answered, pointing over to the dance floor. "You," she said.

"You want me to dance?" she asked."

"Yesh, dada."

"And you want daddy to dance too?"

"Yesh," she said happily, glad that she was being understood.

"I don't know Ror, I'm not into dancing." Rory pouted at him.

"Pease?" she asked sweetly. Luke stared down at her, then at Lorelai who was smiling and he found himself giving in.

"Come on then." He swung her round onto his hip, causing her to squeal in delight. He wrapped an arm and around Lorelai's waist and guided her to the dance floor.

"Show us some moves then Burger Boy," Lorelai teased as she started to dance around wildly.

"I don't have any moves," he said blankly. She rested one hand on his left hip and wrapped her other arm around Rory as she began to move him to the beat of the music.

"See, sure you have some moves," she said, moving her body closer to his so they brushed up against each other every few seconds.

"Wow Luke, nice ass," Patty complimented as she breezed past them, squeezing Luke's behind along the way.

"Jeez," he complained. They danced in sync for a half an hour or so before the DJ played a slow song. Luke felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Liz stood next to him, holding Jess' hand.

"Here, I'll take Rory so you can dance properly," she said, plucking the girl from Luke's clutches.

"Thanks Liz, we'll come over once this song's finished," Lorelai thanked before Luke pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her cheek pressed against his neck as they waltzed to the slow music.

"I'm having fun tonight," he whispered in her ear.

"Good, I'm glad," she replied, leaving a soft kiss on his neck.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she replied, burying her face into his neck and inhaling his scent. As they twirled around, Luke scanned the crowd of people that had taken residence on the bleachers. He watched as people hung out and talked until his eyes landed on someone he didn't want to see. Rachel. He paused momentarily, stopping his and Lorelai's slow sway. She pulled back to look at him and frowned when she saw his attention was elsewhere. "You ok?" she asked, nudging him slightly.

"Um yeah I'm fine," he swallowed thickly. "I'm gonna get a drink ok, go sit with Liz for a bit." He walked away from her and she furrowed her brows in confusion. She sighed and went to join Jess, Rory and Liz on the bleachers. The two toddlers were currently slow dancing with one another, well trying to anyway.

"Don't they look cute?" Liz gushed when Lorelai sat down next to her.

"Yes they do," she replied, smiling at them. "You'd better keep your hands to yourself mister," she warned Jess. He grinned then looked back at Rory.

"What's up?" Liz asked, noticing Lorelai's change in mood.

"Luke just seems a little off, he was like this earlier too," she frowned.

"He's probably tired; he gets a little grumpy when he's tired."

"No it's more than that, I can tell. It's like we were dancing just then and he suddenly froze and ran off to get a drink, it's weird." Liz shrugged.

"I dunno." Lorelai looked around the gym and saw the woman she ran into earlier. She narrowed her eyes at her then turned to Liz.

"Hey do you know who that is?" she asked, pointing across the room.

"Who?" Liz asked, not following her finger correctly.

"The redhead over there, I ran into her earlier and she said her name was Rachel." Liz nearly choked on her drink.

"Where?" she asked again. She followed Lorelai's finger and nearly fainted when she saw the girl in question sat on the other side of the room, admiring the dancers. "Oh my god!" she said frantically. "What is she doing here?"

"So you know her?" Lorelai asked.

"That's Rachel," she said disbelievingly.

"I know," she replied. "I already said that." Liz shook her head.

"No that's Rachel, Rachel. As in Luke's ex girlfriend Rachel." Lorelai's mouth dropped open as she stared at the redhead before her.

"You're kidding. What's she doing back here?"

"That's what I wanna know," Liz said angrily. "Watch Jess for a minute." She attempted to stalk off across the room but Lorelai grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Don't go over there," she pleaded. "You'll cause a scene, just leave it for now ok?" Liz stared at Lorelai's pleading expression and nodded briefly.

"Ok," she agreed, falling back into her seat and sending Rachel evil eyes across the room.

"Where did Luke get to?" Lorelai asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

"I don't know," Liz replied, still watching Rachel.

"Do you think he knows about...her?"

"Maybe, that might be why he's been distant," she suggested.

"Oh my god, you're right," she said in realisation. "I wonder how long she's been back, why didn't he tell me?"

"He might have been getting round to it, or he could have been hoping that she'd leave before you found out."

"I need to find him," she said, standing up from her seat. I'll take Rory with me." Liz nodded and watched her disappear into the crowd of people. She wanted some answers.

**Another cliffhanger...kinda...sorry! I know coffeebeanner doesn't like cliffhangers :D Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and I will definitely try to update quickly again. Before you go, please leave a review, they make my day ;) that's all for now...**

**Emily.**


	39. Kiss to the Lips, Punch to the Nose

**Hey **** it was kinda quick, not as fast as you would have hoped though right? I probably could have had this done like yesterday but I got so interested in Mario Kart that I completely forgot about this story for a while! **

**Can I just say how happy you all made me with your reviews! When I said I lost some of you, I wasn't expecting so many people to come back :D thanks guys. I've found that after I got a lot of reviews for one chapter, the next has a lot less, so let's try not to let that happen...hopefully ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter, I have put 3 X's where a new scene starts, cause a reviewer mentioned it was confusing to read sometimes...anyway enjoy!**

**To some anonymous reviewers/people who have PM disabled...**

**SarahLouisex3 – I know what it's like during exams so don't worry about it, they're more important. I hope you did well :D**

**theatrqueen2195 – yes I have been thinking about that...it was one of my fave episodes too! I will definitely fit it into the story, it will make an interesting topic to write about **

Lorelai pushed her way through the crowded dance floor with Rory attached to her hip, all the while keeping an eye out for Luke.

"Excuse me," she hissed in irritation as she attempted to squeeze through.

"Oh Lorelai sugar, there ya are," Babette shouted over the music as she rushed over to her. "We were wondering where you got to."

"I erm..."

"Come dance honey, Rory's looking bored," Patty threw in, grabbing Lorelai's hand and dragging her over to where they were dancing before.

"No...I..I really shouldn't," she protested, but it was too late; Patty and Babette were already strutting their stuff. She took a quick glance around the crowded room, sighed and began to dance lazily, bouncing Rory on her hip to make her giggle. If anyone could make her feel better, it was her daughter.

XXX

Luke dropped onto the steps outside the school and sighed heavily. Why was this happening to him? He couldn't understand what he'd done to deserve this.

"Luke," he heard from behind him. Luke turned around and glared at the person the voice belonged to. Why couldn't she just leave him alone?

"What now?" he asked angrily.

"What's up with you?" she asked softly.

"What are you talking about?"

"There must be a reason why you left your girlfriend on the dance floor," she said knowingly. "So what is it?" Luke gritted his teeth and tried to remain composed.

"You," he replied simply.

"What about me?"

"I can't understand why you're here, why you're everywhere I go," he spoke louder.

"Your girlfriend doesn't know about me does she?"

"Huh?"

"Well if she did, I have a feeling she would have said something to me by now."

"No, she doesn't know about you," he admitted. "I mean, she knows about our past but I haven't told her you're back."

"And you don't want her to find out?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, not if I can help it." He looked down at his feet as he spoke quietly.

"This is interesting," she said. Luke looked up at her, urging her to continue her train of thought. "You don't want your girlfriend to find out about me, I wonder why that is."

"Cause you'll screw things up between us," he answered for her.

"But surely if there's any feelings between the two of you at all, you'll be able to work through it right?" She knew she was getting to him and she was loving it.

"Shut up Rachel, you don't know what you're talking about," he said, once again gritting his teeth.

"Oh I know perfectly well what I'm talking about, and you do too." Luke bowed his head and avoided eye contact with her. "You're worried that she'll find out I'm here, think there's something going on between us and leave you. That's why you don't want her to find out."

"Lorelai would never leave me," he hissed.

"Oh are you sure about that?"

"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I love you Luke, and you love me too."

"You're crazy!"

"That Lola or whatever her name is has you wrapped around her little finger. She's only with you for your money." Luke seriously wanted to hit his ex-girlfriend, but he resisted with all his might, instead clenching his fists tightly and breathing through his rage.

"Get lost Rachel, you're not welcome here."

"Huh, funny how I was here first but I'm the one that's not welcome."

"That's cause you left! Lorelai lives here, everyone in town loves her and Rory. You have no right to say that she's not welcome here."

"You were mine first Luke, she just gets your sloppy seconds. You'll never love that bitch like you love me." Luke snapped then. He shot up from his seat on the concrete steps and stood threateningly close to her.

"Don't you dare call her a bitch," he shouted right in her face. "You're the one who left, you're the one who broke my heart. You're the bitch!" Rachel wasted no time getting her response in; she stepped closer to him, grasped the back of his head and pulled him down to meet her lips with his.

XXX

"Look ladies I'm gonna go find Luke ok?" Lorelai asked after at least ten minutes of dancing with the town gossips.

"But we're having such a good time," Patty protested.

"Yeah," Babette added. "Look at Rory's little face, she's so excited."

"Well..." Lorelai didn't know what else to say. Instead she frowned, causing Patty to give in.

"Alright, go find that hunk of yours," she allowed. Lorelai instantly smiled. "But leave Rory with us, she needs some good old dancing time."

"Ok," Lorelai agreed. "If she starts getting cranky or tired, the stroller's just over there so you can put her down."

"Don't worry honey, she'll be fine with us won't you Rory?" The little girl grinned and held her arms out to Miss Patty, who gladly took her.

"I'll try not to be too long ok?" The women just nodded before they were dancing again so Lorelai left them too it. She walked around the crowded gym a few times, noticing that Rachel was nowhere to be seen either. She hoped they weren't together, that was something she did not want to deal with right now.

She entered the school corridor and tapped on the door to the male restroom. When no one answered, she sighed then carried on her search. After she'd walked around the high school at least twice, she sighed and began to make her way back to the gym to collect Rory. As she walked though, she had a brainwave; he might be in the diner. She pivoted round on her left foot and made her way towards the exit of the school, but when she opened the door, she saw something she didn't exactly want to see.

"Luke," she said, almost speechless at the sight before her. Luke's eyes widened in acknowledgement of her presence and he quickly pushed Rachel away from him, hastily wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

"Lorelai," he returned in shock. He couldn't believe she'd just seen that. She began to shake her head, tears filling her eyes as she pushed past them and took off towards the town square. "Lorelai wait!" he called. She didn't stop though; she kept running as fast as her heels would allow her to. Luke turned to Rachel and saw the satisfied grin on her face. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked angrily before following Lorelai towards the gazebo.

He ran after her, his athletic ability allowing him to catch up with her easily. Once she was within reach, he put his arm forward and grasped her arm with his hand. Lorelai swung around, revealing her tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes. She was sobbing uncontrollably and Luke didn't know what to say.

"Get away from me," she said weakly, choking on a sob as she did.

"Please, hear me out," Luke begged desperately. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"No," she protested, pulling away from his grasp. "Leave me alone." She gave him one last tearful look then began to run away again and this time he didn't follow. She obviously needed time to process everything.

"Rory," he said to himself, wondering where his daughter was. He turned around and walked back to the school, hoping Lorelai wouldn't end everything because of tonight's events.

XXX

"Hey Big Brother, did Lorelai find you?" Liz asked as he approached her.

"Err yeah," he replied nervously. He was trying to cover up how he was feeling right now, but he wasn't sure if it was successful.

"Well where is she?" she asked, looking past him to see where she was. Luke shrugged in return. "Did something happen between the two of you?"

"Um...kinda, she went home...I think," he said uncertainly.

"Was she ok?" Liz asked in concern.

"I think she was a bit upset," he answered, understating her true state.

"Why, what happened?" she pushed, trying to squeeze the gossip from him.

"Uh...I'm gonna go find Rory," he said, beginning to back away from his sister's questioning orbs.

"Rory's fine," she said in protest. "Now tell me what happened." Luke put his head in his hands and shook his head. Liz dragged him over to a bench and pulled him to sit down, putting her arm around his shoulders.

"I was outside, on the steps," he began with a heavy sigh. "Rachel came out and we argued, then she kissed me and Lorelai saw us," he explained.

"What, you kissed Rachel?" she asked not believing what she was hearing.

"She kissed me," he corrected defensively.

"But you obviously didn't push her away cause then Lorelai wouldn't have seen you." Luke inhaled.

"She kissed me and I didn't know what I was doing ok? I didn't mean for Lorelai to see."

"Well she did and you screwed up," she said, giving him no sympathy.

"I'm gonna get Rory," he grumbled before walking away. He wandered through the crowd, keeping his eyes peeled for any sight of his daughter. He knew Lorelai wouldn't just dump Rory anywhere; she had to have left her with someone she was familiar with.

"Luke!" Patty called as she rushed over to him with Rory holding her hand as she waddled beside her.

"Hi Ror, I've been looking for you," he said, lifting her up.

"Luke did Lorelai find you? She left Rory with us while she went to look for you," asked Patty.

"Yeah she did," he said nonchalantly as he tickled Rory's rosy cheek.

"Where did she go?"

"She wasn't feeling well so she went home," he lied. "I just came to find Rory so I can take her round there."

"Oh I hope she feels better soon," said Patty in concern. "You know Beanie Morrison had the flu last week, I hope Lorelai doesn't catch it too."

"No she'll be fine, I think it's just one of those twenty four hour things," he brushed off.

"Ok well tell her I said to get well soon."

"I will, thanks Patty." He watched the woman saunter away and rolled his eyes. She really couldn't mind her own business. Luke made his way back over to Liz and put Rory on the floor next to Jess. "Will you take Rory back to Lorelai's place for me?" he asked quietly. "I don't think she really wants to see me right now."

"Sure," Liz replied, almost sympathetically. "Can I take the truck?"

"Are you serious? You don't know how to drive a stick."

"I do too," she argued. "Come on Luke, I don't wanna walk with Rory all the way up there, it's late." He sighed.

"Ok take the truck, but be careful. The last thing I need is for Rory to be in a car accident."

"I'll be very careful," she said with a nod.

"Good, come on let's go to the diner."

"But what about the party?"

"I don't feel much like partying anymore," he shrugged, trying to mask his sadness. The siblings picked up their respective children, gathered their belongings from the corner of the room, then made their way over to Luke's.

"Do you wanna talk about anything?" asked Liz once they were inside.

"Like what?" he asked, trying to pretend he didn't know what she was referring to.

"Like anything that occurred tonight." Luke shrugged in response. "Come on Big Brother, you don't have to act all strong around me. You can tell me how you're really feeling."

"I'm fine," he snapped, causing Liz to jump a bit. "Lorelai will be worrying about Rory." Liz nodded and picked up the toddler from the counter where Luke had put her.

"Will you watch Jess while I go?" Luke nodded.

"Be careful," he warned as he handed her the keys.

"I will, don't worry." He watched her walk towards the door but stopped her before she could leave.

"Liz?" he asked.

"Hmm."

"Will you make sure Lorelai's, you know, ok?" he asked nervously.

"Of course I will," she assured him. "I won't be long." He watched her leave then collapsed onto a stool, Lorelai's stool to be precise. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands and ran his fingers through his hair. He just wanted everything to be normal, why did everything always go wrong for him?

XXX

"Lorelai," Liz called through the door after knocking four times and receiving no answer. "It's Liz, open up." There was no answer again so she racked her brain for something that would get her to answer the door. After a couple of minutes she knocked again. "I brought Rory home, she's getting a little cold out here," she said. It was the only other thing she could think of to get her to answer the door.

"Is she ok?" she heard a soft, weak voice through the door.

"She's fine, she needs her mom and some sleep." The bolt on the other side of the door could be heard unlocking then Lorelai appeared through the small opening.

"Hi baby," she cooed as she opened the door wider and took her daughter into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Are you getting tired?" Liz watched them and frowned when she noticed the puffiness of Lorelai's eyes and her red cheeks.

"You ok?" Liz asked softly. Lorelai nodded unconvincingly while smiling down at Rory, putting on a happy face on to mask how she was really feeling. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." She could hear Lorelai's voice faltering as she tried to hold in her emotions.

"You should talk to Luke; he needs a chance to explain himself."

"I don't feel much like talking to him right now," she replied coldly.

"It wasn't his fault you know; he'd never do anything to hurt you like that."

"Yeah well..."

"Talk to him, tomorrow," she said, cutting off the rest of Lorelai's sentence. She merely nodded in reply and Liz could tell she wasn't sure.

"Thanks for bringing Rory back," she said before beginning to close the door.

"You're welcome; I hope you work things out." With that, the door was shut in Liz's face. She sighed, feeling slightly sorry for her brother. She knew how much he cared for the Gilmore Girls.

XXX

Lorelai laid a very wide awake Rory next to her in bed after Liz had left. She tucked her under the sheets and smiled weakly at the baby.

"Did you have fun dancing with Miss Patty and Babette?" she asked quietly, stroking Rory's hair back. The little girl giggled in reply. "You did?"

"Yesh," she answered.

"Good." She saw Rory looking around the room, her eyes scanning every object that came into view. "Whatcha looking for sweets?"

"Dada," she exclaimed, with a hint of confusion in her voice. Lorelai felt tears rise to the surface again but she quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and wiped her eyes.

"Daddy's not here tonight," she whispered. "Daddy did something bad and mommy needs time to think ok?"

"Bad," Rory whispered back, repeating one of Lorelai's words.

"Yeah honey, don't worry, I'll take you to see him tomorrow." Rory smiled as she stretched her little body out.

"Seepy," she said, letting out a big yawn.

"Oh dear, I'd better let you go to sleep then hadn't I? We can't have you yawning." She shut off the light and snuggled close to Rory, taking comfort in her sleeping daughter as the tears fell in the darkness.

XXX

The next morning, Lorelai rushed about getting Rory changed and fed before taking care of herself as well. She finally fastened Rory into her stroller and put her own coat on, ready for their trip to Luke's. She hadn't planned what she was gonna say, she was just gonna go in there, tell him he could take care of Rory for the day then leave for work. She didn't feel much like discussing recent events.

They stepped out into the crisp, now January, air and walked up to the inn together. Lorelai decided to skip going to see Mia; she'd talk to her after she got back from dropping Rory off. She pushed the stroller ahead of her as she walked into town through the white blanket that was still covering the ground.

She stepped into the diner, dragging the stroller behind her up the steps. She parked it next to the counter and glanced nervously around the crowded diner. She spotted Luke refilling coffee mugs from table and table and she immediately began to crave that dark liquid. She realised she was staring when Luke glanced up and saw her. He too began staring and Lorelai was first to break their eye contact, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Hi," he said cautiously as he stepped behind the counter.

"Hello," she replied, leaving no room for emotion in her voice.

"Are you ok?" he asked. She could tell he was concerned; it was the look in his eyes. She could also see hurt mixed in there too, something that was reflected in her eyes also.

"I just came to drop Rory off," she said, completely ignoring his question.

"But it's Sunday, you don't have to work today," he reminded her.

"Well I'm working today and I thought you might wanna take her for the day," she snapped, irritated at his questioning.

"Of course I'll take her," he said, jumping at the chance to spend some time with at least one Gilmore Girl. "What time are you finishing?"

"I don't know, I'll come and pick her up whenever I get off." Luke nodded and stared into her bright blue eyes. "So I should..." Luke cut her off.

"Can we talk?" he asked, determined to talk to her before she left.

"I have to get to work," she refused.

"Please Lorelai," he begged.

"Later," she whispered. She bent down to kiss Rory goodbye then left the diner, without even glancing back at Luke.

"Mommy's stubborn isn't she?" he asked his daughter as he bent down to remove her from the stroller. Rory smiled as she looked at him, she was obviously glad to see him.

"Mama sad," she told him. He frowned and took her behind the curtain so the nosy town wouldn't hear them. He liked to be alone when he spoke to his daughter, only Lorelai was allowed to see.

"Hey, mommy's gonna be ok," he said, ruffling her hair.

"Bad," she said while pointing to him. Luke sighed, obviously Lorelai had been confiding in her daughter last night.

"Yeah I did something bad sweetie, but I'm gonna fix it, I promise." He spoke with such certainty that Rory grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Ark," she said.

"Park?"

"Yesh."

"It's a little cold to be going to the park," he said in a very fatherly tone.

"No," she protested.

"Ok I'll make a deal with you. We'll go to the park if you'll keep your hat and gloves on, ok?" Rory looked at him for a few moments before nodding excitedly. "Right, looks like we're going to the park then."

XXX

Lorelai entered the lobby from outside, relief washing over her as the cold air was replaced with central heating. She strolled over to the front desk and stopped in front of Mia.

"Hello dear, happy new year," Mia exclaimed when she saw her stood there.

"Happy new year to you too Mia." The women shared a hug.

"So is 1986 shaping up to be a good year so far?" she asked curiously.

"Not particularly." Mia's dazzling smile quickly changed into a look of confusion.

"Why not?" Lorelai opened her mouth to reply but stopped when she saw someone out of the corner of her eye, someone she wanted to kill with her bare hands.

"Hello Lorelai," Rachel greeted smugly. Lorelai narrowed her eyes at her as Mia realised who it was.

"Oh my god, Rachel?" Mia asked in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to see Luke," she shrugged, acting like it wasn't a big deal. Mia looked over at Lorelai and saw her narrowed stare at the redhead, that's when she realised that Rachel was the reason for Lorelai's bad year so far.

"What are you looking so smug about?" Lorelai asked bitterly. Rachel shrugged.

"Luke's a free man now, he can do whoever he wants," she replied.

"Rachel," Mia scolded. She wondered what had happened to the polite, kind young woman that had once been Luke's girlfriend.

"She asked," she replied innocently.

"Luke's not a free man," Lorelai replied, becoming angry. "And if you so much as walk past his diner, I'll make sure you'll never step foot in this town again."

"Is that a threat?" Rachel asked, obviously not intimidated by the blue-eyed brunette before her.

"Yeah it is, I'd watch your back if I were you."

"Ooh I'm scared," she said sarcastically. "Bring it on bitch."

"Get out," Lorelai ordered. Rachel chuckled.

"Who do you think you are? You can't tell me what to do."

"No she can't, but I can," Mia interrupted. She knew Lorelai didn't need this, things with Luke were finally back to normal after her pregnancy scare, it didn't need messing up again. "I suggest you leave Rachel."

"But...I was here first Mia, remember? I've lived in this town since I was a kid, why should I leave?"

"Because I'm asking you to," Mia said sternly. "Now go before I have to call security to have you removed from the premises. Rachel stared at Mia, hoping to break the elder woman's cold exterior towards her. When Mia didn't make a move to change her mind, Rachel huffed and stormed over to the front door, slamming it on her way out. Mia turned to Lorelai and gave her a bewildered look. "Do you wanna tell me what's going on?"

XXX

"Weeeeee," Rory sang as Luke pushed her higher in the swing.

"Do you like that Rory?" he asked softly.

"Yesh," she replied excitedly.

"Do you wanna go higher?"

"Yesh!" she agreed, holding onto the bar tighter as Luke pushed the swing harder. She giggled uncontrollably so Luke kept pushing her. He glanced to his side and saw Rachel cautiously approaching. He rolled his eyes, took his attention back to Rory and pushed her higher again.

"Hey," she greeted, touching his arm and rubbing up and down it. He jerked it away but didn't look at her. "Ignoring me now?"

"Go away," he mumbled.

"I'm not giving up that easily," she said.

"I don't wanna talk to you Rachel, just leave." He heard her sigh but kept his focus on Rory who was still giggling. Rachel followed his gaze and looked down at the little girl in front of them.

"She's cute," she commented. Luke slowed the swing down and Rory pouted. He looked over to Rachel and nodded.

"I know," he replied.

"So this is her kid I presume?" Luke nodded again.

"And mine," he added after a few moments of silence.

"What?" she asked, not sure she heard him right.

"Sing," Rory demanded, hitting the bar with her hands. He began to push her lightly, causing a tiny smile to light her face.

"She's my kid too."

"H..how?"

"I adopted her," he shrugged. Rachel looked down at the white dusted grass where her feet rested; she was shocked to say the least. Luke's relationship with these girls was more serious than she originally thought. He wasn't just playing daddy; he was daddy.

"Um...wow," she said in hesitation, still revelling over his admission. Luke smirked to himself, maybe he'd get rid of her now.

"Now do you understand why you coming here is such a problem for me?" he asked sourly. Even if she had realised, he still wasn't going to be nice to her.

"What happened to you?" she asked. He looked over at her in confusion. "You used to hate kids, now you're adopting them and pushing them on the swings." Luke shrugged.

"Rory's different," he replied. "She's not a whiney, 'I'll cry if I don't get what I want' type of kid; she's smart and well behaved. She never cries." Rachel looked down at her feet again; she couldn't believe this was Luke Danes talking.

"You've changed," she said quietly, watching how he smiled at Rory with adoration.

"Like I said before, I've grown up."

"But how can you want this? How can anyone want this at our age?" She gestured towards Rory.

"You don't understand," he snapped.

"I just don't get it," she said with a sigh. She looked over at Luke and saw he wasn't listening to her, instead he was grinning down at Rory who was also grinning back. The scene kinda made Rachel smile, even though she hated kids. "Hi sweetie," she cooed, bending down to Rory's level. The little girl stared at her for a few moments before she screwed her face up and started to cry. Rachel frowned and turned to Luke. "I thought you said she doesn't cry."

"She doesn't usually, it must be something you said." He lifted Rory from the swing and held her close to him. She buried her face in his shirt and bunched the material between her fingers.

"Dada," she whined, still sobbing slightly.

"Shh, it's ok," he said soothingly as he rubbed her back.

"I hate kids," Rachel mumbled, not meaning for Luke to hear.

"Yeah well that's your opinion." He grabbed the handle of the stroller and secured it in the direction he was gonna walk in, still holding Rory to his chest. "It's time we were getting back." He didn't even say goodbye, he just left her standing there watching after them.

XXX

"So, Lucas and Rachel were kissing?" Mia asked a teary Lorelai. She nodded in reply before blowing her nose into a tissue.

"Right there outside the school," she confirmed. Mia shook her head.

"Lucas wouldn't do this; he's not the cheating type."

"What is the cheating type huh? Anyone can cheat on their girlfriend, it doesn't take much."

"That's where you're wrong," she pointed out. "There's the sneaking around, the lying, the guilt," she listed. "Lucas wouldn't do anything like that; he cares for you and Rory too much."

"But I saw with it my own eyes Mia," she said, raising her voice. "Surely I have a reason to believe that something's going on."

"Did you talk to him about it?" she asked softly.

"What?"

"Did you let him explain what happened so you had his side of the story?" Lorelai shook her head ashamedly. "Oh Lorelai, go talk to him," she said.

"But...we left things in a mess. I ran away and told him to leave me alone, he won't wanna talk to me now."

"He's probably sat in that diner of his waiting for you to show up." Lorelai shrugged.

"He did ask me if we could talk this morning when I dropped Rory off."

"Did he look ok?" Lorelai bit her bottom lip as she thought back to a couple of hours ago.

"He looked tired, like he hadn't slept much."

"Does that not tell you something?" Mia pushed. Lorelai shrugged again. "Did you sleep much last night?"

"No," she answered quietly, almost inaudibly.

"And why was that?"

"I was thinking about what happened, I guess."

"That'll be exactly what Lucas was doing all night," she said knowingly. When she saw Lorelai's uncertain expression, she was quick to reassure her. "He's lost so many people in his life Lorelai, you know that, it'd kill him if he lost you as well." Lorelai looked down at her clasped hands in her lap and sighed.

"But what if she doesn't leave? What if she sticks around to try and break us up?"

"You can't let her; you have to rise above her pettiness. You're mature Lorelai; I'm sure you can ignore her and get on with your lives."

"She just bugs me is all," she mumbled.

"I know honey, she's bugging me at the moment, believe me," she chuckled. "But she won't stick around for long, she's adventurous, she likes to travel and move around." Lorelai nodded.

"Luke told me that's the reason she left."

"He's right; she was too free spirited for Stars Hollow." Lorelai smiled gratefully at the elder woman next to her, she'd helped her so much over the course of five months and her life had been transformed in the blink of an eye.

"Thank you Mia," she thanked, pulling the inn owner into a hug.

"You're welcome dear; you know I'm here anytime you need me."

"I know, I love you." Mia smiled into Lorelai's curly hair.

"I love you too sweetheart." They pulled away and smiled at each other. "So why did you drop Rory off with Lucas?"

"Oh I was gonna ask if you wanted me to work today, just to occupy my mind for a while."

"Well I have plenty of staff for today, Sunday's are slow so I don't have many workers," she replied apologetically.

"It's ok, I think I'm gonna go to Luke's anyway. We have some talking to do."

"I think it's just what you need to get back on track."

"Thanks for the talk Mia, it really helped."

"It was no problem, anytime remember?" Lorelai nodded, waved a final goodbye then left the office. She exited the inn and took the familiar route into town. The air was chilly and it made her wish she had a license and a car, things would be so much easier for her that way.

The gazebo came into view after ten minutes. She quickened her pace and didn't stop until she was outside Doose's. She stared over at the diner; from where she was standing it didn't look all that busy so she took a few tentative steps forward. That's when someone came hurtling out of the market and ran straight into her, sending her to the ground.

"Ow," Lorelai complained as her behind it the floor with a thud.

"Oh I'm sorry," apologised the person. She looked up and met a pair a green eyes that were staring back at her. "Oh it's you, I'm not so sorry then." Lorelai scowled at her then rose to her feet so she met the other girl's height.

"You're still here?" Lorelai asked. "I thought it was your thing to leave."

"Nah I'm staying this time," she said decisively.

"You won't get between Luke and I," she warned.

"Oh really? I thought I already did, after all you haven't spoken to him since you walked away from him last night."

"How do you know? Do you really have that little of a life that you spy on other people?" Rachel shrugged.

"Ran into Luke at the park earlier with your bastard child." Lorelai felt her anger brewing inside of her. Yes Rachel could insult her and get away with it, but there was no way was she talking about Rory like that. "He looked so dull, like all the life had been sucked right out of him. And the way he treats that kid, I mean, I'm surprised you let him anywhere near her." Lorelai narrowed her eyes at the redhead, she was lying, of course she was lying.

"Why are you doing this? Just leave us alone."

"He's thinking of leaving you know, he can't stand to be around you or that intolerable kid any longer. He hates kids, that's why he's gonna leave you to take care of her by yourself, he doesn't need the hassle. He wants to look after some dumb, annoying..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Lorelai warned, the anger shooting through her veins.

"Ugly, moron child anyway?" Rachel was smirking but it was soon wiped off her face when Lorelai's hand came into contact with it, hard. Rachel's hand flew up to her cheek where a red mark was starting to come through, her mouth dropped open with shock. "You're gonna regret that," she threatened.

"No one insults my daughter like that without consequences," Lorelai shouted. "How dare you bring her into this, she's just a baby."

"She's scum, just like you are," Rachel hissed. Lorelai's hand flew across her face a second time, this time on the other cheek. "You bitch!" Rachel leapt towards Lorelai, tugging on her hair and throwing her hand towards her face in anger and determination. Lorelai managed to duck most of Rachel's swings but a few minor ones came into contact with her cheek. Lorelai pushed her to the floor and got on top of her, holding her hands down so she couldn't move.

"Rory is nothing to with this, if you ever say anything about her again, you'll know about it." Rachel chuckled.

"What are you gonna do huh?"

"You wanna find out?" she challenged.

"Yeah I do actually." Rachel gathered all her strength and pushed Lorelai over so she was pinned to the ground. "Not so handy now are you?" She spit in her face and Lorelai scrunched her nose up in disgust.

"Gross," she muttered. She broke free of Rachel's hold on her and the two teenagers rolled over in the street, both battling for control in the fight they were engaged in. People began to gather round, no one tried to stop them, they were watching with amusement. Taylor heard a commotion outside the market and rushed out to look, surprised to find Luke's ex-girlfriend and his current girlfriend rolling around in the snow taking swings at each other.

"What is going on here?" he called over the girls' bickering. The ignored him though, obviously too caught up in their fight to take notice of their surroundings.

Lorelai gained control of the situation again and took several swipes at Rachel, each one hitting her right where she planned them to. She smirked in accomplishment but got caught up in the moment, allowing Rachel to turn her over and do the same to her. Lorelai could taste the metallic tang of blood dripping into her mouth but it didn't stop her. They continued to squabble, both set for killing each other.

XXX

"Luke!" Kirk called, rushing into the diner under Taylor's orders.

"What is it Kirk?" he asked in irritation, even though the boy had just walked in.

"Fight," he said monosyllabically.

"What?"

"Fight," he repeated, this time pointing out of the window.

"What are you talking about?" Luke hated it when Kirk played games like this, he wasn't a mind reader.

"Look." Luke looked out of the window over the square and saw a crowd of people surrounding Doose's.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Fight," Kirk repeated for the third time.

"Between who?" he asked, starting to wonder if it was between who he thought it was.

"Lorelai and Rachel," he said urgently. "There's blood and..."

"Blood?" Luke asked, beginning to panic. "Caesar can you watch Rory for a bit?" Luke called, looking at the little girl sat on the counter eating a cookie.

"Sure thing boss," the cook replied, entering the diner area and resting against the counter.

"Thanks, I'll be back in a little while." Caesar nodded and started singing some nursery rhyme to Rory. Luke followed Kirk onto the street and ran at a record speed over to the fight scene.

"Oh Luke thank god, will you please stop this absurdity?" Taylor asked with his hands on his hips. Luke rolled his eyes and dove right in. Lorelai was currently below Rachel, who was just about to take another swing at her. Luke grabbed her hand to stop her and dragged her to her feet. She fell into his arms purposely and attempted to wrap her arms around him, but he pushed her away making her land on the ground.

He pulled Lorelai to her feet and held her steady when she stumbled a bit, probably from the impact of Rachel's punches. He tried to wrap an arm around her waist but she jerked back and headed for Rachel again. Luke held her back and she dove wildly for the redhead in front of her. Rachel was also trying to fight again but Andrew and Bootsie held her back.

"Lorelai it's ok, calm down," Luke whispered in her ear. She chose to ignore him at first but after much struggling; she finally fell into his open arms and dug her face in his shirt. He could feel the blood flowing from her nose seeping into his shirt but he didn't care, he wanted to enjoy this moment.

After five minutes of hugging, Lorelai pulled away and stared at Luke. He smiled in return but she had remembered what all this was about in the first place. She took a couple more steps backwards until they were a safe distance apart and looked directly into his eyes.

"Sorry," she muttered and Luke wasn't sure if she was referring to the fight they had or the fight that just occurred, or even for staining his favourite flannel shirt with blood.

"Come on, we need to get you cleaned up," he said, gesturing to her bloody nose and lip. She nodded and followed him to the diner without protest. When she saw Rory sat on the counter, laughing at some dance Caesar was doing, she turned around so she was facing the windows. "What's up?" he asked.

"I...I don't want Rory to see me like this," she whispered nervously. Luke nodded in understanding and gestured for Caesar to take the toddler into the back for a second while he and Lorelai went upstairs. Once in the safety of his apartment, Luke told Lorelai to take a seat on the couch while he grabbed the first aid kit.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked as he joined her on the couch.

"Physically, yes," she replied. He understood the hidden meaning of that comment.

"Tip your head back," he told her as he prepared alcohol wipes to clean her wound with. Lorelai did as she was told and winced visibly when the wipe came into contact with the wound. "Sorry," he apologised. "It's gonna sting a little."

"It's ok, I didn't mean to jump like that." Luke wiped away at the blood and stuffed two pieces of cotton wool up each of her nostrils to stop the major bleed.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, referring to her injured nose.

"She was saying stuff...about Rory," she started. Luke looked down into his lap. "I snapped, I couldn't listen to what she was saying. I don't see why she dragged Rory into this, she's an innocent kid, she doesn't deserve to be spoken about like that." Tears were filling Lorelai's eyes and she hastily wiped at them to prevent them from falling.

"Don't listen to her, she doesn't know what she's talking about." Lorelai nodded before a few tears escaped her eyes, leaving a line down her cheek. Luke was quick to brush it away, causing Lorelai to flinch and jump up from the couch.

"Don't think this makes everything ok between us, everything's not ok," she told him. "You have some major explaining to do." Luke swallowed thickly and nodded.

"I...I know, just come and sit down ok?" She hesitated before she agreed and reclaimed her seat next to him.

"It wasn't what it looked like," he began.

"That's what they all say," she muttered. "Chris used to say that to me, and I believed him. Look where that got me. Not anymore though, I'm not falling for that excuse."

"Will you let me explain?" he asked irritated by her ability to talk. She settled down and nodded silently. "I went out there to get some fresh air, I saw Rachel at the party when we were dancing and I freaked out a little," he admitted.

"Why?"

"Cause I didn't want you to find out about her like that, I wanted to tell you myself."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I was waiting for the right time," he replied.

"God Luke, when has waiting for the right time to tell someone something ever gotten anyone anywhere? What happened to no more secrets huh?"

"I hadn't known for that long, believe me."

"How can I even trust you? If you can't tell me things like this then there's something wrong with our relationship. I thought we were strong Luke, we got through the whole mess with Christopher because I confided in you. But you're totally leaving me in the dark about this and I hate it." She was standing again, and shouting, really shouting.

"Lorelai calm down," he said quietly.

"No I can't because my boyfriend's lying to me all the time, do you even know how insecure it makes me feel?" Luke bowed his head ashamedly.

"I'm sorry," he said desperately. "You've gotta believe that there is nothing between Rachel and I, I hate her for how she's acting."

"So what really happened at the party? I want the full details from start to finish, and don't you dare leave anything out." Luke recalled everything he could remember from the previous night, not leaving out a single thing. He even told her what he and Rachel argued about on those steps.

By the time he was finished, she was confused. Should she believe him? It seemed to make sense, but she couldn't understand why he didn't push her away straightaway, he told her that his mind went blank and he couldn't think, but wasn't that a typical guy excuse? She needed advice, and who better to help her than her best friend.

**God I'm tired, that's why I'm ending it here...and I don't see this as a cliffhanger but if you do then I apologise! That's bad that there's three in a row :S Aaaanyway, we had a massive thunderstorm here in the early hours of the morning and I couldn't sleep through it, it was so loud! So I am extra tired and it's 11:30pm so I'm gonna post this and go to bed. Whoa I like to talk when I'm tired. Right so erm...damn lost my train of thought...erm...erm...oh yeah, please review! How could I forget that? I'm hoping to reach 600 with this, PLEEAAAASE? That would make me grin like an idiot...okay so thanks for reading!**

**Emily.**

**PS..This chapter has the longest A/Ns ever :P**


	40. Taking It Slow

**I've been really ill the last few days...think I had bad Indian food. Anyway, hey readers **** it hasn't been that long right? And we've reached the big 4-0 :) Waheeey!  
**

**Thank you for your wonderful reviews, I smile every single time my inbox tells me I've received one, how weird am I? I'm glad all you reviewers are sticking around this time...it was sad when you all disappeared **** And I got to 600, thank you so much guys :D really made my day! Right so a whole new chapter...it's very long too, don't you think? Hope it's to your liking and I'll see you again at the end ;) **

"Oh my god!" Sookie exclaimed in shock when Lorelai answered the door of the potting shed. Lorelai stared at her in confusion at her outburst, wondering what could possibly be wrong. "What happened to your face?" Lorelai's hand flew to her nose in realisation and she cleared her throat.

"I uh...got into a fight," she said quietly, her head bowed.

"What? With who?" she asked quickly.

"Rachel," she murmured, she was speaking in such a low voice that her best friend didn't hear her.

"Huh?"

"With Rachel," she repeated ashamedly. Sookie narrowed her eyes.

"Who's Rachel?" she asked curiously. Lorelai took a deep breath, preparing herself for Sookie's reaction to her impending news.

"Luke's Rachel," she told her. Sookie's eyes widened visibly.

"Rachel?" she asked in shock. "You got in a fight with Rachel? I didn't even know she was back, when did she come back? How does Luke feel about it, how do you feel about it?" she babbled. Lorelai placed her hand on Sookie's lower arm.

"Slow down ok? I can only answer one question at a time." She smiled weakly. "Let's sit down, I'll tell you the whole story." And that's what she did. They sat together on the couch, Lorelai going through what had happened over the last few days, tearing up a few times only to be comforted by Sookie. When she'd finished talking and explaining, Sookie was full of opinions.

"She used to be so nice, everyone used to love her," she said while shaking her head. "I wonder what happened."

"Must be jealous or something," Lorelai shrugged.

"Jealous? That's an understatement," she chuckled. She sobered when she saw the look on her best friend's face though. "So are you doing ok?" she asked, placing a hand on Lorelai's shoulder. She shrugged in reply and looked down into her lap.

"I don't know what to do," she admitted quietly. "I'm not sure if I can trust him anymore." Sookie frowned.

"Honey, Rachel's obviously gotten into his head. He probably didn't know what the hell he was doing last night."

"How do you know that though? For all we know, he knew exactly what he was doing." A few tears ran down her cheeks and she wiped them away quickly.

"I don't think..."

"I can't believe he did this," she cut her off. "I can't believe that after everything we've been through, he'd go and kiss his ex-girlfriend. I'm such an idiot."

"No you're not," Sookie protested. "You're not an idiot ok?" Lorelai shrugged her shoulders.

"I just...why did this have to happen? Why did she have to come back and mess everything up?"

"I don't know sweetie, but I think Luke's telling the truth," she said. "I think he deserves another chance."

"But what about her?"

"Look, you and Luke have been through so much together the last couple of months. You can't give up on it just because of Rachel; you'd be giving her what she wants then. Do you really want her to think she's won?" Lorelai looked down at her lap then back up to Sookie, shaking her head tentatively. "Good, now get your butt to that diner and kiss the owner like there's no tomorrow," she ordered jollily. Lorelai smiled weakly and bowed her head again.

"I don't wanna go just yet," she said quietly.

"Ok so what do you wanna do in the meantime?" Sookie asked, determined to keep her friend's mind occupied.

"I'm not sure; I need to think more about this."

"Ok, I'll help you," she decided. "What do you wanna think about?" Lorelai sighed.

"Rory, she's gonna be affected by all this. Last time we broke up, she cried all the time, she was so sad. I don't want her to be like that, she shouldn't be upset because of what I choose to do." She swallowed thickly and played with her hands in her lap.

"Well don't give her anything to be upset about," she replied. "Spend some time with her and Luke together; learn to trust him again while you hang out. That way, Rory won't think there's anything going on between the two of you, so she won't be affected by it." Lorelai exhaled deeply.

"I'm so confused Sook, I don't know what to do," she whined. "Whichever option I choose, I have to think about Rory and it's making it even harder to decide."

"Think of it this way, if you and Luke break up, she'll be upset that you hardly speak to each other anymore. But if you get back together, she'll think things are normal and she'll be fine." Lorelai thought about what Sookie had just said and found that it did actually make sense. However, whereas it was definitely what Rory would want, was it what she wanted? She just didn't know what to do."

"I wish Rachel wasn't here anymore," she mumbled.

"I know me too," Sookie replied dully before an idea hit her. "Hey, I'm sure the town don't want her here either, especially since she's causing trouble between you and Luke."

"And?"

"Well there's a town meeting on Thursday night, we could bring up the subject of Rachel and see what everyone else thinks," she suggested. Lorelai furrowed her brows.

"I've never been to a town meeting," she said thoughtfully.

"Oh well there's one every Thursday evening, the whole town gathers at Miss Patty's to listen to Taylor talk about problems and stuff. Most of his problems are stupid but anyone can say what's on their mind so we should go."

"You really think they'll go for it?"

"Definitely, everyone loves you and Luke together. They're not gonna just stand by and watch some jealous, spiteful ex-girlfriend break you apart are they?"

"I guess not, it could be interesting too," she said, beginning to warm to the idea.

"Especially if Babette and Patty are involved," Sookie added. She noticed Lorelai's slight hesitation. "This is gonna work ok? Rachel will be out of here before you can count to ten, believe me." Lorelai nodded and smiled gratefully at Sookie.

"Thanks Sook, you're a really great friend you know."

"That's what they tell me," she shrugged, a smile spreading across her face. "So now that Rachel's sorted out, what are you gonna do about Luke?" Lorelai sighed.

"I'll do that hanging out thing you suggested, I guess," she said decisively.

"Good, kinda like dating but you know each other better," she said. "Plus you've already slept together like a gazillion times," she added.

"Sookie!" she scolded, not able to stop the smile spreading across her face. The girls giggled.

"So are you gonna go talk to him?" Sookie asked once their laughter had died down.

"Soon," she said while nodding her head slowly. "He deserves to suffer a bit first though." Sookie grinned.

"That's good actually; it'll show him what he's missing. That way he'll never even think about doing anything like this ever again."

"I should hope not as well," she said seriously. They went into a comfortable silence where they both thought about what had been said over the last hour or so.

"So where's Rory today?" Sookie asked after a couple of minutes.

"Oh she's at the diner with Luke," Lorelai replied. "I was gonna go into work today but Mia said she didn't need anyone to work extra hours."

"It's good that you're still letting him see her, even after everything that's been going on."

"Yeah well I told him I'd never keep her away from him, no matter what happens between us. He has every right to see her; he is her father after all."

"Do you regret that now?" Sookie asked.

"What?"

"The adoption." Lorelai shook her head slowly.

"No way, Luke cares for Rory, more than her real dad ever has and I know that he'll carry on caring about her no matter what. I'm just glad she has a father figure in her life."

"She's a lucky girl, I wish my dad was as great as Luke is."

"Yeah, I don't think there are many like him." She looked into her lap again and smiled slightly, she was looking forward to driving Rachel out of town.

XXX

"Apparently it was a full on fight," Patty whispered to Babette across their table in the diner.

"What?" Babette asked in confusion. "And right outside Doose's too?"

"Yep, I can't believe me missed it," she said sadly. They never missed any major events and were always the first ones with the gossip.

"Why did we have to go to that stupid flee market in Litchfield?" Babette asked. "We could have gotten some free entertainment right in the town square." She lowered her voice when Luke walked by their table with the coffee pot.

"Hey Luke," Patty called, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hmm," he grunted.

"Could we get some more coffee please?" Luke didn't say a word, he simply refilled their mugs then stormed off behind the counter to set the coffee pot back in it's place. The ladies watched him disappear behind the curtain before starting up another conversation. "There's something not right with him," Patty observed.

"You don't think they broke up do you?" Babette asked in fear of the answer to her question.

"Who, Luke and Lorelai?"

"Yeah I mean, Rachel's back now, maybe she drove them apart," she speculated.

"No, it'd take more than some ex-girlfriend to break them up, something else must have happened." They racked their brains, both trying to remember what had happened at the party. As far as they could remember, which wasn't much because they had both had a bit to drink, nothing seemed out of the ordinary between the two the night before.

"Do you remember seeing them after we were dancing with Lorelai and Rory?"

"To be honest honey I don't remember anything after my third cup of punch," Patty chuckled.

"Seriously though, I can't recall seeing either of them when we were counting down to midnight."

"Hmm, there's definitely something going on, we just need to find out what it is." They watched as Luke reappeared from behind the curtain with Rory in his arms. He set her on her feet and gave her a banana before grabbing the coffee pot and refilling his customer's mugs. Rory walked around after him at a much slower pace and stopped by Babette and Patty's table. They were both still staring at Luke, and she watched them with curiosity. Babette was the first to notice her.

"Hey sugar!" she exclaimed, holding her arms out for Rory to come closer to them. "What are you doing here today?" She lifted the little girl into her lap and smiled down at her.

"Mama sad," she explained with a mouthful of banana. Patty and Babette gave each other knowing looks before taking their attention to the door, where Liz and Jess were just entering.

"Here we are Jessie, now where's your uncle huh?" Liz asked once they were in the warmth of the diner.

"Ucal Luuuuke!" Jess called at the top of his voice. Luke appeared from the kitchen and grinned at his sister and nephew.

"Where's the fire?" he asked jokingly. "Hey buddy," he greeted Jess, tickling his stomach to make him laugh.

"Where Wowy?" he asked.

"She's right there," he replied, pointing over to Babette and Patty's table. Jess looked in the direction of his finger and grinned at his new best friend.

"Wowy," he exclaimed excitedly. Rory's head snapped round to look at Jess; she had instantly recognised the voice.

"Jesh," she replied just as excitedly, beginning to bounce up and down in Babette's lap. "Down," she demanded. Babette put her on the floor and she stumbled over to where Liz was standing. Liz put her son down next to Rory and they grinned at each other stupidly.

"Banana," he said while pointing to the yellow fruit in Rory's hand. He looked up at Liz longingly. "Momma banana," he repeated.

"You've gotta ask Uncle Luke," she told him. Jess frowned but did as he was told.

"Ucal Luke Jess banana?" he asked politely. He was smiling sweetly up at his uncle, obviously knowing how to get what he wanted, the way Rory did.

"Jess is a banana," he chuckled, pretending he'd misunderstood his nephew's question.

"No," Jess whined. "Want banana," he corrected, jumping up and down in frustration.

"Oh you want a banana huh? I didn't get what you said," he replied with a smile on his face. "Now what do you have to say if you want something?" Jess rolled his eyes, having picked it up from his uncle.

"Pwease?" he asked. Luke looked down at him in thought for a few moments before Rory stepped in.

"Jesh," she said, holding the remains of her banana out to him. He quickly shook his head, refusing her offer.

"Wowy's," he told her.

"No," she protested, trying to shove it in his face.

"No Wowy," he said in annoyance. "Jess want banana!" he demanded, beginning to get angry.

"Alright there'll be no bananas for Jess if he doesn't stop getting angry," Luke warned. The toddler frowned sadly, looking down at the floor. "Now Jess, are you gonna apologise?" he asked. Jess looked up at him in confusion and Luke realised he must not have understood what he'd asked. "Are you gonna say sorry?" he repeated.

"Sowwy," he said sincerely, eyeing Rory's banana longingly.

"Good boy, now here." Luke crouched down to Jess' level and brought a banana out from behind his back. He saw the little boy's eyes light up as he peeled back the skin and he greedily took it from his uncle's grasp, digging in as fast as he could.

"So, how are things with Lorelai?" Liz asked as Luke stepped behind the counter. Babette and Patty's attention peaked when they heard those words escape Liz's lips.

"Will you keep your voice down," he hissed. "I don't need the town knowing about all this."

"Sorry. So what's happening?" she asked in a quieter voice. "I heard about the fight." Luke looked down at the counter.

"Who told you?" he asked quietly.

"Kirk," she replied. "Everyone knows Luke; it wasn't exactly private was it?"

"I guess not," he mumbled. "So everyone's talking about it?" Liz shrugged.

"Kinda, this is Stars Hollow, that fight was the biggest thing to happen since 1900," she joked. Luke didn't crack a smile though. Liz noticed his expression and frowned. "I'm guessing you guys didn't fix things?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Luke shook his head hesitantly.

"I...we talked you know, after the fight," he started. "I cleaned her up and made sure she was ok. Then I told her about everything that'd happened but she said she needed time." He looked down at the counter again.

"Well that's not a breakup is it? So that's good right?" Luke shrugged in uncertainty.

"I guess I have to wait and see what she says," he answered. "Nothing I say is gonna help."

"I'm sure it'll all work out Luke, I can...talk to her...if you want me to." He looked up at her.

"No, that's ok. She just needs to think it through, alone," he told her. "Lorelai's not one to jump into things without thinking about it first, she always thinks about what's best for Rory before she acts."

"But surely the two of you together is what's best for Rory," Liz reasoned.

"Yeah it is, and maybe when she's thought it through, that's what she'll decide too."

"So it's wishful thinking really?" Luke nodded and smiled slightly. All he had to do was hope that Lorelai felt the same way.

XXX

"Did you hear that?" Patty asked.

"Not all of it, they were speaking so quietly," she complained.

"I didn't hear any of it; you're sat closer than I am."

"We're losing our touch Patty; we're missing out on all the gossip nowadays."

"Hmm we need to change that," she replied thoughtfully.

"Or, maybe they don't want us to know," she whispered.

"Oh please, when has that ever stopped us before?" Babette tilted her head in thought.

"That's true. It's really bugging me though, I need to know what's going on," she whined.

"Well what did you hear?"

"They were definitely talking about Lorelai."

"Well I gathered that," Patty replied with an eye roll.

"I heard Luke say he talked to Lorelai after the fight," she began.

"Did he say what they talked about?" she inquired.

"He told Liz that he cleaned her up after the fight but then they lowered their voices again and I couldn't hear a thing."

"I bet that was the best part too," she sighed. "Maybe we should ask Lorelai."

"She won't say anything; I haven't even seen her since we got back anyway."

"She's probably sulking at the inn," she speculated. "I mean, Rory said she's sad right?" Babette nodded.

"Yeah so there's definitely something going on between them."

"And it's our job to fix it."

"What, since when?" Babette asked in confusion.

"Since right now, we need to get those two crazy kids back together."

"But how?"

"First thing we need to do; get rid of the cause of the situation." Babette looked at her in confusion again. "Rachel you idiot, we need to get rid of Rachel."

"Oh," she said in realisation. "Good plan, now how do we do that?"

XXX

"God I'm so full," Sookie complained as she finished munching on a mallomar. "How do you eat this much all the time?" Lorelai shrugged.

"It's yummy," she replied simply. "I can't resist it." Sookie chuckled.

"Where did you get all this stuff anyway? I'm pretty sure Taylor doesn't sell all this in that tiny market of his."

"Got it from Walmart, Luke goes there to buy our food," she said, feeling a wave of sadness hit her when she mentioned his name like nothing had happened between them. Sookie noticed and was quick to change the subject.

"Yeah I mean, Doose's doesn't even sell the proper twizzlers," she complained. "He just has that cheapy version of them that don't even taste like the proper ones." Lorelai nodded distractedly, smiling for Sookie's benefit. "I think it's time you went to talk to him now," she said, knowing that her best friend couldn't put it off for much longer.

"I knew you were gonna bring it up soon," Lorelai said.

"Well you need to go," she reasoned.

"I know, I will," she replied.

"But the question is when?" Sookie pushed.

"Now ok? I'm going now." She stood up from the couch, obviously frustrated by Sookie's questioning, and slipped into her coat. "Are you going back into town?" she asked.

"Yeah, need a ride?" Lorelai nodded and followed Sookie up through the inn's garden to her car.

XXX

"So we call an emergency town meeting," Patty said, voicing her plan to Babette.

"Right, when?" asked Babette.

"Is tonight good?"

"Yeah, tonight it is," she replied with a nod.

"Ok, then once everyone arrives, we tell them about our plan so we can work together to drive that stupid teenager out of this town."

"Sounds great Patty, we've really outdone ourselves this time," Babette said excitedly.

"We sure have, now we just need to spread the word."

"Don't tell Luke or Lorelai though, we don't want them to know right?"

"Definitely not, Luke will definitely have something to say about it," said Patty knowingly. "Come on, let's go tell people." Babette nodded in agreement before the two women stood up simultaneously and left the diner quickly, gaining a strange look from Luke. They didn't seem to notice Lorelai climb out of Sookie's car just outside, they were too wrapped up in their mission.

XXX

"Thanks for the ride Sook," she said gratefully.

"Anytime," she smiled in return. "Now get your butt in there and start fixing things," she warned.

"Things aren't gonna just go back to how they were before in the blink of an eye," she told her friend.

"I know, but you can start trying right? Tell him what you told me about not being able to trust him and all that. Then if that goes well, suggest the two of you take Rory somewhere. Then you might be able to ease back into things."

"Thanks Sookie, you're a really great friend," she thanked. She smiled and waved as Sookie set off down the street, then closed her eyes for a second and turned to the diner. She opened them to find Luke wiping down a table; Rory was standing on a chair next to him, copying what he was doing. She smiled to herself at how well they got along with each other, Sookie was right, Luke was a fantastic father.

She shook herself out of her daydream and took a few steps closer to the entrance of the diner. She made it to the bottom of the steps, reluctant to move any further forward. She sighed at her cowardliness and willed herself to climb the three steps leading up to the diner's door. She succeeded and placed a tentative hand on the doorknob, quickly letting go of it when somebody twisted it and the door flew open.

"After you," the kind, smiling man politely said. She stared at him for a few moments before smiling and slowly walking past him into the nearly empty diner. She muttered a quick thank you before her eyes landed on Luke. He was still wiping the table, obviously unaware of her presence. She was about to speak but Rory interrupted her.

"Mama," the little girl exclaimed excitedly. Luke's head shot up, quicker than you could say hello and he smiled awkwardly. He was a little shocked to see her.

"Hey," she almost whispered.

"Um...hi," he greeted in reply. Lorelai took her gaze to her daughter and a smile spread across her face.

"Hi sweets," she cooed, stepping closer to them. "Are you helping with the cleaning huh?"

"Yesh," she replied happily, proceeding to wipe the table again.

"She's doing good," Luke told her, placing his rag on the now clean table and turning to face her. Lorelai nodded and ran her hands through Rory's hair lovingly. "So have you come to pick her up?" he asked, not sure what the purpose of her visit was.

"Um...I was actually wondering if we could talk," she said awkwardly. "Upstairs." Luke took a deep breath, that didn't go unnoticed by Lorelai, then shook his head. Lorelai's face fell visibly.

"Uh...I mean, Liz is up there with Jess," he explained. "We can go in the storage room though, if you want to?" She nodded, relieved that he wasn't blowing her off.

"Ok can um...Rory go upstairs for a bit?" she asked sheepishly.

"Sure, it's nearly time for her nap anyway so I'll take her up." Lorelai nodded again. Why was she so nervous?

"I'll see you when you wake up ok hon?" she asked her daughter softly. She stroked her cheek with her fingers then smiled shyly at Luke as he took her upstairs. She waited impatiently by the curtain, tapping her foot as she did. After what felt like forever, he reappeared and led her in the direction of the storage room. Once inside, she perched herself on a cardboard box by the door, while he leaned up against the opposite wall.

"So what do you wanna talk about?" he asked.

"I think you know what," she murmured, just loud enough for him to hear her. He nodded hesitantly but didn't say anything. "I...I talked to Sookie." That caught his attention; he looked up at her and waited for her to continue. "She thinks you didn't know what you were doing last night when Rachel kissed you; she said you were probably confused." She looked up at him and he nodded as confirmation.

"I was confused," he told her quietly. "I don't know why I didn't push her away straightaway."

"Sookie thinks you deserve another chance," she said, ignoring his last statement.

"And what do you think?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer or not. He saw her shrug briefly before opening her mouth to speak. No words came out though. "Lorelai?" he asked, pushing her to say something.

"I...I don't know if I can trust you anymore," she admitted in a small, sad voice. Luke nodded slowly. He understood where she was coming from, if he was in her shoes, he'd probably feel the same way.

"Ok," he said. "What can I do to change that?"

"I'm not sure, I just...I need to learn to believe in you again."

"So...what does this mean for us?" he asked, confused at where she was going with this.

"I think we should start over...kinda," she replied, not sure what she meant by it.

"Start over like...dating again?" he asked, trying to understand her better. She shook her head.

"I'm not sure," she said honestly. "I...I think I mean like dating," she said unsurely. "Maybe more like friends to start off with," she shrugged.

"Friends," he stated in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, after everything they'd been through together, how could he go to being just friends with her? Especially after he'd had it all. Lorelai saw the mixture of sadness and confusion in his eyes and instantly felt bad. But she didn't say anything; she felt this was the right thing to do.

"I was thinking that maybe we could take Rory out now and again, like hanging out and stuff," she suggested. He wasn't sure if that was the only option he had to spend time with her, so of course he was going to accept.

"Uh...ok, you mean like, to the park and stuff?" he asked, just to be sure of what she was allowing him.

"Yeah places like that," she replied. She could feel the awkwardness settling in between them but she couldn't think of a way to stop it.

"Lorelai?" he asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Hmm."

"Is that all we're ever gonna have? Friendship?" He wanted more than that, and he knew she did too.

"I don't know," she replied, but she wasn't being completely honest with him.

"Cause we can't let Rachel do this to our relationship, she'll think she's won."

"You sound like Sookie," she observed. Luke ignored her comment.

"Please, don't give up on the idea of us ok? You know I love you, I probably always will and there's no way I'm gonna let that conniving witch get between what we have."

"But...she already did Luke, the damage is done."

"But we can fix it; we don't have to be friends again. We can work through it all." His eyes were pleading with her and when she saw how sad they looked; her heart broke a little bit.

"Look...I uh...I can't do this right now, I have to go." She stood up from the box she was sat on and made a beeline for the door, but Luke grabbed her arm and held her back.

"No, you're not running away from me this time," he said, determination written across his face. "We're gonna talk about this now, not tomorrow, or the day after. Now." He was so demanding, Lorelai didn't have the guts to say no. Instead she nodded and allowed him to pull her back into the room. She remained standing so they were inches apart. She looked up into his eyes but found herself looking away when she saw the pain that filled them.

"You wanted to talk, so talk," she said calmly, although she was burning on the inside.

"Look, you've gotta believe me when I tell you that there's nothing between Rachel and I," he pleaded. "I get that you don't trust me after what happened but I'm telling the truth, I swear." She looked up at him and to her surprise; all she saw was honesty in his eyes.

"You're sure?" she asked, was she about to give in?

"Positive," he replied. He was so sure of himself, she felt herself falling for it. "I love you ok? You're one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Why would I ever do anything to mess things up between us?" She thought back to what Mia had said, about it killing him if he lost her on top of the people he already had. She didn't wanna put him through that; he'd had a hard enough time as it was without her adding to his pain. But could she really forgive him? It was just a kiss after all. "Lorelai?" he asked.

"Ok," she said.

"Ok?" he asked for confirmation. She nodded distractedly.

"It was just that one kiss right? Be honest," she pleaded with him. Luke nodded confidently.

"I swear, it was just that one kiss," he answered, making her feel a little relieved.

"Good," she replied. He could hear the relief in her voice. "I want her out of here Luke," she said after a few moments. "I don't want her near you, or Rory, or this whole town for that matter."

"How are you gonna get her to leave?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I was gonna tell the town about her at the meeting on Thursday."

"Do you really want the town involved in this?" he asked, knowing for sure that he didn't.

"Well they can help," she shrugged. "They don't need to know about our...problems. Everyone already knows about the fight between me and her so that's a good enough reason to want her out of here, right?"

"They're gonna ask questions you know?" he said. She nodded in reply.

"I know, but I can shrug them off, or make something up." This time Luke nodded.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"You're starting to sound like you don't want her to leave," she observed, beginning to get slightly angry.

"No Lorelai, believe me, I do want her to leave. It's just that I hate it when everyone knows my business, they're all so annoying," he grumbled.

"They won't know all your business," she assured. "They don't need to know anymore than they already do."

"Ok so the town meeting on Thursday?" he asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah, are you coming?"

"I might, I've never been to one, mostly cause Taylor annoys the crap outta me."

"Ok, good," she replied, smiling a small smile.

"So err...where does this leave us?" he asked quietly. Lorelai looked down at her shoes.

"We've got some stuff to work out but I think we'll be ok," she said with a nod. "How about we take things slow?" she suggested.

"Right, so is this ok?" he asked. He took step closer to her and leaned forward, leaving a light kiss on her cheek. He pulled back and smiled at her.

"Yeah I guess that's ok," she replied, she too smiling. "I um...guess I should go then," she said shyly.

"Uh...sure, do you wanna go get Rory?" he asked, remembering their daughter was sleeping upstairs.

"Yeah I'll take her with me, have you got the stroller?" The two teenagers walked out of the storage room and back into the diner. Luke showed Lorelai where the stroller was and she set it up while he went to retrieve Rory from upstairs.

XXX

"Hey, did the talk go ok?" Liz asked as her brother entered the apartment.

"Yeah uh...I think we're gonna be ok," he told her, unable to hide his grin.

"That's great big brother, don't do anything to screw it up again," she warned.

"I think I've learned my lesson," he replied. "Has Rory been ok?"

"Yeah I haven't heard a peep the whole time she's been up here," Liz answered.

"Good, Lorelai wants to take her home now." He carefully lifted Rory out of the crib and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Ok, make sure you kiss her goodbye, Lorelai I mean," she called after him as he retreated to the door. He felt himself blushing, even though his sister couldn't see him anymore. He descended the narrow steps from his apartment and found Lorelai waiting for him by the counter, the stroller ready to go next to her.

"Hey, is she ok?" she asked, tenderly smoothing a hand through Rory's thin hair.

"Yeah, she's still sleeping," he replied, settling her in the stroller and wrapping the numerous blankets around her.

"Ok well, thanks for taking care of her today," she said gratefully as she turned the stroller around to face the door.

"No problem," he replied.

"Right well, I'll see you tomorrow I guess," she said nervously. He pulled her closer to him, kissed her cheek again the whispered in her ear.

"I'll call you tonight." Lorelai blushed when he pulled away and smiled shyly before making her way over to the door. She looked around the half full diner, waved back at Luke then left the establishment with a big smile on her face. It was looking like everything would work out after all.

XXX

"Order," Taylor called over the chattering of the townspeople. Everyone settle down after ten seconds or so, allowing Taylor to speak. "Now this meeting was brought to my attention by Miss Patty and Babette, so I'll pass you onto them." A few cheers could be heard throughout the audience as Taylor descended the podium and Miss Patty climbed up, Babette taking a place next to her.

"Right, as pretty much all of you know, Rachel is back in town," Patty began. "She's been causing quite a bit of trouble since she arrived, you all know about the fight between her and Lorelai that took place earlier today."

"That was a great fight," Andrew called out, causing a couple of other guys to agree.

"Ok boys, calm down," Patty chuckled. "It's come to mine and Babette's attention that she's caused some trouble between the town's favourite couple, Luke and Lorelai."

"She needs to be stopped," Babette shouted over Patty's speech.

"Yeah!" agreed Kirk from the front row.

"We want Rachel out of this town," Patty informed them, raising her voice to match Babette's. "She doesn't belong here and she's out to cause trouble, we won't stand for that!" Applause could be heard throughout the dance studio and Babette and Patty smiled in accomplishment, it seemed everybody was on board with their plan.

"Order! Order!" Taylor called over the noise, shoving the women off the podium so he could resume his position. "Those in favour say I," he said, following the proper procedure of the meeting. The whole room raised their hands and said 'I' simultaneously. Taylor nodded. "Motion agreed," he announced, banging his gavel on the podium. "Now a few ground rules..." The crowd groaned.

"Ground rules? We never said anything about rules," Babette interrupted.

"If this is going to happen, we need to set some limits as to what actions can be taken," he warned in his 'civil' tone. "My first rule, and by far the most important, no violence."

"What? But that was our only strategy," Patty complained.

"I don't care; no member of this town will resort to violence. As a tourist attraction, Stars Hollow's reputation cannot be affected in any way. Violence puts people off towns like these."

"Shut it Taylor," a member of the crowd called.

"Yeah, who cares about tourism man? We want some action to be taken!" Taylor rolled his eyes as the crowd began chatting again.

"Order!" he called for what felt like the millionth time. Nobody turned to look at him this time, they all carried on chattering. "I said order," he bellowed, causing shocked townspeople to stop speaking abruptly and turn to face him. "Now if you want this plan to go ahead, you will listen to these rules and you will abide by them, do you understand me?"

"Yes," the crowd replied.

"Ok, now that's settled, let's go through the rest of the rules. Now Luke and Lorelai must not know about this..." He carried on listing the rules, the townspeople growing even border with each second that passed. Eventually, Taylor came to the end of his rule speech and brought Patty and Babette up to the podium again.

"Alright everyone, after a slightly boring rule lecture, let the fun part begin." The crowd perked up a bit at the word fun. "We need a strategy; we need to find a way to drive that bitch out of this town!"

"Language," Taylor reminded.

"Oh shut it Taylor," Babette screeched.

"As I was saying," Patty continued. "There is no way in hell that Rachel is going to cause a rift between Luke and Lorelai; we need her out of here before she can cause any more damage."

"Yeah!" Kirk shouted, a little over excitedly.

"Ok so does anyone have any ideas?"

XXX

Lorelai climbed into bed after settling Rory down for the night. She was just about ready to fall asleep after the day she'd had, that fight had really taken it out of her, along with all the emotional stuff involving Luke. The phone rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. She smiled to herself and took a deep, calming breath before picking it up and greeting the person on the other line.

"Hey hon, it's Sookie," she replied.

"Oh..." Lorelai was obviously disappointed.

"Oh? Were you expecting someone else?" she asked, wondering what caused her friend's reaction to her call.

"No...uh...just Luke," she replied nonchalantly.

"Just Luke?"

"Yeah he said he'd call tonight," she replied. Sookie smiled on the other end of the line.

"So you talked to him?" she asked.

"Yeah of course I did, you dropped me off at the diner remember?"

"I know but I expected you to chicken out," she shrugged.

"Well I didn't," she replied, slightly offended by Sookie's comment.

"How did it go?" she asked curiously.

"It went good," she replied confidently. "I suggested that thing you said, about going out with Rory."

"Oh yeah, what did he say?"

"He was ok with it I guess, but he was a bit disappointed when I suggested we go out as friends."

"You asked him if you could be friends?" she asked.

"Well...yeah, I thought that was what I went there to do."

"No!" she exclaimed. "No you went there to make things right with him."

"Calm down Sook, we did make things right in the end," she reassured her best friend. Sookie breathed a loud sigh of relief.

"Phew, ok that's good," she said, catching herself before she squealed excitedly. Her parents were only in the next room. "So what happened?"

"Well we went in the storage room..."

"Ooh," Sookie squealed quietly, cutting off Lorelai's description of the day's events.

"Sookie," she said pointedly. "Nothing happened in the storage room, nor was anything expected to happen."

"Ok sorry, so continue," she prompted.

"So as I was saying, we were in the storage room and he told me about how he didn't wanna lose me and stuff, he was really sad Sookie, I could see it in his eyes. I just...felt really sorry for him," she admitted. "So I asked if it was just that one kiss that happened between them, and he swore to me it was. Then I suggested taking things slow for a while and he kissed me on the cheek, it was really sweet."

"Awwwww," Sookie gushed. "That is such an adorable ending to a story!" Lorelai grinned from ear to ear.

"I know," she said dreamily.

"He won't have been lying to you, Luke doesn't lie."

"I know Sook, he was telling the truth."

"Good so you're back together?"

"Yeah I think so, I even told him about our plan to get rid of Rachel."

"About that..." she began.

"What about it?"

"Well I don't think we need to mention anything on Thursday."

"Why not?"

"Cause Babette and Patty called an emergency meeting tonight and I went out of curiosity. Anyway they've made a plan of their own, the town's gonna get rid of Rachel, you don't need to do a thing." Lorelai's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Seriously? They called an emergency meeting over it?"

"Yeah, this town really cares about you, you know." Lorelai smiled.

"I know," she replied softly.

"Oh and one of the rules was that you and Luke shouldn't find out about their plan so I never told you ok?"

"Ok Sook, anyway I am expecting a call from Luke so I'll have to love you and leave you."

"That's fine honey, I'm gonna call Jackson anyway. Goodnight," she replied jollily.

"Yeah, goodnight Sook." They hung up at the same time and Lorelai smiled at the phone. The town really did care about her and Rory, it felt nice, really nice. The phone rang again, once again snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Hello?" she greeted.

"Hey it's me," she heard the shy, male voice on the other line and smiled instantly. "I've been trying to call for a while but it kept saying the line was busy."

"Yeah I was on the phone with Sookie," she explained.

"Ah.." There was an awkward silence and Lorelai twisted the phone cord between her fingers nervously.

"So is Rory asleep?" he asked.

"Yeah, she went down about a half hour ago." Luke nodded, even though she couldn't see him.

"How are you then?" he asked, hoping to start a conversation this way.

"I'm good," she replied. "I've been a whole lot better since our conversation earlier."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, liking the direction this was taking.

"Yeah um...I kinda miss you though," she admitted.

"I miss you too," he replied. "But we're taking things slow remember?"

"I know, I just...wanna talk to you," she shrugged.

"We're talking now."

"But it's not the same; I wanna see your face while we talk."

"Well someday there'll be some amazing technology where you can talk to people on some screen or something." Lorelai smiled at his thought.

"Or we could just talk face to face, you know?"

"Not now," he said in answer to her subtle question. "Taking things slow," he reminded her.

"But..."

"I can't Lorelai, who knows what'll happen if I come over there now." She frowned and was glad he couldn't see her.

"Ok, so are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm taking care of Jess for the night, but he's asleep so I'm bored."

"Did he get to sleep ok?"

"Yeah, he was out as soon as his head hit the pillow, lucky son of a..."

"Luke don't finish that sentence," she pleaded. "That's your sister you're talking about."

"Sorry, old habits," he apologised.

"It's ok, but Liz has changed right? She seems really together right now."

"Yeah she's doing well, I'm quite proud of her actually," he admitted.

"You should be."

"She couldn't have gotten there without you though," he said quietly. Lorelai blushed.

"What do you mean?"

"You helped her become a good mother, she looks up to you, you're her role model."

"I didn't do that much," she said modestly.

"Just be pleased with yourself ok? I know I'm grateful."

"Thanks Luke, I...I love you," she said hesitantly.

"I love you too Lorelai." She could hear the smile in his voice. The line went silent for a while before Lorelai spoke up again.

"Hey Luke? Wanna watch a movie?" she asked.

"How?"

"Well what have you got over there?"

"Um...just stuff you've left here, hang on, I'll check." She waited while he shuffled around his apartment, looking for her videos. He returned a couple of minutes later. "I got some of Rory's Disney stuff but the only thing I have of yours is Casablanca," he told her.

"Ooh Casablanca, I love that movie," she said excitedly. "I have two copies you know, hang on." She put the phone on her bed and hurried over to her video collection, searching for one of her favourite movies. When she'd found it, she went back over to her bed and picked up the receiver. "I've got it," she said. "Wanna watch it?"

"How exactly? I'm here and you're there."

"Well you put your tape in and I'll put mine in and we can press play at the same time," she suggested. Luke caught onto her plan and nodded.

"Ok go put yours on and I'll put mine in."

"Dirty," she said cheekily.

"Jeez Lorelai."

"What you walked right into it?" she asked innocently. He smiled to himself.

"Just go put the tape in."

"Ok, ok." She set the phone down again and walked over to the TV set, slotting the tape into the slot and waiting for it to load. She picked a bag of red vines from the cupboard then got settled on the bed, making sure she was comfortable before she picked up the phone again. "I'm back," she announced.

"What took you so long? All you had to do was slot the tape in."

"I was getting snacks," she explained. "Now are you ready to feel the romance of Casablanca?" she asked, preparing him for the movie.

"Can we just press play?" he asked, irritated by her stalling.

"Ok," she rolled her eyes. "Ready? Press now." They both pressed play at the same time and watched as an advert showed on the screen.

"Can we skip these?" he asked.

"No, you know the rules Luke. We never skip the adverts on movie night."

"This isn't movie night," he pointed out. "We're in separate homes."

"It's the same concept." The line went quiet for a few moments before Lorelai became suspicious. "Is that fast forwarding I hear? Lucas Danes stop that right now," she scolded. Luke chuckled.

"Come on, the adverts are boring," he complained.

"God, you're impossible," she said while shaking her head.

"Fine, I'll stop fast forwarding," he agreed.

"Now we're at different places in the movie," she whined dramatically.

"Well fast forward to the opening credits and I'll pause till you get there."

"Fine, but this is the only time I'll skip the ads," she warned. She found the place she wanted to be and hit play at the same time he did. They watched the movie together, over the phone of course, Lorelai commenting on how great it was while Luke rolled his eyes, glad he couldn't be seen. He was enjoying this, even though they weren't next to each other, he was having a good time. Maybe this taking it slow business wouldn't be so bad after all."

**Ahhh and it's finished *sighs*. That just felt really, really long to write. But it's all done now :D I hope you liked it, I'm not sure how I feel about it. Ok so this A/N is gonna be shorter than the last chapter's. I hope you take a minute or two to review...is it me or did that rhyme? Pleeeaaase? You have no idea how happy it made me to make it to 600!**

**Oh and to 'melako17', I hope you didn't mind me using your idea in this chapter, about the town meeting haha, it was good, thanks!**

**Until next time **

**Emily.**


	41. Fish and Raw Eggs

**Hello lovely people **** now, first I have to apologise because I haven't updated in over a week. I do have an excuse; my internet connection has broken so I haven't had a chance to update. At the moment I am sat in McDonald's using their free wifi :P that's how desperate I am to update this story! So forgive me, please.**

**Anyway thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter, and thanks to theatrequeen2195 (I think that's your penname lol) for reviewing twice! Sorry for making you wait. I hope you enjoy this, I have had a teeny bit of writer's block but I think I managed to overcome it.**

Lorelai eagerly stood by the window of the potting shed, tapping her foot impatiently. Luke was dropping by to pick them up, as they had planned to take Rory to the aquarium. He was ten minutes late though and Lorelai was beginning to think he wasn't coming.

"Mama," Rory whined from where she was standing by the door. She was already clad in her winter coat, hat, scarf and gloves, all set to go out into the harsh January climate. Lorelai looked away from the window and walked over to her daughter slowly.

"I know honey, he'll be here soon," she promised, trying to be optimistic for her little girl. It had been two days since she'd talked to Luke, they hadn't spoken since their 'movie night' and that's when they'd arranged to go out. That was on Sunday; it was now Tuesday and Lorelai was more than a little bit nervous.

Rory smiled at her mother tiredly then fell back onto her bottom. Lorelai chuckled and patted her hat covered head lovingly. She went over to her bed and collected the diaper bag, throwing it over her shoulder carelessly before reaching in and offering Rory a cup of juice.

"No," she protested, shaking her head insistently.

"Ok maybe later," Lorelai shrugged as she placed it back in the bag. "Come on Luke, where are you?" she asked no one in particular.

"Dada?" Rory asked curiously.

"Yeah sweets, we're waiting for daddy to get here so we can go see the fish!" she said excitedly.

"Fish," Rory repeated, clapping her hands together.

"That's right," she praised. There was a firm knock at the door and Lorelai rushed over to it, while Rory scrambled to her feet. "Hey," she greeted when she opened the door.

"Hi," he replied, nervously adjusting his cap. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah we've been ready for the last fifteen minutes haven't we sweets?"

"I uh...thought you'd take a while so I came later," he shrugged.

"Well for once I was actually ready on time," she told him. Luke nodded then took his attention to Rory, who was standing at his feet.

"Hey Ror, are you looking forward to going to the aquarium?" he asked as he scooped her up into his arms. Rory giggled in reply. "Do you wanna see the fish?"

"Fish," she said, smiling widely at him.

"Yup, we're gonna see lots of fish, and sharks," he added. Rory beamed at him, obviously excited for their day out. He turned around and began to walk up to the inn, Lorelai followed, locking the door of the potting shed behind her before scurrying along behind them.

XXX

Patty, Babette and Gypsy hurried down the street towards Doose's. They had seen Rachel enter a few minutes ago and had set their plan in motion, excited to see the results. Andrew had run up to the apartment above the market and opened the window, sticking his head out to see where the three women were.

"Did you mean this window Patty?" he called as the women crossed the street and turned to look at him.

"No, the one to the left," she replied, motioning with her hand for him to move over. He nodded and repositioned himself at the next window, right above the entrance to Doose's.

"Ok Andrew, when we give you the thumbs up, tip the bucket upside down and get out of sight as soon as possible," Gypsy ordered. Andrew nodded again, taking the task very seriously. He liked Luke and Lorelai together; he didn't want some psycho ex girlfriend messing anything up between them.

The three women watched the door to the market intently for a few minutes, but Rachel didn't exit. They waited a further five minutes until the door swung open and her long red locks came into visibility. The three women quickly gave their thumbs up to Andrew and he tipped the bucket up on cue, drenching Rachel with the cold water as she stepped out of the market.

They heard her shriek and cast their eyes over to where she was standing, dripping wet outside the market. She was clutching her upper arms as she shivered uncontrollably, and she tilted her head to find out where the water had come from. No one was there and she furrowed her brows before her eyes found the three gossiping women standing across the street. They were laughing, most probably at her, and she clenched her teeth angrily before storming off down the street.

"Oh hey Rachel," Kirk greeted her as he walked in the opposite direction. "Looks like you need a towel; I didn't think it was raining." The angry teen scowled at him then carried on her journey down the street, what was wrong with this town?

XXX

Lorelai, Luke and Rory arrived at the aquarium in Hartford after a fairly quiet drive. It had been quite awkward, even though the teens had plenty to say to each other over the phone a couple of nights ago, now they didn't know what to talk about.

"How much is it to get in?" Lorelai asked as she fished around in the diaper bag for her wallet.

"Don't worry about it, I'll pay," he offered, being the gentleman that he is.

"It's fine," she dismissed. "I brought some money so..."

"Lorelai put your wallet away, I'm paying ok?" He was so insistent, she couldn't say no. She simply nodded in reply and stuffed her wallet back in the bag. "Here, take Rory while I get our tickets." She reached over and lifted her daughter out of Luke's arms, settling her on her hip.

"It says kids under twos get in free, so you don't have to get Rory a ticket," she told him as they reached the front of the queue. Luke handed over the money and the usher let the couple in, telling them to turn left once they get inside. They followed the room around to the left and soon found themselves in a corridor surrounded by tanks of fish. There were other kids scurrying around, pointing to specific types of fish and Rory watched them excitedly, wanting to be a part of the fun.

"Down," she demanded, leaning down to the floor. Lorelai set her on her feet and both she and Luke followed her as she stumbled over to one of the tanks and looked up longingly at it. She was a little too small to look directly into it so Luke lifted her up high enough to see. "Fish!" she exclaimed, watching the tiny creatures roam around; her eyes were following their every movement.

"These are tiny fish Ror," Luke informed. "When I go fishing I catch much bigger ones than that." The little girl looked at him curiously before looking back into the tank and smiling at the speedy fish as they chased one another. She soon got bored of that tank though, so they moved on. Rory pointed into the tank and grinned up at Luke. "These are called clown fish," he told her.

"Cow fish," she repeated.

"Yeah something like that," he replied with a chuckle. "Do you like the colour of them?" he asked. "They're orange." Rory looked at him, smiled, then took her attention back to the fascinating fish before her. Luke grinned proudly as he watched his little girl, then he remembered her mother was here too.

He looked over his shoulder and frowned slightly when he saw Lorelai standing awkwardly behind them. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she focussed on the ground in front of her, she looked awkward and uncomfortable. She looked up and caught his stare, quickly covering up her previous expression with a fake smile, one that was transparent to Luke.

"You ok?" he asked, worried she wasn't having a good time.

"Yeah I'm fine," she replied, brushing away whatever emotion she was feeling. Luke nodded then turned back to Rory, who was pointing towards a larger tank a little further along from where they were.

"Do you wanna go over there?" he asked.

"Yesh," the little girl said excitedly. He swung Rory onto his hip and made his way over to the next tank. Lorelai followed close behind, not really having that good of a time. It was great seeing Rory enjoying herself so much, and to see her and Luke bonding, but she was feeling like a spare part. She wasn't sure she was even wanted here, she felt like she was intruding on a day out, rather than someone who was invited.

Luke looked back to see if Lorelai was following them and flashed her a small smile. She returned it but again, Luke could see right through it. He furrowed his brows then took his attention back to Rory. The little girl was staring confusedly at the floaty creatures before her.

"Ask mommy to come and see the fish," he whispered in his daughter's ear, determined to make sure Lorelai had a good time today. Rory looked around and grinned when she spotted Lorelai stood a few feet behind them.

"Mama, fish," she exclaimed, pointing towards the tank. Lorelai stepped closer so she was standing next to Luke and smiled at Rory.

"Yeah, these are jellyfish," she told her. "They sting you real bad." Rory frowned, not really understanding. She looked back at the weird fish and reached over to rest her palms against the glass of the tank enclosure. Luke smiled at Lorelai and she returned the gesture, before turning away and heading over to the next tank. They looked around them all in that area then followed a corridor around to the next part.

Luke looked over at Lorelai as she walked next to him through the dimly-lit corridor. He twisted his mouth doubtfully but decided to take the plunge. He looked forward again, focussing on where he was going as he moved his hand around at his side, searching for hers. He found it and wrapped his fingers around it firmly. Lorelai looked down at their joined hands, then up at Luke and smiled nervously before looking in front of her again.

"Oh wow sweets," Lorelai exclaimed when they reached the next area of sea creatures. There was a giant pool containing turtles and the teen rushed over to them, letting go of Luke's hand in the process.

"There," Rory pointed towards the pool and tapped Luke's shoulder insistently.

"Ok we're going over there," he replied in a 'give me a minute' tone.

"Look at those," Lorelai said; she herself was in awe at the large reptiles. The little girl smiled at her mother then stared down at the interesting creatures.

"Mine," she said as she pointed to the largest turtle in the pool.

"You want one?" Lorelai asked.

"Yesh," Rory replied.

"I don't think you could get one of these," Luke interrupted, shaking his head. Rory pouted at him and he avoided looking at her too much.

"Why not Luke?" Lorelai asked jokingly. He rolled his eyes and proceeded to answer her.

"Because they're big..."

"Dirty," she cut him off before he could carry on.

"Jeez, let me finish." She shrugged but let him finish his mini-rant. "As I was saying, they're big, stinky, ugly and just plain weird. They're probably expensive to keep, plus there wouldn't be anywhere to put it anyway and we'd spend half our lives cleaning the damn thing."

"Ok Luke, we won't get a turtle, will we Ror?" she asked her daughter. Rory pouted some more and Luke chuckled.

"Pouting is not gonna persuade me to buy you a turtle," he told her. Rory whimpered but Luke was adamant about this. "No," he said firmly. Rory began to cry quietly.

"Rory stop crying," Lorelai said, smoothing the little girl's hair away from her face. "If daddy says you can't have a turtle then he means it." Rory sniffled and looked up at Luke sadly.

"How about we see about getting you a fish instead?" he asked, trying to win back her love. Rory's pouty face turned into a smile and she clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Fish, fish, fish," she repeated over and over again. After the word was said at least ten times, Lorelai was sick of hearing it.

"Ok sweets, you don't have to keep saying fish," she said in an attempt to stop her. Rory's mouth closed, cutting off her monologue.

"Let's see what's next," Luke suggested, taking Lorelai's hand in his again. She smiled at the contact, it made her all tingly, the way it always did.

"Bye bye tutwes," Rory mumbled to the almost stationery turtles. She didn't quite get the word right though. The small family walked through the set of open double doors into a tunnel. It was surrounded by many kinds of sea creatures; small fish, large fish, sharks, the works.

"Ah a shark," Lorelai half screamed, taking her hand out of Luke's and clutching onto his arm instead. Luke smiled at the fact that she was using him as protection; it showed she still had some trust in him.

"It can't get to you," he informed her, slightly amused by her outburst.

"I know, it's just scary," she half whispered, so to avoid embarrassment. "It's like right above us. If this glass gave way, we'd all be eaten by sharks."

"They're only baby sharks," he deadpanned.

"Still," she shrugged.

"Do you really have to think about things like that? The glass is not gonna fall through, you watch too many movies."

"And which movie does the glass fall through on exactly?" she asked, knowing she hadn't seen any.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "You're the movie expert."

"Yeah and there are no movies where that happens, so be quiet," she warned.

"Ok, calm down," he said jokingly. They looked at Rory and saw her mouth hanging open in awe as a quite large shark swam over them. "Do you know what that is Ror?" he asked. The little girl shook her head.

"It's a shark," Lorelai replied. "They eat people."

"Don't tell her that," he scolded. "She's just a baby; we don't want her to have nightmares about today do we?" Lorelai chuckled at his overprotective dad attitude.

"She'll be fine Luke, chill out." Lorelai looked down at Rory, who was still sat on Luke's hip, and grinned at her as she reached her arms out to her daughter. "They swim around in the big blue sea." She moved in closer to Rory for effect. "Then when they find something that looks tasty, like a human being, they get closer." She moved in again. "And prepare for attack." She placed her hands on Rory's shoulders and shook gently before moving her head towards Rory's. "That's when they bite into you!" she finished dramatically, causing Rory to squeal as her mom nuzzled her neck, pretending to be a shark.

"No mama," Rory managed to say through her fits of giggles. The 'attack' continued and Luke found himself chuckling at their antics. Rory squirmed in Luke's arms as Lorelai continued to tickle her, sending her into another round of giggling.

"Alright, you're attracting attention," Luke complained, embarrassed by all the eyes watching them. Lorelai grinned at him, kissed Rory's forehead, then clung onto Luke again when another shark swam over them.

"God I hate those things," she cringed, watching the violent sea creature carefully.

"Come on, let's walk on a bit further," Luke suggested, slinging his arm around her waist to guide her forwards. Lorelai smiled at the contact, not realising until now how much she'd missed it in the last couple of days.

"There!" Rory shouted, pointing towards a flat fish that was swimming close to the glass. The teens looked in the direction of Rory's finger and made their way over to the glass.

"That's a flatfish," Luke told her. Rory ignored him though; her eyes remained on the interesting shaped fish as it moved through the water, a small smile traced her lips. After it had disappeared, they began to walk through the glass tunnel again, Luke's arm still wrapped around Lorelai's waist as she leaned into him slightly.

"Down," Rory demanded, pushing away from Luke eagerly. He put her on her feet and they both watched as she toddled along in the darkened tunnel, looking up at the fish as she went. Luke turned his head to look at Lorelai and smiled shyly.

"Having a good time?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah this is really nice," she replied, smiling back at him cheerfully.

"Good," he said.

"Rory's really enjoying herself," she added.

"I know, this was a good idea."

"It was your idea," she reminded him.

"I know, and it was a good one," he smirked. "I didn't think she'd be this interested, I mean, she's a girl," he shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, smiling a little at his theory.

"Well girls are all like 'eww a fish'," he mimicked, causing Lorelai to laugh at his impression of a girl's voice. "Rather that or they're scared of them; you proved that today," he chuckled, gaining a slap on the arm.

"That is so sexist, really Lucas," she scolded, shaking her head.

"But it's true," he defended. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders in defeat and looked down at her daughter. She was gazing up at the sharks while she stumbled, her mouth wide open in interest. She was so enthralled that she didn't see the group of people stood in front of her, and she walked right into them. She fell backwards onto her butt then looked up at the people that were in her way.

"Rory," Lorelai said, picking her daughter up from the floor. "Watch where you're going." The little girl grinned at her mischievously.

"Sorry," Luke apologised to the group of people staring at them. "She was looking up at the sharks," he told them, making it into an excuse. The group nodded then turned back into their huddle, completely ignoring the two teenagers.

"Well some people are happy aren't they?" Lorelai asked sarcastically, joining hands with Luke as she balanced Rory on her hip.

"Oh yeah, just peachy," he replied as he gave her hand a squeeze. Lorelai grinned at him then carried on through the tunnel until they reached the end.

"I wanna see the penguins," Lorelai said excitedly, looking around for some kind of sign that would tell them where to find them.

"I think they're outside," Luke replied, glad that she was finally showing some enthusiasm.

"But it's really cold outside," she stated confusedly.

"They're penguins Lorelai," he deadpanned. She shrugged embarrassedly when she realised what she'd just said.

"Ok so that was a stupid comment," she observed. "But it is cold outside so we'll be cold."

"That's why we're wearing coats and scarves." She shrugged again.

"Are you ready to go outside sweets?" she asked her daughter, ignoring Luke's attempts to embarrass her.

"Yesh," Rory replied.

"Do you have your coat fastened?"

"Yesh."

"Is your scarf tight enough?"

"Yesh."

"Is your hat on right?"

"Yesh."

"Are your..."

"Lorelai we get the picture," Luke interrupted. "Rory's just gonna answer yes despite what you ask her."

"Just making sure," she said innocently, grinning at him.

"Come on, let's go outside." Lorelai squealed excitedly, tugging on Luke's hand to get him to walk faster.

"Aww Rory look!" she exclaimed as the penguins came into view. The little girl looked in the direction of Lorelai's finger and her mouth dropped open when she saw them. "Oh I want one."

"Not this again," Luke growled with a roll of his eyes. "I told Rory she couldn't have a turtle so there's no way you're getting a penguin."

"But look how cute they are," she gushed. "Waddling around like that."

"It's like you've never seen a penguin before," he mumbled.

"Only in pictures," she replied. "I've never seen a real penguin," she said sadly.

"What you never went anywhere like this as a kid?"

"Nope, my parents never took me to see them, it didn't matter how much I begged, they said no." Luke glanced at her and frowned at her saddened expression as she watched the penguins he put Rory on her feet then moved in behind Lorelai, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"They are kinda cute," he shrugged, erupted a giggle from Lorelai.

"No way did Luke Danes just say penguins were cute."

"I said kinda cute," he defended, brushing his nose against her neck briefly before looking forward again.

"It's just so not like you."

"How so?"

"You're Luke," she shrugged. "You don't do cute."

"Yeah well I've been influenced."

"By me?"

"Yep, congratulations," he said gruffly. Lorelai chuckled and turned her head slightly so she was almost looking at him. A comfortable silence engulfed them as they watched their daughter wave at the penguins while they revelled in the closeness they were currently sharing. A loud growl came from Lorelai's stomach and Luke chuckled, he knew she'd start getting hungry soon. "I think that means it's time for lunch," he mumbled into her shoulder.

"I think that would be a very wise idea," she replied, matching his tone.

"What do you say Rory, time for lunch?" he asked, not gaining a reaction from her. "Rory," he repeated, but it was no use, she was too interested in the penguins.

"Come on babe, time to eat," said Lorelai, wriggling out of Luke's embrace so she could pick up her daughter.

"Noooo," Rory protested, reaching her arms out towards the penguins.

"We'll come back to see the penguins again after lunch ok?" she promised. Rory just looked up at her sulkily, a look that both Luke and Lorelai ignored. They couldn't let her get her own way all the time, she'd grow up into a spoiled brat if they allowed that. They reached the aquarium's restaurant and Luke guided Lorelai to a table.

"I'll grab a high chair," said Luke as he set the diaper bag on a spare chair. "Look at the menu and decide what you want." Lorelai nodded and watched as he walked away, admiring his butt as he went. God he had a nice butt. He returned a minute or so later with a plastic high chair and took a seat opposite Lorelai as she lowered Rory into it.

"Luke everything's healthy here," she whined while she perused the menu.

"Let's take a look." He grabbed another menu and chuckled when he saw a selection of sandwiches and baked potatoes printed on it. "You'll just have to eat salad," he shrugged. Lorelai scrunched up her face in disgust.

"I want a burger."

"You have a burger every day, can't you eat a normal sandwich once in a while?"

"Fine," she huffed. "What looks remotely edible?" After scanning the menu for five or ten minutes, Lorelai finally settled on a BLT, whereas Luke chose a turkey salad and tomato soup for Rory.

"Wait here while I go order at the counter." He got up and began to walk away.

"Luke!" she called, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around, showing her she had his attention so she'd continue. "Don't forget coffee," she shouted across the restaurant, gaining a few stares and glances. Luke rolled his eyes then turned around to continue his journey to the counter. Their food arrived within ten minutes; it was only sandwiches and soup after all. Luke watched Lorelai as she lifted the top slice of bread from her sandwich and grimaced at the lettuce and tomato

"Just eat it," he ordered, the way you would with a child.

"It's gross," she complained. She picked off all the lettuce and the few slices of tomato and shoved them carelessly to the side of her plate, before rearranging the bread and taking a huge bite of her bacon sandwich. "That's so good," she hummed in appreciation.

"It's bacon and bread."

"Good bacon and bread," she corrected, taking another bite. He sighed and shook his head, before taking his attention to Rory.

"How's that soup Ror?" he asked softly.

"Ummy," she replied, grinning widely. A spoonful of soup made it's way down her chin and dripped onto her t shirt.

"It's a shame mommy doesn't like tomatoes," he said, smiling at Lorelai.

"Not everyone likes fruit," Lorelai shrugged.

"Don't I know it?" he chuckled. She picked up her coffee mug and grinned at him over the rim as she took a long sip.

"So what do we still have left to see?" she asked as she polished off her sandwich. Luke plucked the leaflet from the diaper bag and read through what they still had left in store.

"There are whales and dolphins," he informed, watching as Lorelai's face lit up.

"Dolphins?" she asked excitedly. "That's so cool! Dolphins are definitely better than penguins." Luke grinned at her sudden excitement as he took another bite from his sandwich. He was glad they came to the aquarium today.

XXX

Rachel strolled down the street warily. After the earlier incident, she didn't feel comfortable walking around town anymore. She reached Luke's and stopped at the edge of the window so she'd be out of sight, then peeked in carefully. There was no sign of Luke; the diner was quiet, the lunch rush having just ended so he could be in the storage room.

She took a deep breath and made her way to the door, pushing it open tentatively. She knew she shouldn't be here, in the diner, it was dangerous territory. But she had to talk to Luke, especially since there was trouble in paradise. She noticed a twenty something man appear from the direction of the storage room and approached him cautiously.

"Is um Luke here?" she asked, almost shyly. It was mostly nerves though.

"Uh no he's not here at the moment," Ben replied cheerily.

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

"Well he's out with Lorelai and Rory at the moment, so he probably won't be back for a while." Rachel clenched her teeth.

"I thought he broke up with Lorelai," she stated. Ben shrugged and looked suspiciously at the young woman.

"They're working things out," he replied. He noticed how red she was becoming, and became even more suspicious. "Can I ask what your name is?"

"Rachel," she muttered distractedly. Caesar had been watching from the kitchen window. He had attended the town meeting and knew of the town's plans, but he thought there was no harm in making up his own prank. He obviously didn't know Luke when he and Rachel were together, but he knew how close Luke and Lorelai were and anyone that tried to get between them would have to face the consequences. He liked Lorelai, she was nice and he didn't wanna see her get hurt, plus he didn't wanna deal with a grumpy boss.

He turned back to the omelette he was preparing before he was distracted and found it still in liquid form, that's when an idea hit him. He turned the gas off on the burner and made sure he had a tight grip on the handle of the frying pan. He tested the temperature of the raw egg, finding it still quite cool; he didn't wanna cause too much damage.

He poked his head out of the kitchen again and saw that Rachel was still standing there, harassing Ben about Luke and Lorelai's relationship.

"Look I don't know ok? Why won't you accept that answer?" Ben was rapidly becoming frustrated.

"I just wanna know where he is."

"Out with Lorelai and Rory, I already told you that."

"But where?"

"I. Don't. Know," he answered, spelling it out for her. She still didn't get the picture though.

"Hey Ben!" Caesar called as he rushed out of the kitchen, frying pan in hand. He deliberately swung the pan in Rachel's direction; pretending he hadn't seen her there and the raw egg flew towards her, before drenching her for the second time that day. This time it wasn't water though. Her scream was the first thing Caesar heard, and he swung around, trying to act surprised. "Oh my god I'm so sorry," he said, less than sincerely. Ben was trying hard to hold in his laughter but failing miserably.

"What is wrong with you, you idiot?" she screeched, obviously angry. Well wouldn't you be if someone threw raw eggs over you?

"Hand slipped," he shrugged innocently, doing well at hiding his smile.

"Was that my lunch?" Kirk asked, staring at Rachel.

"Yeah sorry Kirk," Caesar replied.

"No worries, it looks good on you Rachel." Rachel felt like screaming again, but instead she stamped her foot on the floor and hurried out of the diner. She was already beginning to get fed up of this.

"Whoa dude, what was that?" Ben asked, chuckling slightly.

"That's Rachel man, you know, Luke's ex girlfriend?"

"Oh," he said in realisation. "So it's like a hate thing huh?" Caesar rolled his eyes. He had some filling in to do for Ben.

XXX

Rachel stormed down the street having just left Luke's. She didn't expect to walk out of there covered in uncooked eggs, she wanted to leave with a rekindled relationship, didn't that go well? She turned the corner but before she could go any further, a foot stuck out from an alleyway; a foot she didn't see.

It sent her flying, and she finally landed on the ground with a loud thud. Her head snapped around to where the foot appeared from, but it had disappeared and the alleyway was left empty. She frowned, stood up, then let out a loud, piercing scream. She was really fed up of this.

XXX

Luke, Lorelai and Rory had walked around the entire aquarium, and were now heading over to the last stop; the dolphins. Lorelai had been looking forward to this the whole way round, annoying Luke with her constant chattering.

"We're here," she said, jumping up and down excitedly. "Can we go look, please, pleeeeaaaaase?" she begged. Luke rolled his eyes, but on the inside, he was beaming at her behaviour; it was like nothing had happened within the last week between them.

"Go on," he said, reaching his hand forward to point the way. He watched Lorelai rush over to the indoor dolphin pool and grinned when she started bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Aww look at them," she gushed. "They're so amazing." She was in awe now. Rory ran up behind her and clung onto her leg, silently asking to be lifted up. Lorelai looked down and smiled at her daughter. "Hey sweets, come on." She sat her on her hip and pointed towards the big fish.

"Shark," Rory said, pointing in the direction Lorelai was.

"No sweetie, these are dolphins," she told her. "Dolphins are nice; they don't eat you like sharks do." The little girl looked at her in interest before looking back to the sea creatures and smiling excitedly. Luke stood back, just happy to watch his girls having a good time.

Lorelai reached her hand towards the edge of the pool, attempting to get one of the dolphins to come over to her. After a few moments when they hadn't come over, she frowned and pulled it away, just as a dolphin poked it's head out of the water right where her hand just was. It looked up at them, sitting very still.

"Wow Rory look," Lorelai exclaimed. "The dolphin came to see us." Lorelai reached her hand out but Rory stopped her.

"No mama," she protested. "Bad."

"It's ok," she reassured her daughter. "Dolphin's aren't bad, they're good, look." She reached her hand all the way forward until it came into contact with the cool, smooth texture of the dolphin's nose. She stroked her hand up and down, smiling as the dolphin stayed there and allowed her to caress him.

"Me," Rory demanded, pointing towards the creature again. Lorelai lowered her a little bit so she could reach her short arm out to the dolphin. She stroked the dolphin's nose with her tiny hand and smiled to herself at the strange texture. "Soff," said Rory while looking up at Lorelai.

"Yeah it's really soft isn't it hon?" She looked up at Luke and smiled happily at him; this was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. He came up and stood next to them, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Dada wook," Rory said, grinning at him widely as her hand continued to move over the creature's nose.

"Yeah, wow," he replied, faking enthusiasm just for his little girl. The dolphin opened it's mouth and Rory eagerly stuck her hand inside. "No Ror," Luke told her. "Don't put your hand in it's mouth." She withdrew it immediately but still proceeded to pout, as did Lorelai.

"Can I put my hand in?" Lorelai asked sweetly, smiling at his perplexed expression.

"No, it's dangerous," he replied sternly. He was only looking out for his girls.

"It's ok to put your hand in," informed a staff member from the aquarium. He'd obviously overheard their conversation. "They won't bite you, I'll show you." He rested his hand on the dolphin's tongue and stroked it gently. "See, they're very friendly creatures, they get on very well with humans."

"Cool," Lorelai exclaimed. "I wanna do it!" The man took his hand away and allowed Lorelai to put hers in. As soon as her hand came into contact with the leathery texture, she grinned with excitement. "That feels so weird," she said. "Here sweets, put your hand in." She grabbed Rory's wrist and placed her hand on the mammal's tongue, watching her daughter's face light up with interest. "Does it feel strange?"

"Yesh," Rory replied with a smile. She looked up at Luke and gestured for him to have a try.

"Nah I'm ok," he told her, causing Rory to pout again.

"Pease?" she asked sweetly.

"Yeah please Luke," begged Lorelai jokingly. "Please touch this dolphin's tongue." He scowled at her before moving in and hesitantly touching the pink body part.

"That's gross," he remarked, taking his hand away quickly.

"So you can catch fish and cut them up but you can't touch a dolphin's tongue?" Lorelai asked, not really understanding why.

"I don't usually cut the fish up after I catch them; I put them back into the water."

"What's the point of that?" Luke shrugged in answer to her question.

"If I cut them up then I'd have killed them, I prefer to keep them alive." She smiled at his caring attitude; it was so Luke.

After another ten minutes of hanging around by the dolphins, the young family set off back to Stars Hollow. Rory fell asleep in the car, even over Lorelai's incessant chattering about dolphins all the way home. After what seemed like a lifetime for Luke, he parked up outside the inn and opened the door for Lorelai, before retrieving Rory from her car seat.

They reached the potting shed and Luke went to Rory's room while Lorelai shrugged out of her winter wear. He emerged five minutes later and awkwardly walked over to the kitchen, where Lorelai was making a cup of coffee.

"So did you have a good time today?" he asked nervously. They'd been together all day and there was no awkwardness between them, but now that they were in more private surroundings, they were both slowly crawling back into their shells.

"Yeah, I think we established that by my huge rant the whole ride back from Hartford."

"Good, I'm glad," he said shyly. Lorelai nodded; she still hadn't turned to look at him, she was solely focussing on making her cup of coffee. "We should do something like that again sometime, Rory really enjoyed herself so..."

"Yeah that'd be good," she replied, only half sounding like she meant it.

"Or you know, we don't have to if you don't want to," he shrugged, trying to sound like it didn't bother him what she chose to do. She could hear the hurt and disappointment though.

"I said it'd be good," she told him, turning away from the counter with her coffee cup held tightly between her fingers.

"Ok," he answered nervously. He wasn't sure what this meant for them, they'd been walking around holding hands and showing affection towards each other all day; was she regretting that now? He decided to call her up on it, it was the only way he would find out what she really wanted. "Lorelai?"

"Yeah?"

"Erm...you know today, we were acting like uh...like we used to...like before all that...stuff happened?" He was so nervous, but he didn't know why.

"Hmm," she replied, confused at where he was going with this.

"Well um...is that not what you want? Cause you seemed...happy today, especially when we were like uh...holding hands and stuff, but now you don't seem that bothered." He wasn't looking at her, he couldn't, he was too scared at what her answer would be. Lorelai on the other hand was taken aback; yes she was happy with how they had acted all day, it felt like old times. But they still had a long way to go.

"Yes I enjoyed today," she started quietly. "I liked feeling your hand in mine and all that, but that was like one step along a long line of stepping stones," she said. She didn't wanna hurt his feelings, but this had to be said. "We started on the road back to where we were before today, but there's still quite a way we've gotta go. It's gonna take a bit of time." She was almost whispering now, trying to break it to him in the easiest way possible.

"Ok so...we can go out like that again, so we can go a bit further?" he asked, just to make sure he was clear about the path they were on.

"Yeah, I had a really great time today, it was fun," she said with a shy smile. "And maybe we could go out just the two of us sometimes, like we did before we became a proper couple."

"Ok, yeah that sounds good," he said with a nod. He was gonna take whatever he could get. "So I should get going." He stepped closer to her and left a soft kiss on her cheek. He smiled at her as he moved away and walked towards the door. "Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah we'll be in for breakfast," she replied, also smiling at him.

"Good, will you kiss Rory goodnight for me later?"

"Sure, you can call around eight if you want. That way you can say goodnight to her yourself."

"Ok, I'll call around eight then." It went silent for a few moments and Lorelai walked over to where he was standing at the door. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, as he'd done to her, then smiled shyly at him.

"See you in the morning then." He nodded, blushing a little as he gaze bore into him, then opened the door. They said their final goodbyes, and once Lorelai had closed the door, Luke looked back towards the potting shed. He longed for the day that he would get to kiss her soft lips again, it hadn't even been a week and he already missed their romantic gestures like crazy. It was only a matter of time, he thought.

**Right, this chapter was quite hard for me to write...cause I'm really scared of fish. I have an actual phobia of them! No I'm not making this up. So writing a seven thousand word chapter about fish wasn't really easy for me haha, but I got through it...thank god! Also sorry for ending it here, but I was getting quite hungry so I wanted to hurry round to McDonald's to post it hehe. I hope you enjoyed it; if you did, please tell me in a review! I will be able to check my email on my BlackBerry so I won't miss them **** I also have to apologise for not replying to your reviews...again I have no internet and I can't work out how to do it on the mobile site on my phone :S **

**Sorry for the rant, please review :P and I will try to update quicker! I can't keep you amazing readers waiting can I?**

**Emily.**


	42. Motherly Love

**Aha I can't believe it, I updated in two days **** I think I'm getting back to my old ways! It's cause my internet is fixed :D**

**Now I had some mixed reactions to the last chapter; I know it wasn't great, but it was kinda rushed lol. I hope this chapter's better, I've been working on it on and off for the last couple of days. It's long anyway! Thank you for the reviews...there were less but I won't complain about it because it was still a satisfactory number. Thank you so much and I think I replied to most of you earlier today. Hope you enjoy this.**

"Gah I just don't know Sook," Lorelai whined on Friday morning. She'd gone into the kitchen for coffee before work started, and of course, some good old advice from her best friend.

"Well do you want him to go?" Sookie asked, trying her best to solve Lorelai's dilemma.

"It'd be strange for him not to, I mean my mom will definitely know something's wrong if he doesn't turn up, but if he does then she'll see how awkward it us between us and ask questions." She sighed heavily. "I don't know what I should do."

"It's a vicious circle," Sookie observed. "Why don't you talk to Luke about it and see what he wants to do?" Lorelai screwed her face up; obviously not keen on the idea. "Why not?" she asked, having the ability to read Lorelai's expression. Lorelai groaned and threw her head down onto the counter in front of her.

"Things have been so weird between us lately," she mumbled.

"But you both had a great time on Tuesday right?" Lorelai sat up straight again and nodded at Sookie.

"But it didn't fix everything between us automatically, there're a lot of things still left up in the air unanswered."

"Well go answer them," she shrugged. When she saw her friend's uncertain expression, she frowned. "Honey you're not even eighteen yet, relationships shouldn't be this complicated."

"I know but that's how it is," she replied. "It's all Rachel's fault."

"Ooh speaking of Rachel," she began excitedly. "Remember I told you that Miss Patty and Babette held a meeting to think up a way to get rid of her?" Lorelai nodded eagerly. "Major stuff's being going down around town, ha I rhymed," she said thoughtfully. She stopped there though so Lorelai felt the need to prompt her to continue.

"Sook, you were saying?"

"Oh yeah, well on Tuesday morning, Andrew poured a bucket of water all over her outside Doose's," she squealed, giggling uncontrollably. Lorelai's mouth dropped open in shock, she never expected them to resort to pranks like that, she thought they were just gonna verbally abuse her, nothing physical.

"Are you serious?"

"Yup, a whole bucket of ice cold water dumped right on that red head of hers."

"No way, I never thought they'd do anything like that."

"Well they have and apparently it's working." Lorelai's interest peaked.

"Oh yeah?"

"She's getting really fed up of it; it's only a matter of time before she's out of town."

"Where are you getting all this from?"

"Kirk," she shrugged. "I think he's following her."

"Wouldn't surprise me. So they've been playing pranks on her?" she asked to confirm.

"Yeah, like while you were at the aquarium, she went into the diner and started questioning Ben about your relationship with Luke." She noticed Lorelai's irritation at hearing that. "And Caesar overheard while he was preparing an omelette..." She trailed off, allowing Lorelai to work it out for herself. After a few moments of confusion, her eyes widened in shock.

"He didn't," she stated.

"Oh yes he did," she bellowed. "She had raw egg all over her."

"Sookie this isn't good." Sookie's smile turned into a frown.

"Why not? I thought you'd be really happy about this."

"I'm happy that she's probably gonna leave soon but the way everyone's going about driving her away, it's just...childish. I thought they'd be a bit more tactful than that."

"But it's working," she stressed.

"I know, and that's great, it really is. I'd just prefer it if everyone stopped bullying her like that."

"Why? You hate her."

"Of course I hate her, it's just, I kinda feel sorry for her, you know?" Sookie shook her head. "Having a frying pan full of raw eggs thrown over you can't be nice, for anyone."

"So you want the town to stop driving her away?"

"No, I love that they're helping out like they are. When I moved here I never thought everyone would care so much about Rory and I, it feels nice to have so much support."

"But..."

"But I'd rather they altered their plan a little, maybe get rid of all the childish pranks and think up a new way to get her to leave."

"Got any ideas?"

"Not at the moment, but I'm sure if we get everyone involved we can think of something together."

"No we can't do that, they'll know I told you! I was supposed to keep it a secret from you," she panicked.

"Sook calm down, everyone knows you can't keep anything a secret for longer than ten minutes. And I was bound to find out right? I mean it's a small town and someone being soaked by raw eggs is something that's gonna travel around."

"Ok I guess," she agreed. "Just don't tell them it was me that told you."

"I won't, I promise." She sighed and rested her elbows on the counter before her.

"We still haven't sorted out your Friday night dinner dilemma," she said.

"I know, got a little carried away for a second there," she chuckled.

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I think...I'm gonna ask him to come."

"Yay, that's what I was hoping you'd say."

"But what if he says no?"

"Honey he won't say no, this is Luke we're talking about." Lorelai nodded unsurely as the door to the kitchen flew open and Mia appeared with a very upset Rory.

"Hey sweets," she said softly. "What's the matter huh?" She took the girl into her arms and rubbed her back soothingly.

"She was toddling around in my office and she walked into my desk," Mia chuckled.

"Silly Rory," Lorelai cooed. "We're you not watching where you were going?" Rory looked at her through her teary eyes before burying her face in her mom's shoulder.

"She banged her head on the handle of one of my drawers, she seems ok but you might wanna keep an eye on her to see if it swells up at all."

"Oh dear," she said, rubbing Rory's head with the palm of her hand. "You've never had an accident like this before have you hon?"

"Mamaaa," she whined, her sobs becoming quieter.

"I know baby, you'll be ok, shh."

"Are you taking her around the inn with you today?" Mia asked.

"What do you say sweetie, wanna stay with mommy today?" Rory pushed her face into Lorelai's neck and held onto her tighter. "I'll take that as a yes," she chuckled.

"Why are you working today anyway?" Sookie asked. "You don't usually work on Fridays."

"I had Tuesday off remember, so I offered to work today instead."

"Speaking of work," Mia interrupted. "I suggest the two of you carry on your gossiping after your shifts are over, I'm not paying you to stand around and talk about boys all day." Sookie and Lorelai giggled while Mia grinned at the two knowingly. "Come on, back to work," she ordered, clapping her hands together.

"But my coffee," Lorelai protested.

"Oh you drink too much of the stuff anyway, chop chop."

"You sound like Luke."

"Well I may have had some influence on the boy." She started towards the kitchen door. "If there's still an unmade bed in room four and if I can't smell food cooking in here in the next ten minutes, I'll come looking for you both," she warned, but it wasn't really sounding that threatening. It was Mia after all. The elder woman exited the kitchen, leaving the teenagers to conclude their gossiping session.

"He'll say yes," Sookie said with a nod.

"I hope so, I have to think of an excuse for my parents if he doesn't," she mumbled.

"He'll say yes," she repeated firmly. Lorelai nodded in reply, deciding to just agree with her best friend. "Good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it. Especially if I'm gonna make it through this dinner tonight."

"Your mom won't be that bad."

"If she catches on to mine and Luke's strange behaviour, she'll be all over me about it."

"Well act normal then, if you don't want her to be suspicious, don't give her a reason to be."

"That's easier said than done my friend."

"You'll be fine, now get to work before Mia fires us both." Lorelai nodded and made her way towards the kitchen door, Rory still in her arms. "And go to Luke's on your lunch break."

"Bye Sookie," she called as she left the kitchen.

"Don't be a coward!"

"I can't hear you!" Lorelai was in the lobby now, but Sookie's voice could still be heard. A few guests were glancing around, wondering where the unsuspecting noise was coming from. Mia strolled over to the kitchen, opened the door and put her hands on her hips. That shut Sookie up immediately.

XXX

By lunchtime, Rory was exhausted. The bump on the head had obviously affected her more than Lorelai had originally thought. It was rather that or the amount of time the toddler had spent crying that had worn her out.

"Shall we go get lunch at the diner babe?" Lorelai asked softly as she picked up her sleepy daughter. Rory's head immediately fell to Lorelai's shoulder and she was fast asleep within seconds. As they made it to the lobby, Mia was standing behind the desk and looked up at the two of them as they walked in.

"Who knew following you around could be so exhausting?" the elder woman asked jokingly, gesturing to the slumbering Rory.

"I know, usually she doesn't get tired for at least another two or three hours. It must be the bump on the head she had earlier," she frowned. Mia ran her fingertips over the area where she hit her head, feeling a slight bump starting to appear.

"She'll be ok, just let her sleep it off. There is a small bump where she hit it but it's nothing to worry about?"

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked worriedly, also running her fingers over Rory's injured head.

"Absolutely," she assured the young mom. "If it starts bothering her, give her some Tylenol, it works a treat."

"Tell me about it, it's a lifesaver sometimes."

"Good, now get yourself to that diner; I'm sure Lucas is waiting for you." Lorelai nodded, not bothering to correct her about their current status. Mia thought that after their day out on Tuesday, they had worked out their differences and were officially back together again. Lorelai hadn't filled her in on the whole story.

When she got to the diner, it was pretty much full, as it always was when she came in on her lunch break. She struggled to get through the door with the stroller but once she'd succeeded, she found only one seat available; her stool at the counter. She hurried over to it, but Kirk pushed past her and claimed it as his own.

"Hey," she whined. "I was gonna sit there."

"Too late, I already sat down," Kirk replied, grinning in accomplishment. "Should have gotten here faster."

"How fast do you want me to go with this thing?" she asked, tapping the stroller's handle. Kirk shrugged and turned around to face the counter, completely ignoring Lorelai's narrowed eyes. Luke appeared from the kitchen with two plates. He delivered them to their rightful owners then turned to walk back to the counter, stopping when he saw Lorelai standing there.

"Hey, why are you standing?" he asked curiously.

"Cause I was about to sit at the counter but Kirk pushed me out of the way," she replied, raising her voice so the annoying young man could hear.

"I got here first," he shrugged. "What can you do?" Luke scowled at him.

"You ordering, Kirk?" he asked.

"Not today," he replied. "I ate lunch at school."

"Then why are you sat in my diner right now?"

"Fancied a change of scenery," he shrugged. "I still have fifteen minutes till lunch is over."

"Then go sit in the gazebo, don't take up seats in my establishment."

"But it's cold outside."

"I don't care Kirk, I'm having to turn customers away cause there's nowhere for them to sit and you expect me to let you sit there and not order anything?"

"Well...yeah," he replied dumbly.

"I don't think so, get out," he ordered. Kirk's mouth dropped open in shock.

"But..."

"I said, get out!" he bellowed. He had no patience for people like Kirk today, he had an overflowing diner to deal with.

"Fine, I won't come back here anymore," he sulked before getting up and storming out of the building. Luke watched after him and shook his head in annoyance.

"He'll be back soon enough," Lorelai said knowingly as she claimed the seat she wanted in the first place.

"I hope not," he grumped. She smiled shyly at him then repositioned the stroller so she could keep an eye on Rory. "She's sleeping?" Luke asked confusedly.

"Yeah, she bumped her head earlier in Mia's office. I think it knocked it out of her a little," she said, frowning down at her daughter.

"What, is she ok?" he asked in a panic. Lorelai smiled to herself at how much he cared for her.

"She's fine, there's a little bump on her head but I think she'll survive," she assured him.

"Thank god, you nearly gave me a heart attack," he said, his hand resting on his chest.

"Can I get some coffee over here?" a customer called.

"Ooh refill for me too please," somebody else called. Luke sighed and picked up the pot.

"Duty calls," he told her as he moved away from the counter. Lorelai watched him rush around the packed diner as customer after customer demanded more coffee. After refilling seven mugs, the pot was empty and Lorelai frowned as he put it back into the coffee maker.

"No more coffee?" she asked.

"I'll make a new pot," he said. "You can have the first cup."

"First cup's always the best," she said appreciatively. "Then there's the second...and the third...and the..."

"Yeah I know how your mind works," he interrupted, cutting off her coffee rant. "Coffee won't be a minute."

"Cheeseburger and fries with onion rings," Caesar called from the kitchen window.

"Oh I think that's mine," said Lorelai, sticking her hand in the air.

"You didn't order yet," Luke replied gruffly. He delivered the plate then returned to his spot behind the counter. He turned to the coffee maker and filled a mug for Lorelai, the first cup as promised.

"Thanks," she said gratefully as she brought it to her lips and took a long, sensual sip. "Mmm first cup is always the best," she repeated from earlier. Luke smiled as he watched her enjoy it, even though he didn't approve of her addiction.

"So what do you want to eat?" he asked, trying to take his mind off how sexy she looked when she was drinking coffee.

"Um...I'll have burger and fries."

"There's a surprise," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Coming right up." She grinned and watched him give Caesar the order.

"So I have something to uh...to ask you," she said nervously.

"Oh yeah?" He planted himself in front of her behind the counter and looked at her in interest, waiting for her to continue.

"Yeah um...you know it's Friday and uh...usually on Fridays we have Friday night dinner cause it's well...Friday...so um." She cut herself off. She was really nervous and she knew how stupid she was sounding.

"You want me to come to Friday night dinner?" he asked, feeling a little more confident than she was. Lorelai simply nodded in reply, scared that if she spoke, she'd make a complete fool of herself. "Do your parents know about...what's been going on?" She shook her head, causing Luke to sigh. "So we go there and act like everything's normal?" She hesitated, before nodding cautiously. "Will you say something?" She cleared her throat and looked up at him.

"I think it'd be best if my parents didn't find out about all this, it's like they live in a separate world so there's no need to tell them about all this."

"But they'll know, well Emily will," he said, knowing that Lorelai was thinking the exact same thing. "If we go there, she'll sense something and then she'll ask questions."

"Maybe not," she said quietly.

"That's a really small maybe," he said pointedly.

"I know," she sighed. "But if you don't turn up there then she'll ask even more questions. And I'll be left to deal with them by myself."

"Well they're your parents Lorelai, maybe you should just tell them." She looked up at him, he wasn't sounding like Luke; her Luke would help her in any way he could, not unload everything onto her and let her sort it all out.

"Fine, don't come to dinner then," she said, raising her voice slightly. "I'll go by myself." She stood up and slipped into her coat before gripping the handle of the stroller and leaving the diner.

"Lorelai wait!" Luke called as he rounded the counter. He pushed his way out of the door and followed her down the street, grabbing her shoulder to stop her from going any further.

"What?" she asked as she turned around to look at him.

"Why are you walking away? I only said that they're your parents, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Yeah well you obviously don't wanna come to dinner so I thought I'd just leave you to get back to work."

"Look, it's not that I don't wanna go, I'm just saying that it's gonna be weird."

"I know it is, but it'll be even weirder if you don't show up at all." He sighed heavily, not quite sure what he should do. After a moment or two of contemplating, he had come to a decision.

"Ok, I'll come to dinner," he agreed. "But if your mother starts questioning me, I'm outta there."

"Ok," she replied, smiling weakly at him. "Pick us up at six fifteen?"

"Yeah, do you still want your food?"

"No I'll grab something at the inn, see you tonight." Luke nodded and stepped around the stroller so he could say goodbye to Rory. She was still sleeping so he left a light kiss on her cheek and whispered his goodbyes to her. He came to stand in front of Lorelai, they exchanged goodbyes, and then he left a hesitant kiss on her cheek. As he walked away, Lorelai watched him, hoping that he would take the next step and give her a proper kiss soon.

She continued along the street, thinking about dinner tonight. She was looking forward to seeing Luke that evening; they hadn't hung out together since Tuesday and she was missing his company a lot. She went into a daydream, thinking about what things would be like after they'd spent a bit more time together. They could be like they were just a week ago, before Rachel happened.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the person walking in the opposite direction to her. The stroller rammed into the person's legs, stopping her in her tracks. She snapped back to reality and noticed who she'd run into.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," she muttered before manoeuvring the stroller around the red head and picking up her pace to get away from her.

"You should watch where you're going," Rachel called after her. Lorelai didn't turn around though, she just carried on. She didn't want another fight. "So was it you who turned everyone against me huh?" she asked, loud enough for Lorelai to hear. She turned around and stared at Rachel.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on it's obvious. You get Luke out of town for the day so the townspeople can torment me with ice cold water and raw eggs, you don't think I'm that stupid do you?"

"I had nothing to do with that," she said truthfully. "That was the town's idea."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" she asked incredulously. "What so it was just some weird coincidence that you took Luke out of town the day everyone decided to bully me?"

"Yeah it was actually. Look I only found out about everything this morning, I swear I had nothing to do with it."

"Why should I believe you?"

"To be honest, you can believe whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me," she spat.

"Oh I will."

"Good. And I think the people in this town are right to drive you away like they are doing, that way everything can go back to normal around here."

"Oh I'm not leaving," she said smugly. "Luke and I will be together, we belong with each other and sooner or later he's gonna realise that."

"You're talking bull; Luke doesn't wanna be with you."

"And you think he wants to be with you? He doesn't wanna be tied down by a slut who couldn't keep her pants zipped up when she was sixteen. He doesn't want that burden." Lorelai was angry again but she wasn't letting it show like last time. Instead she took one look at Rachel, turned on her heel and carried on her walk back to the inn. She wasn't gonna resort to another fight, not in front of Rory. Plus, Rachel just wasn't worth the attention.

XXX

Lorelai worked quickly that afternoon, taking most of her anger and frustration out on the furniture she was cleaning. She'd left Rory in the stroller in Mia's office, telling the elder woman that once she woke up, to bring her upstairs. But Mia hadn't brought her up yet, so she was assuming that Rory was still sleeping.

The next couple of hours passed by all too quickly, and she soon found herself with no time left to prepare for what the evening would bring. She hurried out of the inn with Rory on her hip, she had just enough time to change into something more appropriate and maybe do something with her hair.

She was sat in front of her mirror when the doorbell rang, a hairbrush in her left hand and mascara in her right. She called for Rory to answer the door, not sure if the little girl would understand. She did though, and Lorelai watched as Rory walked towards the front door, reached up as far as she could, and tugged on the door handle. The door creaked open and Luke smiled down at his freakishly smart kid.

"Are you answering the door all by yourself?" he asked softly. He stepped into the potting shed and closed the door behind him, looking over at Lorelai who was expertly applying mascara and brushing her hair at the same time.

"I knew it'd be you at the door so I let her answer it," she explained, knowing she shouldn't let her one year old daughter answer the door by herself.

"Yeah I figured." He looked down at his daughter and grinned at her cheeky smile. "How about we get you all wrapped up huh?" he asked, his eyes searching the potting shed for her coat. He found it sprawled out on Lorelai's bed, along with her hat and gloves. He successfully put her coat and gloves on, but the hat was a different matter.

"No," she whined, batting his hand away when he tried to put it on her head.

"You need to wear your hat," he told her. "Your head will get cold if you don't."

"No," she protested. Luke sighed and looked up at Lorelai, who was packing things into her purse.

"What's up with her?" he asked. "She never usually minds when I put her hat on."

"It's cause I did her hair all nice," she explained, walking over to them and running her fingers through Rory's ponytails. "So doesn't want hat hair." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Girls are weird sometimes," he grumbled.

"Well not everyone likes wearing a hat as much as you do Lucas," she shrugged, grinning at him jokingly.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah I just need my coat." Luke grabbed it from the bed and held it open for Lorelai to shrug into. He made sure it was over her shoulders before turning around and holding the door open for her and Rory. They made their way to the truck through the icy grass; the snow had pretty much disappeared, and set off for the Gilmore's.

XXX

"I'm telling you, she's still here," Babette said to the group of townies gathered at their table in the diner. Ben was closing up tonight and he kept glancing over at the group curiously.

"Even after the raw eggs?" Gypsy asked.

"Yeah," the elder woman confirmed. "If having three uncooked eggs thrown over you doesn't get you to leave then what does?"

"We need to get Luke involved," Patty said decisively.

"But he and Lorelai aren't supposed to know," Kirk protested. "It was in the rules."

"Oh stuff the rules; we made them so we can break them."

"But Taylor made the rules," he argued. "You can't ignore what he said."

"Watch us honey." Patty smiled at him charmingly but Kirk wasn't having any of it, and stormed out of the diner.

"Idiot," Babette mumbled as she watched him sprint across the square, stopping by the gazebo to catch his breath.

"Right so we need to tell Luke?" Andrew asked to confirm their plan.

"Yes, if anyone can get her to leave, it's him," she said logically.

"Ooh maybe we can get Luke to play a prank on her," Sookie suggested excitedly. "Yeah that'll work, then she'll finally realise that he doesn't want her here."

"Honey, as nice as that idea is, how do we get grumpy Luke Danes to play a prank?"

"Lorelai could persuade him, she's real good at doing that."

"I don't know," Babette frowned. "Maybe there's nothing more we can do."

"It's out of our hands now," Patty sighed. "Our main reason for doing this was to get Luke and Lorelai back on the right track; they seem to be slowly going back into their old routine so our work is done."

"What so we just give up?" asked Gypsy, not agreeing with the fallen spirits.

"No, we observe," said Patty, gaining the attention of everyone, including Ben. "We watch out for anything mysterious. If Luke doesn't kiss Lorelai hello and goodbye on her lunch break, we question them, if they're not holding hands in the street, we ask about it. Get my drift?"

"But that's stupid, they don't hold hands all the time," said Jackson, putting his two cents in.

"Oh they do, believe me," Babette informed. "Those two are always joined in some way."

"Dirty!" Sookie squealed, she'd definitely been friends with Lorelai too long.

"And we need to watch Rachel too, if she even tries to get between them in any way, get right on in there and stop it, ok?" The group nodded then turned to Ben, who had been stood by the table eavesdropping.

"Can we get some coffee over here?" Babette asked. "I'm sure Luke doesn't pay you to stand around and listen to us all day." He nodded quickly before walking towards the coffee pot. Those women scared him and he didn't wanna get on the wrong side of them.

XXX

"Mom, hi," Lorelai greeted as the maid led the three of them into the sitting room.

"Lorelai, Luke," Emily greeted enthusiastically. Richard did the same before getting up to prepare their drinks. "Ah hello my gorgeous girl," she cooed to a hyperactive Rory. She picked her up and settled her in her lap, smiling down at her giggling granddaughter.

"There we are, soda for you Lorelai and mineral water for you Luke," Richard dictated as he handed them their drinks. They thanked him before Emily spoke up.

"What has she been eating?" she asked, not used to her granddaughter being so loud and excitable.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Lorelai replied.

"You didn't give her candy did you?" she grilled.

"Not today."

"Mind you she'd need a mountain of candy to send her this crazy," Emily observed.

"She bumped her head earlier so she slept through most of the afternoon," Lorelai explained. "She's just got more energy than usual."

"I'll say," said Emily.

"I thought she could eat dinner with us, she hasn't had anything yet."

"Yes that would be lovely," smile Emily. "Tillie!" she called, loud enough for the whole neighbourhood to hear. The young maid came barrelling back into the room, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"Yes Mrs Gilmore?"

"Could you make an extra plate for my granddaughter, she'll be eating with us tonight."

"Absolutely Mrs Gilmore."

"Don't put any meat on it though, she could choke. Just some vegetables, potatoes etc."

"Yes Mrs Gilmore, I'll get on right on it."

"Good and for God's sake stand still, you're making me dizzy." The maid nodded nervously before scurrying out of the room, probably to hide out in the kitchen till it was necessary she made an appearance again.

"So how are things?" Richard asked, starting a new topic.

"Good," Lorelai replied shortly, nodding her head to signal that everything was ok.

"And how's business Luke?"

"Oh uh...it's getting by, been busier recently, probably cause of the cold weather," Luke answered, glancing at Lorelai before focussing on his shoes again. Emily watched them, something didn't quite feel right. She noticed how much distance there was between them on the couch; usually they sat close together, so their thighs were touching, but right now there was at least three feet between them. That's when she started to get suspicious.

"So how are things going between the two of you?" Emily inquired, causing Luke and Lorelai to glance at each other nervously. Emily noticed this and felt herself frown.

"They're great," Lorelai replied with fake enthusiasm. "We went to the aquarium on Tuesday; Rory loved it with the fish and everything."

"Very nice," Emily said with a fake smile. She noticed her daughter's saddened expression but kept to herself about it.

"Mrs Gilmore, dinner is ready," Tillie announced from the doorway.

"Thank you Tillie." Everyone got up and shuffled into the dining room, Emily noticing that Luke and Lorelai didn't walk next to each other like they usually did and they avoided looking at each other. They took their seats and the salad starter was brought out and placed in front of them. They went into silence as they shovelled green stuff down their throats.

Emily watched tentatively as both Luke and Lorelai focussed on their plates, not looking up at each other throughout the whole starter. She glanced at Richard, who was also watching them, and raised her eyebrows at him. He just shrugged his shoulders and looked back down at his food. Emily rolled her eyes at his attitude and continued to watch Luke and Lorelai ignore each other.

Everyone had put down their knives and forks but were engulfed in a now awkward silence. Before they had something else to focus on; eating, but now they had nothing to shield the awkwardness. Lorelai looked up and met her mother's stare, immediately putting on a fake smile. Emily saw right through it.

"How is work Lorelai?" Emily asked, looking for anything to fill the unbearable silence.

"It's ok, same old maid stuff really," she replied while nodding her head. "Marie, the old head maid, might be coming back soon." Luke's head snapped up at that piece of information.

"Oh so you won't be the head maid anymore?" Emily asked, seemingly disappointedly.

"Nope. She's not sure yet, but she knows I take Rory to work with me so she wants to do that with her own kid," she shrugged.

"You didn't tell me she was coming back," Luke said quietly, trying to hide his upset at the fact that Lorelai hadn't shared such an important piece of information with him.

"I haven't known that long," she replied, just as quietly.

"So when this woman returns to work, you will go back to your previous salary?" Richard asked, trying to wrap his head around the fact that his daughter was going down rather than up.

"Yeah I guess," Lorelai answered, knowing she'd have to give a lot of things up that she'd gotten used to being able to pay for.

"Well if you ever find yourself stuck financially, you know where I am," said Richard softly. "Don't hesitate to come to me." Lorelai smiled gratefully at her father.

"Thanks dad, it means a lot," she replied, looking directly at Luke as she said the last part. Luke felt a pang in his heart. He was supposed to take care of Lorelai and Rory when they needed help, it was his job, he'd been doing it since they became a couple. He decided to focus on the table in front of him until the main course was served; then he kept his eyes on his plate throughout the meal, only looking up once to ask Emily if she could pass the potatoes.

The plates were cleared after dessert and Emily led everyone back into the living room, offering coffee and tea. What she found most strange out of the whole evening, was the fact that Lorelai refused her offer, saying she had to put Rory to sleep. After she had had a cup of coffee herself, she cautiously climbed the stairs and found Lorelai in her old bedroom.

"Come on sweets, it's time to go to sleep," she heard Lorelai say from where she stood in the doorway. Rory let out a loud, excited squeal as Lorelai let out a loud sigh. Emily knocked on the open door and Lorelai's head snapped around to see who was there. "Oh hi mom," she greeted, moving to sit up from where she was laying on the bed.

"Is she not going to sleep?" asked Emily as she took a seat on her daughter's old bed.

"Nope, she's been stubborn."

"Just like her mother," she said. "You used to sit there laughing at me at least a half an hour after your bedtime, you used to laugh yourself to sleep," she chuckled with a smile on her face. Lorelai smiled along with her before looking down at Rory.

"Do you wanna try?" she asked, shifting Rory so she was facing Emily.

"Oh go on then." She lifted Rory into her lap and lay her down in an attempt to get her to sleep. The little girl grinned up at her and reached her arms up to touch her grandmother's face. "She's beautiful," Emily whispered. Lorelai looked down at Rory and smiled proudly, sometimes she couldn't believe that she'd gotten so lucky having a daughter like Rory. She was definitely special. "Are you gonna go to sleep sweetheart?"

Rory giggled in reply and snuggled closer into Emily's body. Emily looked at her daughter and found a sad smile in place as she watched Rory. She thought it was the right time to ask Lorelai what she'd come upstairs to ask in the first place.

"Lorelai?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"What's going on between you and Luke?" Lorelai's head snapped up and she stared wide-eyed at Emily.

"W...why?" Emily noticed how shocked she was, she was obviously trying to hide something from her.

"You've hardly looked at each other all evening, never mind speak words to each other." Lorelai looked down at Rory again, blinking rapidly. Emily took one hand out from supporting her granddaughter and rested it over Lorelai's. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, everything's fine," she brushed off.

"Lorelai, I know there's something wrong, you've been acting so strangely ever since you got here. Tell me what happened."

"I..." she sighed, not in the mood to argue against it anymore. "Um...Luke's ex girlfriend, Rachel, she um...she came back to Stars Hollow," she admitted quietly. "And on New Year's at the party, I went to find Luke and..." Lorelai swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling the tears rise to her eyes. "I found him kissing her," she finished, breaking out into a sob.

"Oh Lorelai," said Emily sympathetically. She held her free arm out and slung it around Lorelai's shoulders, pulling her daughter in for a hug.

"We've hardly seen each other the past week," she said between cries.

"But I thought you said you took Rory to the aquarium on Tuesday."

"We did, and it was awkward. We talked a little then but I could tell he was just putting up with me for Rory's sake."

"Lorelai, it was Luke that cheated, it's not your fault," she said soothingly. "If anything, you should be the one putting up with him, not the other way around."

"But I've forgiven him," she cried. "He explained it all to me, how it wasn't him that initiated it and how he didn't know what he was doing. He told me about it all and I forgave him."

"Does he know that?" Lorelai sniffled.

"I don't know, I mean, we talked and decided to take things slow."

"But did you tell him straight up that you've forgiven him?" Lorelai shook her head slowly. "Oh sweetheart, he probably seems distant because he thinks you're still holding it against him. You need to tell him exactly what's going on, there's no use in keeping it all locked inside."

"Ok," Lorelai replied, wiping her eyes.

"Have either of you shown any sign of affection since it happened?" she asked curiously.

"Um...he's kissed me on the cheek a few times...and held my hand when we were at the aquarium, but that's it."

"See, that's taking it slow."

"But I want it to go back to how it was before," she whined. "I liked it before."

"Well it sounds like you need to make the first move. Luke is obviously respecting your wish to take things slowly, and he's not going to move forward unless you tell him that you want him to."

"I guess so," she mumbled.

"I've gotten to know Luke through these dinners, and I know that he's a gentleman. Even if he isn't who I imagined you'd end up with, he takes care of you and treats you right. That's all I ask; that my daughter is well taken care of, and my granddaughter of course." They looked down at Rory and saw her nestled into Emily's jacket, sleeping soundly.

"You have the magic touch," Lorelai said with a smile, relieved that Rory was finally asleep. Emily looked at Lorelai and saw her trying to forget about her previous show of emotion, but she didn't feel they'd finished their conversation just yet.

"You know, I caught your father kissing another woman once," Emily admitted.

"What?" Lorelai asked, shocked by her mother's admission. She didn't think her father was one to cheat.

"With Pennilyn Lott, I don't think you'll remember her. She was your father's girlfriend before he met me; your grandmother wanted him to marry her. She was from a wealthy family, like you are, but I was not. I didn't meet Trix's standards and she couldn't stand that fact that Richard had chosen me. Anyway, Trix had been hassling him about his choice of woman at this fundraiser we were at and the next thing I knew, I saw him kissing Pennilyn outside the coat closet."

"What happened?"

"We broke up," she replied simply. "About three weeks afterwards, Richard came begging for my forgiveness, that's when he proposed to me."

"And you accepted?"

"Yes because it showed me that he'd chosen me over the other woman. And look where we are now." Lorelai looked down at the bed, mulling over Emily's admission.

"So...you're saying that Luke's gonna propose to me?" she asked, not quite understanding the meaning of Emily's story.

"No Lorelai, you're much too young for marriage at the moment. Plus you haven't known Luke that long."

"I know, I'm not ready to get married," she admitted.

"What I'm saying is that there's no point in throwing everything away over one kiss, whether he initiated it or not. I know it's still cheating and that deserves a punishment, but you could be with Luke for the rest of your life. You could be married to him and have more children with him. Do you really want all that to go away because of a moment of teenage stupidity?" Lorelai thought about it for a moment, not noticing the few tears slipping out of her eyes again.

"No, it's not worth it," she whispered in reply, wiping her cheeks clean with the back of her hand.

"So are you going to talk to him when you get home?" She nodded. "Good, and make sure you give him a proper kiss," she smiled. Lorelai blushed, thinking of how strange it was for her mother to be this open with her.

"Thank you mom, I love it when we talk like this," she told her.

"I do too Lorelai, we'll have to make it a regular thing." They chuckled before Emily wiped the last remaining tears away from her daughter's face. "Now I think it's time you got this one to her proper bed," she said, glancing down at her sleeping granddaughter.

"Ok, well thanks for the talk," she said gratefully. "I really needed it." She stood up from the bed and made her way over to the door, Emily followed close behind, still clutching Rory.

"You're welcome Lorelai, remember that I love you." Lorelai nodded.

"I love you too mom, even if I don't show it sometimes," she replied.

"It's just the way we are," she shrugged, eliciting a laugh from Lorelai. The women made their way downstairs and back into the living room, where Luke and Richard were talking about being a business owner. They looked up at them when they noticed they were there, and Luke immediately saw Lorelai's puffy eyes and smudged mascara.

"Everything ok?" he asked, standing to meet her height. Lorelai nodded uncomfortably.

"It will be," she answered, looking directly into his eyes as she said it. He nodded, hoping she meant what he thought she meant. "So we're gonna get going," she announced, turning to smile at her mother.

"Shall I put her coat on?" Emily asked, stepping towards the foyer.

"We have a blanket we can wrap her in, that way we don't have to risk waking her up," said Luke. He picked up the diaper bag that was sat next to the front door and pulled a pink blanket out of it.

"Are you taking her?" Emily asked Luke, moving towards him.

"Yeah," he replied, carefully laying Rory in his arms and wrapping the blanket around her securely.

"Here's her coat," said Richard. Lorelai took it from him before they said their goodbyes for the week. Emily gave Lorelai a meaningful look as her and Luke left, silently telling her to talk to him tonight. Lorelai had nodded in return before the huge door had closed behind them, leaving them in complete silence in the cold night air.

"Come on, let's get in the truck," said Luke, putting his hand on the small of her back and leading her over to his green car. He opened the door for her and let her shuffle in before he fastened Rory into her car seat and they were on their way back to Stars Hollow.

The ride was silent, not one of them spoke a word to each other the whole way back. Luke had been thinking, wondering really, about what had been said between mother and daughter while they were alone. He knew they'd been talking about him and the problems the couple had been having in the past week, Lorelai's post-teary face had told him that. He knew she wouldn't cry over nothing.

But she hadn't said a word to him about how she was feeling, he wasn't even sure if she was going to. After what felt like an eternity, he parked up outside the inn and they made their way down to the potting shed. Lorelai went straight to Rory's room and put her daughter to bed, while Luke stood awkwardly in the main room waiting for her to return.

"Goodnight Angel," Lorelai whispered after she'd tucked Rory in properly. "I'll fix this, I promise." She gave her daughter a kiss goodnight then slowly made her way back into the main room, going over and over what she was gonna say to him. She'd been rehearsing it the whole way back, but as she saw him standing by the couch, all the words flew out of her head.

"Is she all settled?" he asked, taking a few steps closer to her.

"Yeah she's down for the night," she replied, smiling at him slightly. He nodded then turned towards the door.

"So I guess I'll get going then." He put his hand on the door handle, but Lorelai stopped him.

"I need to talk to you," she said hesitantly. He swung around and started at her before nodding and walking further back into the room. "I um...I just want you to know that I've forgiven you," she said confidently, the way her mom had told her to. "I thought it was important that you knew that." Luke nodded again and took another few steps closer.

"So uh...does that mean that we're ok?"

"Yeah we are," she replied shortly.

"And this taking it slow thing?"

"About that," she began, striding up to him. She stopped when she was just inches away from him and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. She didn't have the chance to go any further because Luke's lips had crashed against hers, battling in desperation. He disengaged just long enough to ask her if what they were doing was ok. Her lips coming into contact with his again gave him the answer he needed, and once again he became a willing participant in their passionate kisses.

"I should go," he said breathlessly after at least fifteen minutes of making out.

"Already?" she asked, unhappy with the loss of contact.

"I don't want this to go any further just get, we shouldn't just jump into it with no logical thinking." She looked down at the floor before smiling back up at him weakly and nodding.

"Ok, soon though, right?"

"Soon," he replied with a firm nod. "I wanna take you out a few times first."

"Ooh really?" she asked intrigued.

"Yeah, wanna make sure you have a really good time." She smiled devilishly at him before locking her lips with his again. She pulled away panting and watched him walk to the door.

"See you at breakfast Burger Boy," she said, sporting the widest grin she'd ever worn.

"Not if I see you first Crazy Lady." He smiled back at her before opening the door. "Sleep well." And that was it, he was gone. She fell back onto her bed, unable to wipe the smile off her face. Of course she was going to sleep well, especially after that make out session.

**To your liking? It was very soppy...especially the Emily/Lorelai stuff but I love writing cute scenes between the two of them. Please leave a review to make my day, let's see if we can reach 660, just a little challenge hehe. I won't be updating at the weekend cause I never have time to write then so it will be sometime next week. I'll try not to keep you waiting too long.**

**Bye for now ;)**

**Emily.**


	43. Gone With A Bang

**I'm so sorry, this chapter wasn't supposed to take this long to finish, but you know when you just look at the computer screen and think, what do I write? I had that a few times. But it's finally finished and I'm quite proud of certain parts **** Thank you for your reviews! I love love love them :D seriously I check my inbox way to often just to see if I got any.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, there is an m-ish scene in there somewhere...**

"Ready to go?" Luke asked as Lorelai answered the door the following evening.

"No," she whined, making her way back over to her mirror so she could finish applying her makeup. Luke entered the shed and closed the door behind him.

"You look fine to me," he told her.

"That's just it, I look 'fine'," she retorted, using air quotes.

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't wanna look just fine, I wanna look great, stunning, amazing," she listed. "I wanna look like friggin' Marilyn Monroe!" she exclaimed. Luke rolled his eyes at her melodrama.

"You look better than Marilyn Monroe," he said. Lorelai turned to look at him with her pout intact.

"You're just saying that so we can go." He rolled his eyes again.

"I already showed up fifteen minutes after I was supposed to, you should be ready by now."

"Well I'm not, this dress is all wrong," she mumbled. "And my feet hurt in these shoes." She held up a foot to show him her six inch heels.

"Your dress looks great on you," he said, solving her first problem. "And your feet probably hurt cause these heels are as high as the Eiffel tower. Why don't you wear these?" he suggested as he held up a pair of flats that were by the door.

"We're going out to dinner, I can't wear flats," she said pointedly.

"Why the hell not? Is there some kind of law over it?"

"No, it's just that my legs look better in heels," she muttered.

"Your legs look good in anything," he told her shyly. "Even that maid uniform you wear to work."

"Oh you like my uniform?" she asked flirtatiously. Luke shrugged, a huge smile on his face. "I might be persuaded to model it for you sometime."

"Yeah, maybe," he replied quietly. She grinned at him then turned back to her mirror, frowning at her reflection. "Lorelai?" he asked. When she turned to look at him, he continued. "You look amazing, as always. Can we go now?" She giggled then stood up to meet his height. She moved in to give him a lingering kiss then pulled away and smiled.

"Yes we can go now," she answered his earlier question. She grabbed her purse, slipped into her coat, then they were out of the door. As they got into the truck, Luke realised he'd left his wallet at home.

"Mind if we make a quick stop at the diner?" he asked.

"Not at all, can I get coffee while we're there?"

"It's closed," he replied. "No coffee till tomorrow."

"But surely you can make some just for me," she pushed. Luke rolled his eyes but found himself agreeing. Lorelai smiled in accomplishment as he pulled out of the inn and they were on their way back into town.

"So did Rory get off ok?"

"Yeah, mom came by earlier to pick her up," she replied.

"What time's she back tomorrow?" he asked curiously.

"Well mom said anytime after lunch, but I told her to bring her to the diner in case I'm not home."

"Are you planning on hanging out at the diner all day?" he asked as he smiled at her.

"Pretty much," she replied nonchalantly. Luke pulled to a stop in front of his place of business and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Are you waiting here?" he asked.

"No, I'm coming in to make sure you get me some coffee." Luke shook his head but smiled all the same. Once they were in the warmth of the empty diner, Luke filled the coffee maker and switched it on before running up to his apartment for his wallet. Lorelai watched her coffee spill out into the pot, grinning at the fact that she got Luke to answer another demand.

"Why are you here?" a voice asked from behind her. Lorelai swung around and narrowed her eyes when she saw none other than Rachel standing before her.

"I think I should be asking you that question," she retorted. Rachel noticed Lorelai's attire, her dress and killer heels, and suddenly became suspicious.

"Why are you dressed like that?" she asked. "Think you can seduce him wearing that?"

"It's none of your business," replied Lorelai calmly.

"Oh I think it is."

"What gave you that idea?"

"One of these days, Luke is gonna wake up and realise that you and your whiney little kid aren't worth it. Then he'll come running right back to me."

"You don't know what you're talking about." In a way, she was beginning to partially believe that the things Rachel was saying could actually be true.

"I got it," Luke called as he appeared from behind the curtain. He immediately spotted the dreaded redhead inching closer to the counter, so he moved closer to Lorelai. "What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"Just wanted to see you," Rachel shrugged.

"Yeah well I don't wanna see you," he said.

"Oh Luke, you don't mean that," she said softly. "I'm the one you wanna be with, and one day you'll wake up and see that." Luke took the opportunity to glance at Lorelai. She was staring at the counter, and he could see the hurt in her eyes at Rachel's cruel words.

"You're living in a dream world," he said, raising his voice. "You're delusional."

"You might think that now, but the next time you're stuck at home changing diapers for a kid that's not even yours, you'll wish you were with me." Her words struck Lorelai right where it hurt and she pushed past Luke, running behind the curtain and up the stairs to his apartment. Luke watched her go then turned back to Rachel with such a hateful look in his eye, that it surprised even her.

"Who do you think you are?" he asked, getting angrier and angrier with every passing second.

"I just wanna be with you," she shrugged, putting on that fake, sweet voice that she saved only for Luke.

"You're crazy," he shouted. "You were the one that left the first time and didn't get in touch to let me know you were ok. You were the one that broke my heart and if you think that you can just waltz back in here and expect me to take you back, then you're completely insane."

"We can work at it Luke, we don't have to go back to how we used to be straight away," she reasoned, she was pleading desperately now.

"No," he said sternly. "Lorelai means more to me than you ever did," he spat. "She and Rory are the only reason I get out of bed in the morning, you mean nothing to me."

"You don't mean that," she murmured, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Yes I do!" he shouted. "You lost the right to be with me when you ran away without as much as a goodbye. We could have been married by now if you hadn't have left."

"I know," she said, a few tears slipping from her eyes. The tears didn't faze Luke though; she deserved a good telling off after everything she'd been up to since she arrived.

"But I'm glad you left," he said confidently. "Because if you hadn't then I would never have met Lorelai and Rory. They mean the world to me, and the fact that all you've done since you got here is upset them is enough for me to ask you to leave." Rachel was crying properly now.

"No Luke, please," she begged. "I'll be nicer to them, I promise."

"You don't get it do you? I don't wanna be with you, I'm staying with Lorelai," he said slowly, trying to get it into her thick skull.

"But..."

"No buts Rachel, I suggest you pack whatever things you brought with you and get out of town as soon as possible. I can't deal with you anymore." And with that, he followed Lorelai's path towards the curtain and padded up the stairs, without so much as a glance back at his ex girlfriend. He stopped outside the apartment door and took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever he'd see when he got inside. His guess was that she was upset; she'd been that way a lot since Rachel showed up, but hopefully it was all over now.

He opened the door slowly and made his way into the apartment. She wasn't in the kitchen or on the couch, so he glanced over at his bed. Sure enough, there she was, her face buried in the pillow as her body shook with uncontrollable sobs. He frowned and made his way over there, wanting to make her feel better. He stopped when he reached the bed and toed off his smart black shoes, he'd polished them especially for this evening. He slid onto the bed behind Lorelai and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"It's ok," he whispered, running his fingers through the hair that tumbled down her back. She continued to sob. "She's gone, she won't be back now." Lorelai turned her head towards him so he could see her tear streaked face.

"She's gone?" she asked shakily. Luke simply nodded in response. "For good?"

"Yep, she's not gonna bother us anymore." Lorelai turned fully in his arms and buried her face in his chest. She'd missed moments like this where they'd just lie together, and it felt nice to be back into that routine again. "Feeling better?" he asked quietly, stroking her hair softly.

"A bit, just needed a little Luke lovin'," she joked as she slung her arm over his waist. Luke ignored her sarcasm and continued to stroke her hair, his hand trailing down her back as he went.

"Why don't we just stay in tonight huh? We can go out for dinner some other time."

"But you booked at Antonio's," she said, moving her head away from his chest so she could look at him.

"How do you know that?" he asked. It was supposed to be a surprise.

"Sookie told me," she replied simply.

"And how did Sookie find out?" Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Patty saw the phone book open on the counter with the number for Antonio's circled. It was pretty obvious," she shrugged.

"Jeez can't anyone get some privacy in this damn town?"

"That's what you get for leaving things on show," she answered.

"I went to refill someone's coffee for one second," he complained.

"That's all it takes babe," she said sympathetically. Luke sighed and pulled Lorelai even closer to him, if that were even possible.

"So staying in tonight?" he asked again.

"No, I wanna go to Antonio's," she whined. "I know it's not easy to get in there, especially on Saturday night."

"As soon as I mentioned your last name, they booked me straight in," he shrugged.

"Ah special privileges for the Gilmore's huh?"

"Well you people are very well known around Hartford." Lorelai grinned at him and proceeded to play with the collar of his dress shirt.

"Antonio's is really expensive," she said thoughtfully. "We could have just gone to Pizza Hut." Luke chuckled.

"Tonight is a bit more special than a trip to Pizza Hut Lorelai," he said while he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Well not Pizza Hut then, we could have gone to Sniffy's," she suggested. "I'm sure Buddy and Maisy would have liked to see us."

"Nah, they'd be hanging around our table all night," he complained. "I don't mind it usually but we need the privacy tonight."

"Aren't you in a romantic mood?" she gushed, causing Luke to blush uncontrollably. "I like romantic Luke," she smiled.

"Only like?" he asked, wanting to push her to say something more meaningful. Lorelai grinned at him mischievously.

"Ok I love romantic Luke," she corrected. Luke's smile went up by at least ten watts and he leaned in to kiss her. That's when the make out session began. It lasted a total of ten minutes before either of them pulled away, and they both found themselves breathless. "We have to go to dinner," Lorelai murmured.

"We don't have to," he replied huskily as he flipped her over so he was hovering above her.

"But I wanna," she reasoned, causing Luke's grin to tone down a little bit.

"Ok uh...let's go then," he said, standing up from the bed and slipping his shoes back on. Lorelai stood up also and looked at him apologetically.

"It's not that I don't wanna do...that right now, I'm just really hungry," she said, a smile gracing her lips. Luke also smiled as he realised that if she wasn't fed soon, her stomach would probably disintegrate.

"Come on Crazy Lady, let's get you fed," he chuckled. He grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her towards the apartment door, then carried on down the staircase to the diner.

"You know we can totally have sex when we get back," she proclaimed as Luke made his way over to the coffee pot. He turned to her, completely red in the face, and smiled shyly. Lorelai just grinned and reached for a to-go cup to pour her coffee into.

"I think we should wait a bit longer," he said decisively. Lorelai looked up at him from her coffee mug, her mouth hanging open as if she was gonna say something. "Lorelai?" he asked, wondering what he had said to make her speechless. It wasn't a regular occurrence after all.

"Hmm?" she asked as she picked up the coffee pot and poured the dark liquid into her cup. She placed the lid firmly over it then took a few sips of the lukewarm liquid.

"Did you hear what I said?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just...I was processing," she replied awkwardly. "You wanna wait?"

"Um...well I don't wanna pressure you or make you think we're going too fast," he said. "I'd rather we waited until you felt absolutely sure about it."

"What if I feel absolutely sure right now?" she asked.

"Well I know you don't, so I don't feel comfortable going that far yet," he said knowingly.

"I am ready though," she pressed.

"No you're not Lorelai," he argued. "Less than a half an hour ago you were laying on my bed upstairs crying your eyes out over everything that's happened recently. You're not ready." Lorelai furrowed her brows then began to walk towards the door.

"Ok fine," she said. "Let's go to dinner then." Luke frowned as he watched her walk to the truck, then quickly followed her, locking the diner up behind him.

XXX

"I think it's time for you to go to bed Rory," said Emily softly. The little girl grinned up at her grandmother from her place on the floor, then took her attention back to Richard, who was reading one of the biggest books she'd ever seen. Richard noticed her staring and pulled her into his lap, setting his book aside.

"Book," she said excitedly, pointing towards the giant book that now sat on the couch next to her grandfather.

"Oh I think that book's a bit old for you sweetheart," he chuckled. He picked it up and set it in front of her so she could examine it. She opened the front cover and stared at the title page, her books didn't have title pages. She smiled as she turned a couple more pages and came to a page full of small text. The text in her books was much bigger than that.

"Ganpa," she said, pointing to the page with interest, and Richard just couldn't say no to that cute, little face of hers.

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll read a couple of pages to you." He pulled the toddler further onto his lap and arranged the book so both he and Rory could see it. Emily watched them as Richard began to read, smiling as they interacted and shared a common interest. The age difference was irrelevant. She slipped out of the room halfway through the first page to prepare Rory a cup of warmed milk.

When she returned, Rory was leaning against Richard, using his rather large belly as a cushion. She looked as if she was beginning to get sleepy, so Emily simply handed her the sippy cup and took a seat next to her husband. Just because she wasn't necessarily interested in the same books as her husband and granddaughter, didn't mean that she couldn't join them for a little bedtime reading. The only sounds to be heard were Richard's voice and Rory's occasional suckling. It was the perfect evening in and Emily was enjoying herself very much. She just wished they got to do this more often.

XXX

The ride to Hartford was quiet. After their minor disagreement in the diner, Lorelai had remained silent throughout the journey, not even so much as glancing at Luke. Luke on the other hand, was glancing at her as much as he could while concentrating on the road. She mostly just stared out of the window as trees and streetlamps flew past them in the darkness. When he finally came to a stop in the restaurant car park, he turned to look at her fully, fed up of the gruelling silence.

"Lorelai?" he asked. No reply, she just continued to stare out of the window. "Are you seriously ignoring me cause I won't sleep with you tonight?" he asked squarely. Lorelai's head whipped around to look at him, kind of shocked that he had said it so openly.

"What?" she asked.

"Well I tell you that I wanna wait, in complete respect to you of course, and you storm out of the diner and don't speak a word to me the whole ride to Hartford," he recalled. Lorelai wasn't quite sure what to say. She hadn't realised she'd been acting like such a bitch.

"I um...I'm sorry," she apologised softly. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she admitted. "I really love it that you have so much respect for me, it's nice."

"Why do I feel like there's gonna be a but in this sentence?" Lorelai smiled.

"But sometimes I think you have too much respect for me." Luke sighed.

"Ok, I guess I could try to tone it down a little," he shrugged as he got out of the truck. He hurried around to Lorelai's side and held the door open for her as she stepped out and steadied herself on her very high heels.

"So does that mean that tonight's gonna have something in store for us?" she asked flirtatiously as she moved closer into him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Nope," he replied. "We're waiting, no matter how much you pout, beg and sulk," he chuckled.

"No fair." She disengaged her arms from around his waist and dropped them by her sides.

"Come on, let's go inside." He moved his hand to the small of her back and guided her into the crowded Italian restaurant. They were seated on a table for two in the back corner of the room, meaning they had a bit of privacy. There was a candle in the centre of the table, sending a vanilla scent into the air, two empty champagne glasses waiting to be filled with some sparkling alcoholic beverage and a variety of cutlery spread out, each item having a different use.

"This is really nice," said Lorelai, stretching her hand across the table to take Luke's. "Are we having champagne?"

"If they'll serve you champagne, you can have some," he shrugged. "Keep in mind that this is a well known restaurant with a high reputation to uphold. I'm sure they don't go around selling alcohol to under ages," he whispered.

"Well apple cider is fine too," she remarked before noticing the waiter making his way over to their table. "I bet I can get him to give us champagne," she whispered before sitting up straight and smiling at the perky waiter who was now standing at their table. Luke shook his head, but Lorelai just winked at him.

"Good evening," the waiter greeted formally, probably because he'd been told to speak like that.

"Hi," Lorelai replied confidently.

"Here are your menus," he said as he set one in front of each of them. "Can I get you anything to drink?" Lorelai glanced at Luke and took a deep breath, before smiling back at the waiter.

"I'll have apple cider please," she replied politely, obviously chickening out of her bet.

"And for you sir?" he asked while looking at Luke expectantly.

"Sparkling water," Luke replied, grinning at Lorelai. The waiter nodded and walked away from their table to collect their drinks. "What happened to the champagne?" he asked jokingly, chuckling at her embarrassed expression.

"Shut up," she mumbled. "He was looking at me funny, I knew he was gonna ask me for ID."

"So you chickened out," he stated, still grinning widely at her. Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him and slapped him on the arm, causing him to sober and stare at her with his deep blue eyes. "You know, he was probably looking at you cause you're the best looking girl in here," he said quietly. Lorelai leaned forward over the table so she was closer to him, also giving him a nice view of her cleavage.

"Oh really?" she asked, equally flirtatiously. Luke blushed and nodded shyly. Lorelai leaned forward a little more so her face was just inches from his.

"You know the way you're sitting right now is totally making me rethink that whole 'let's wait a bit longer' thing," he said huskily.

"So my plan's working huh?" she giggled.

"Mm hmm." They both filled the space between them at the same time, causing their lips to crash together in a searing kiss. Luke temporarily forgot they were in public, as usually he hates public displays of affection. That was until the waiter returned with their drinks and cleared his throat to grab their attention. They looked up at him, Lorelai grinning wickedly while Luke looked on in embarrassment. The waiter put their drinks down and asked them if they were ready to order.

"Um...we need a few more minutes," said Lorelai politely, with not even a pinch of embarrassment. Luke marvelled at that. The waiter nodded then walked away, shaking his head at their antics.

"Don't kiss me again till we're back in Stars Hollow," he warned, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

"As I recall, that kiss was mutual," she said pointedly.

"Yeah well I'm pretty embarrassed now," he muttered. Lorelai grinned mischievously.

"I know, I can tell by the colour of your face," she chuckled. He scowled at her before scanning his menu for something remotely edible. Lorelai did the same, and her eyes widened significantly when she saw what they were charging. "Luke," she hissed. "This place is really expensive." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, going back to looking through the starters list.

"But...Rory's entire education won't cost as much as the bill will in this place."

"You're exaggerating."

"Are you sure you can afford this?" He knew she was only looking out for him, and it felt nice, but she really did need to relax and have a good time sometimes.

"Yes I can afford this," he replied. "Look you don't need to worry about a thing tonight, just sit back, relax and enjoy the food." Lorelai smiled at him gratefully.

"Ok, so I can order whatever I want?" she asked, beginning to get excited at the prospect.

"Yes, the price doesn't matter." She smiled wider then opened her menu to the starters' page. "How about this garlic bread with pepper on top?" he asked as he pointed to the item he was referring to. Lorelai took one glance at the picture, scrunched her nose up and shook her head.

"No way, it looks all vegetably and gross," she complained. Luke rolled his eyes at her refusal to eat her veggies, but let it go because they were supposed to be having a nice evening out.

"Or we could get this seafood thing," he suggested.

"Yuck," she stated.

"Ok uh...we could just get regular garlic bread," he shrugged. Lorelai looked up at him and nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," she replied before turning the page and looking through the main meals. "Ooh they have pizza!" she exclaimed. After another ten minutes or so of deciding what they wanted to eat, they finally called the waiter over and placed their orders.

"I wonder what Rory's doing right now," said Luke thoughtfully. He wasn't even meant to say it out loud; it was just a random thought in his head. Lorelai checked the fancy clock on the wall of the restaurant.

"She should be in bed if she's being well behaved," she replied, unconsciously reaching for Luke's hand again across the table. He began stroking his fingers over her smooth skin, revelling in the fact that he could touch her again.

"When is she not well behaved?" he asked of their angel child.

"She has her moments," she said knowingly. "Like last night at dinner, she was so giddy and she wouldn't settle down," she chuckled.

"You feed her too much candy," he said sternly.

"I didn't give her candy yesterday, I swear," she told him honestly. "I don't know what came over her."

"She was probably just excited to see her grandparents," he shrugged.

"Yeah well if she's anything like she was last night, mom and dad are gonna be having a lot of fun tonight," she said, laughing at the image in her head.

XXX

Richard carried Rory up the stairs as she slept against his shoulder. She had dozed off after the fifth page of his book, but he hadn't stopped reading to his wife and granddaughter. Just as Emily was about to fall asleep against him on the couch, he promptly closed the book and set it on the coffee table to be continued some other time.

"I'm surprised you're tired," he said as they made it up to the nursery. "It's only eight fifteen."

"Must have been your book," she said with a yawn.

"That is a very well known book Emily," he said pointedly. "Not many people find it to be boring."

"Might be just me then," she smiled. They stopped next to the crib and Richard carefully lowered Rory into it, making sure she was comfortable and sufficiently covered up by the numerous blankets. Emily leaned into Richard's side and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, welcoming her into his embrace.

"Emmy?" he asked after some moments of silence.

"Hmm."

"Did you ever think it'd be like this?" he asked softly. Emily looked up at him, questioning his comment with her eyes. "Lorelai coming to dinner every week, letting us spend time with our granddaughter, allowing overnight visits," he listed. "After she ran away did you ever think it'd be this way?" His hand was now running through his wife's hair lovingly. Finally, Emily shook her head, glancing down at Rory again.

"No Richard, I didn't," she replied honestly. "In fact I thought we'd never see them again." He looked down at her, brushing a lock of hair out of her face so he could kiss her forehead.

"Lorelai will always need us," he said knowingly. "She's still a child herself, not that she's not building a good life for her and Rory, but she's still very young. She'll need our support now and again, whether it's taking care of Rory when she's unable to or if she needs financial help, we have to jump at the opportunity."

"But what if she stops needing us? She has Luke now, he can take care of her," she said sadly, oddly emotional for Emily Gilmore.

"What's brought all this on?" Richard asked quietly. Usually his wife held herself together amazingly. Emily sniffled.

"Just a talk I had with Lorelai last night," she replied. "She needed some advice, so I helped her out. She told me she loved me last night, she hardly ever says that." Richard pulled Emily into a proper hug and she melted into him.

"Of course she loves you, you're her mother."

"But so much has happened, I was beginning to wonder if she even liked me anymore." She was crying into his chest; Emily Gilmore never cried and quite frankly, it was scaring Richard just a little bit.

"Emily you're being ridiculous," he told her straight. "No matter what happens between you two, she will always love you; she might not like you very much at the time, but that love will always be there. It's unbreakable." Emily's sobbing had quietened and she sniffled a very unlady-like sniffle.

"I wish we could do this more often," she murmured after a couple of minutes of silence. In that time, Richard had been tracing slow circles on her back.

"Do what?" he asked quietly, not sure what she was referring to.

"Take care of Rory like this," she replied. "Overnight I mean. It's nice having a baby around the house again." Richard turned Emily around in his arms so her back was to his front, his arms around her waist, as they looked down at their sleeping granddaughter.

"She reminds me of Lorelai at that age," Richard muttered into Emily's hair.

"Remember when we used to stand here like this almost every night?" she asked, reliving the memories of an easier time; Lorelai's childhood.

"More like early morning," he chuckled. "Lorelai was a very high maintenance baby."

"Oh yes, she had a good set of lungs on her," she recalled.

"I don't think I got a full night of sleep from the day she was born until her fourth birthday." The couple smiled at each other as they remembered how adorable their only daughter was.

"The only thing that's different about Rory is that her head isn't quite as big as Lorelai's was," Emily whispered, causing Richard to laugh heartily.

"It wasn't that big Emily," he tried to defend his daughter.

"Big enough," she muttered.

"Now, now, she was still the most beautiful little girl to grace this earth," he said, his voice softening. They stood there together, looking back on all the moments they had shared with their only child.

XXX

_A considerably younger Emily Gilmore pulled herself out of bed for the third time that night, and it was only one in the morning. She dragged her feet into the nursery and bent over the crib to take a look at her distressed eight month old daughter. Lorelai was teething, and both Emily and Richard hadn't gotten a peaceful night's sleep since the first tooth had cracked through five weeks ago._

"_It's ok sweetheart," she whispered sleepily as she scooped up the baby and laid her in the crook of her arm. Lorelai had other ideas and went to grab Emily's hand so she could attempt to chew on it. "Ah ah ah," Emily scolded softly. "You don't chew on mommy's hand do you? No you don't," she cooed. Lorelai stared at her for a few moments, before bursting out into another round of cries when she realised she wasn't getting what she wanted. "Have this instead," she said, reaching over to the chest of drawers where a teething ring sat on top. Lorelai took it greedily and desperately began chewing on it._

"_Everything alright?" Richard asked as he appeared in the nursery. He came over to stand next to his wife and frowned down at his young daughter, who now appeared to be wide awake. "Do you know what you're doing to us darling?" he asked the baby. "We all have to be up early in the morning and you're keeping us from our precious sleep." He took Lorelai from Emily's arms and made his way over to the rocking chair in the middle of the room._

_He rested Lorelai on his stomach and watched as she pushed herself up to look at him. She was just beginning to crawl; luckily she couldn't go very fast yet. She dropped the teething ring on the floor and pulled herself further up her father's body, desperate to reach his face. She grinned when she succeeded and patted Richard's face happily. _

"_Ok that's enough excitement for you," he chuckled, inhabiting a fatherly tone as he spoke to her. "It's time to go back to sleep now." Baby Lorelai simply giggled and buried her face in Richard's neck._

"_Come on Cheeky Monkey," said Emily. "Do as your father tells you." She lifted Lorelai from Richard's arms and took her over to her crib, where she carefully laid Lorelai on the teddy bear linen set covering the mattress. Richard followed, picking up the discarded teething ring on his way then putting it in the crib with Lorelai so she could reach it if she needed it._

"_Goodnight my Angel," he whispered before putting his fingers to his lips then taking them to his daughter's forehead. Emily leaned down and kissed the baby on the cheek instead, then whispered her goodnight's to her also, for the third time that night that is. Lorelai squealed as her parents made her way towards the door, but the couple ignored it, knowing she'd tire herself out eventually. It just meant she'd sleep more during the day, which was always a blessing for Emily._

"_Emmy?" Richard asked once they were snuggled up in their king size bed again._

"_Go to sleep Richard," she mumbled, already on her way back to dreamland._

"_I have something important to discuss with you," he pressed._

"_At one thirty in the morning?"_

"_Well it just occurred to me now." Emily unwilling opened her eyes and let them adjust so she could see Richard in the moonlight that shone through the gap in the curtains. _

"_What is it?" she asked tiredly, hoping it wasn't a new business venture he wanted to discuss; she couldn't handle that kind of information at this time of morning._

"_Don't you think it's time we hired a nanny?" he asked. "This middle of the night thing is really bringing us down; we're exhausted all the time. I fell asleep at my desk last week, that's how bad it's gotten."_

"_No Richard, I won't hire a nanny. I know Lorelai is tough to take care of at the moment but I thoroughly enjoy rocking her back to sleep every night. I won't have another woman do that for me, it's my job," she said, almost angrily. Richard didn't understand what a blessing it was to have a tiny person depend on you for everything; he was at work all day and Lorelai was usually on the brink of sleep when he returned home. Emily didn't want a stranger changing her daughter's diapers and reading storybooks to her, that was her territory. _

_Something definitely changed somewhere along the line._

XXX

"Rory acts so differently to the way Lorelai did," said Richard thoughtfully.

"No, there are many similarities between them," Emily corrected. "You hardly saw how Lorelai was during the day, she was just as lively as Rory is, but she had a sense of curiosity about her. She wanted to try new things and explore, just like Rory does."

"They have their differences though," he justified. "Rory is so quiet most of the time; yes she has her moments, but she's low maintenance."

"You've got that part right," she agreed as she smiled down at her granddaughter. "I'm going to ask Lorelai if we can have Rory overnight every so often," she said decisively.

"That sounds like a good idea," Richard replied. "We could take her on Friday nights, after dinner," he suggested. "Then she can get settled for the night here and Lorelai and Luke can say goodnight." Emily nodded, already falling in love with the idea. She just hoped Lorelai would agree now that she'd gotten her hopes up.

XXX

"Oh my god I'm so full," Lorelai complained as she slumped back into her chair and clutched her stomach. "Why did you let me eat your dessert too?"

"Because you were practically begging me to give it to you, and you did the pouting thing," he replied, amused by her sluggish state.

"You should learn how to say no to me," she advised.

"If only it were that easy," he said while shaking his head. He drained his second glass of sparkling water and put it to the table with a small clunk. "Are you ready to go?" he asked, looking around the quietened restaurant for their waiter. "Or do you want another slice of cheesecake?" he joked.

"Don't even talk to me about food right now," she warned.

"I'll take that as a no," he chuckled. He managed to get the attention of the waiter and discreetly asked him to bring the bill over. Luke's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw how much the total had come to, but then he remembered how much of a good time he'd had spending time with Lorelai again, and his worries crumbled away. He looked in his wallet and pulled out twenty after twenty and set them on the small plate, while Lorelai watched in shock.

"How many twenties did you just put on there?" she asked perplexed. Luke shrugged and stood up from his chair, walking around the table to pull Lorelai's out for her.

"Doesn't matter," he answered. "You had a good time right?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Of course, I had a great time," she smiled.

"Then the cost of the evening is irrelevant," he said. Lorelai leaned into him and they thanked the staff on their way out as they made their way to the truck.

"So," Luke began as he cranked up the truck and buckled his seatbelt. "Coffee?" he asked.

"Oh absolutely, who could say no to a cup of coffee after such a fantastic evening?" she asked in a mock-formal voice. Luke grinned at her then pulled out of the parking lot, onto the main road. Lorelai stared out of the window as the trees whizzed past them on the dark road; the headlights from the truck the only light source they had. "I'll call mom when we get back, so I can check on Rory," she said as they turned onto the highway.

"I'm sure she's fine," he said. "And if she's not asleep when you call, she'll have to answer to me." Lorelai giggled at his threatening comment. "What?" he asked, not sure what exactly he'd said.

"She's a baby, there won't be much answering going on," she said, continuing to laugh.

"You know what I mean," he justified. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders then looked out of the window again. Luke turned off at the Stars Hollow sign and slowed down when the inn came into view.

"Do you wanna to the potting shed first?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll change my shoes," she replied. The heels were killing her, not that she'd admit that to Luke. He turned into the inn and parked the truck, before helping Lorelai out and guiding her down to the potting shed.

XXX

"Ok mom, thanks for babysitting tonight," she said gratefully. "Yeah, see you tomorrow." She sat the phone back on the cradle and turned to look at Luke who was sitting on the bed, his legs stretched out in front of him. She climbed onto the bed next to him and grinned mischievously at him. "So I finally have you alone Lucas," she said as she crawled into his lap. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Don't call me that," he said gruffly. Lorelai shrugged and straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned in to kiss him, but Luke was quick to pull away.

"You sure about this?" he asked. He didn't want to do anything she might regret in the morning. Lorelai simply nodded, flashing him her thousand watt smile. "I thought you wanted coffee," he murmured as she began trailing kisses along his jaw line and down his neck.

"Coffee can wait," she muttered between kisses. Luke smiled; she must be willing if she's putting coffee second best. He captured her lips with his and let his hands wander down to her hips, where he drew lazy circles with his fingertips. He flipped her over, eliciting a squeal of excitement from Lorelai. He hovered over her, both just staring at each other as they tried to control their breathing.

Lorelai put her hand to the back of Luke's head and pulled him down to kiss her. She moaned into his mouth when he brought his tongue into the mix and began writhing beneath him, looking for the friction she craved. That just fuelled Luke and his hands wondered all over her body; from her hair, to her hips, to her thighs and to her breasts. He avoided the part where she ached the most though; they had all night for that, right now she was in the spotlight.

He rested his leg between both of hers and left a trail of hot, wet kisses along the neckline of her dress, just a few millimetres above the top of her bra. Lorelai grinded against his leg mercilessly, enjoying the pleasure it was creating for her. Luke withdrew his leg and stretched it across her so he was straddling her thighs. Lorelai let out a small whimper of frustration but Luke just continued with what he was doing before.

He slipped his hands under her back and pulled her up so they both sat up on the bed. He moved in and left a bunch of kisses on her neck, then busied his hands trying to undo the zipper on her dress. Once it was removed, Luke laid her down again and nipped his way along her collarbone, enjoying the sounds coming from his girlfriend.

"This needs to come off," she murmured, tugging on his dress shirt desperately. He nodded and allowed her to unfasten all the buttons, unsteadily of course, due to her riled up state. She hastily pushed the shirt off his shoulders and tugged on the sleeves until it fell off his toned body. She tossed it to an unknown place then ran her hands over his hard chest and stomach. "Have you been working out?" she asked as she ran her hands over his distinctively shaped stomach.

"Just a little," he replied.

"Got a nice six pack appearing here," she smiled. Luke blushed then slowly began to push her bra strap off her shoulder. "You have to be as naked as me," she whispered, fumbling with the button on his jeans. She successfully undid it and pulled the zipper down, before tugging the blue denim down over his hips. Luke kicked them off the rest of the way and settled down onto her, his growing arousal pushing into her abdomen.

He continued to remove her bra until her perky breasts were bare and waiting for him. He lowered his mouth to each of them, giving them equal attention, before moving further down her stomach. He dipped his tongue into her navel, making her giggle as it tickled her. He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties and licked his dry lips, before trailing them down her legs, revealing exactly what he wanted to see. The foreplay continued for another good fifteen minutes, before Lorelai couldn't take it anymore; she wanted the main event.

"Luke," she moaned as he devoured her.

"Hmm," he hummed against her, sending another wave of pleasure over her.

"Come up here," she pleaded, tugging on his shoulders to get him to move. He complied and slithered up her body, stopping when they were face to face. He kissed her softly, allowing her to taste herself on his lips, then positioned himself at her entrance. "We need a condom," she breathed against his cheek as she felt him begin to push into her. He groaned but withdrew and reached over to the nightstand. He opened the drawer carelessly and fumbled for the box containing what he needed. When he found it to be empty, he groaned even louder and rubbed his forehead with his hand. "What's up?" she asked, waiting impatiently for him to complete his task.

"It's empty," he complained in disbelief, holding the box upside down to show that nothing fell out. Lorelai groaned as well, this was typical.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"I guess we could carry on," he suggested. "You're still taking the pill right?" This time Lorelai's hand went to her forehead.

"I haven't been taking it properly the last week," she admitted. "I was all messed up and I didn't see any point in taking it." Luke dropped onto his back next to her, looking down at his straining arousal.

"Damn it," he mumbled.

"My thoughts exactly."

XXX

After some much needed recovery time, where they got themselves together, Luke and Lorelai redressed. Luke put on his outfit from that night whereas Lorelai slipped into some comfy jeans and a t-shirt. They were both disappointed, that was for sure, especially since they were so close. They walked back up to the truck, heading back to the diner for that coffee Luke mentioned before they got carried away.

"Are there any at your place?" Lorelai asked, fully intending to sleep with her boyfriend tonight, even if they had to go to the twenty four hour store in Woodbridge.

"There might be," he replied. "I haven't checked for a while, we usually go to your place." Lorelai nodded.

"Well we can check." Luke turned the corner into the town square but was a little bit shocked at what he saw. There were two fire engines and police cars parked up, and a large amount of smoke coming from a certain building; the diner.

"What's going on?" he asked in a panic. He looked over at Lorelai, whose mouth had dropped open in shock. Both teenagers jumped out of the truck and rushed over to the devastating scene.

**And we made it to the end, god that seemed to take a while. I'm sorry to leave it here, and I kinda have some bad news for you...I'm going away next week, only Tuesday to Friday but I don't think I'm gonna be able to get another chapter out before then **** I might be able to on Monday, but I have packing to do and I also have to go to the Doctors so it's looking unlikely. It will most probably be after I get back. Please review and tell me what you thought **

**Oh and if you haven't already...check out my new story, 'I Wish You Were My Day', it's all about Luke and Rory. Okay so I'll see you again as soon as I can...**

**Emily.**


	44. Night at the Hospital

**I really tried to update sooner than this...I was gonna finish it on Monday but I only managed to get 3000 words **** but I've finished it now! Thank you for the reviews, sorry for the cliffhanger in the last chapter, it was quite a big one :O now I hope you like this and I hope it's in character...  
**

"What happened?" Luke asked frantically as he ran over to the diner. Lorelai followed behind him, at a much slower pace of course.

"The diner's on fire!" Babette screeched in a panic, turning to look at the establishment's proprietor.

"I think I can see that," he shouted, the anger and frustration he was feeling evident in his voice, as well as fear. "Why is my diner on fire?" He stepped closer to the burning building, holding the back of his head with his hands, a devastated look flashing across his face. His livelihood was up in flames right now, of course he was gonna be devastated.

"Sir we're gonna need you to stand back there," said the deep voice of a police officer. Luke turned and just stared at him, not knowing what to do.

"Come on babe," Lorelai's soft voice told him as she gripped his arm and pulled him away from the blaze. Luke looked at her; she could see the pain and shock in his eyes and her own eyes welled up with tears at the scenario they'd been put in.

"The diner..." he stuttered, not believing what was happening. "The diner's on fire," he finished, and everything hit him all at once; the diner, his apartment, all his dad's hardware stuff, his flannel collection, it was all on fire, being burned to smithereens. That's when he collapsed; everything was getting too much for him.

"Luke!" Lorelai called as she went to the ground with him. She'd managed to keep a hold of his arm so he didn't hit the ground so hard, but she'd ended up down there as well. A few officers rushed over after hearing Lorelai's shrill cry, the tears were now pouring out of her eyes. Could this situation get any worse?

"Luke?" Coop asked as he dropped down beside him. He checked his airway and found he was still breathing, but it wasn't as strong as it should have been. "He's breathing," he breathed a sigh of relief, as did the townies that had gathered around the unconscious teenager.

"Luke, can you hear me?" Lorelai asked, running her fingers through his hair. His cap had been knocked off when he fell. "Luke." She sniffled and wiped at her eyes furiously to get rid of the tear stains. After five minutes or so, Luke regained consciousness, just as the ambulance arrived.

"Lorelai," he mumbled, almost inaudibly.

"It's ok," she whispered soothingly. "You're gonna be ok."

"What...what happened?"

"You collapsed," she told him, leaning down to give him a kiss on the cheek. "The ambulance is here." Luke looked around him and everything came rushing back to him again, causing his breathing to become irregular.

"Mr Danes?" the paramedics asked as they set their stuff down beside him.

"He prefers to be called Luke," said Lorelai.

"Ok and who are you?" the woman asked politely.

"His girlfriend," she replied. "Is he gonna be ok?" Lorelai gripped Luke's hand tightly in hers, as he looked at the bustling scene surrounding them.

"Let's find out," the paramedic simply said, before pulling a few items out of her carry bag. "Right Luke are you feeling ok?" Luke swallowed thickly then shook his head. "What seems to be the problem?" she asked.

"My...I feel a little dizzy," he said quietly. "Got a headache and I feel warm," he added. The two medics glanced at each other before nodding their heads decisively.

"Ok you're showing symptoms of shock," she said. "Do you feel nauseous at all?" Luke shook his head. "Right well we're gonna get you on a stretcher then we'll take you to the hospital."

"I...I can't go to the hospital," he said desperately. "The diner's on fire, my diner's on fire," he said weakly, his breathing becoming even more rapid.

"Luke we need to treat you, and the only place to do that is at the hospital," she informed firmly.

"No," he protested angrily. Lorelai felt her eyes fill with tears again at his stubbornness.

"Luke," she whispered, getting closer to him so he could hear her properly. "What about Rory huh? You need to go to the hospital to get treated, she needs you to be ok," she stressed, a few tears running down her cheeks. "I need you to be ok." Luke studied her face for a few moments before nodding and trying to control his breathing, but it was coming out in fast, uncontrollable puffs.

"Ok Luke, now we're gonna get you onto the stretcher," the paramedic coached. Luke nodded again and prepared himself to be moved. Once they'd successfully transferred him onto the stretcher, they wheeled him into the ambulance and got him comfortable. "Are you riding in the ambulance with him?" she asked Lorelai, who nodded eagerly.

"Lorelai!" Sookie called as she came hurtling towards the vehicle. "Oh my god, what happened?" She took in the blazing diner, Lorelai's tear streaked face and Luke's position on the bed, not quite believing what was going on.

"We came back from dinner and the diner was on fire," she explained quickly, the pain evident in her voice.

"Is Luke ok?"

"He's in shock, but they're gonna treat him at the hospital."

"Hartford Memorial?" she asked. Lorelai looked at the paramedic, who nodded yes. "Ok, I'll stay here and see what's going on, then I'll come by the hospital later to fill you in."

"Thanks so much Sook, I don't know what I'd do without you." Sookie smiled sympathetically and moved in to hug her best friend.

"See you soon," she said. Lorelai nodded and took one last painful look at the diner, before stepping into the ambulance so they could get to the hospital.

XXX

"Holy Christ can you believe this?" Babette asked in her usual scratchy voice, as they watched the ambulance whizz away out of sight.

"I know, poor Luke," said Patty sympathetically. "After everything that's happened to him in his lifetime, this had to add to it."

"Everything he owns is in that place," Gypsy said.

"Oh all of William's tools are hanging on the walls of the diner," said Patty in realisation.

"Luke's gonna be crushed when he goes to look at the damage," added Babette, shaking her head.

"The poor thing," said Kirk, cocking his head to the side as he stared at the diner. Everyone turned to look at the young man and narrowed their eyes suspiciously.

"What are you doing here Kirk?" Andrew asked cruelly.

"Yeah, doesn't mommy want you home for your bedtime bath?" joked Gypsy.

"My mom doesn't bathe me," he argued. "I bathe myself, she just tucks me in for the night," he admitted. A few townies began laughing at Kirk's admission, but Patty didn't see the funny side.

"Come on kids, we're faced with a tragedy here," she said maturely. "Luke is going through a terrible time right now and we shouldn't be standing around teasing Kirk all day." Andrew and Gypsy looked at the floor in shame before nodding their heads in agreement. "Ok good, we have to behave for Luke's sake.

"Do you think Rachel did this?" Sookie asked, not sure if the young girl was capable of arson.

"Who knows sweetie, but I'm sure the hunky policemen will figure it out." She winked at Babette, who slapped her arm.

"You're telling those two off for messing around then you do it yourself," she scolded. "Shame on you Patty," she giggled. The other townies joined in on the debate and Kirk stepped back from the group a little, feeling like he wasn't fitting in. He glanced to his right and spotted a certain redhead hiding behind the gazebo as she watched the diner. When Kirk squinted so he could see her more carefully, he realised she was grinning wickedly. That made him suspicious, but he kept his mouth shut at this moment in time.

XXX

"We'll need you to wait out here while we examine him," a doctor informed her, stopping just outside Luke's hospital room.

"Why, what's happening?" she asked frantically.

"It's just procedure," he explained. "You just need to wait here until we can assess the seriousness of the situation."

"You think it's serious?" she asked, beginning to feel like she was gonna hyperventilate.

"Honestly, it could be worse. He's responsive and he's talking, they're signs that the shock is mild, but we do need to check him out for anything else that may have contributed to his fainting." Lorelai nodded and stepped away from the door so the doctor could enter. "It should take about fifteen minutes if you want to get a cup of coffee while you wait?" he asked, noticing how young she was and how scared she must be at the moment.

"Ok I'll be back." The doctor disappeared into the room while Lorelai wandered off to find a functioning coffee machine. She wandered down the bland white corridors, watching beds being wheeled past and people stumbling along the cold white floor around her. She'd had such an amazing night, but she would never have thought that it would end like this; with Luke lying in a hospital bed while his diner was burning down.

She reached the coffee machine after what felt like hours and fumbled around in her pockets for some loose change. She didn't have any though, the little bit she did have was in her purse at the potting shed. She felt like hitting the poor, innocent coffee machine right there and then as her frustration grew. Something, or rather someone, stopped her though, a voice, a male voice.

"Hey, you ok?" She looked to her left and saw a young man, probably two or three years older than her, smiling at her sympathetically.

"Uh...yeah, I'm fine," she replied awkwardly as she shook her head to clear it.

"You sure, you seem a bit fed up," he pushed.

"No I'm good, I just ran out of change that's all," she muttered.

"Oh well, I can lend you some if you want," he offered quickly, stuffing his hand in his pocket to retrieve some coins.

"No," she protested a little too loudly. "No I'm good," she told him, her voice returning to it's normal volume. "I don't really want any coffee anyways." She began to turn away but the voice stopped her again.

"I'm David," he introduced himself, holding his hand out for her to shake. She stared down at the questing hand in front of her, but made no move to touch it.

"Lorelai," she replied distractedly. "Listen I've gotta..."

"That's a pretty name," he said. "Kinda like something from a Disney movie." Lorelai rolled her eyes; she had heard all the chat up lines referring to her name before, they didn't work with her, and they especially weren't going to work at this moment in time seeing as her boyfriend was currently lying in a hospital bed.

"Look it was nice meeting you David, but I really have to go," she said desperately.

"Oh well what's your number?" he prodded. "Cause I could call you sometime."

"I err...I don't think so, sorry," she muttered before turning away again.

"Where are you going?" he asked, jumping in front of her and blocking her path.

"To see my boyfriend," she replied harshly. "Why are you standing in the way?"

"Sorry," he said, putting his hands up in surrender. "I didn't realise you were taken, then again, all the pretty ones are," he mumbled. Lorelai regarded him for a moment before stepping to the side and walking around him.

"Like I said, it was nice to meet you David," she repeated as she walked away from him. She made her way back down the corridor and took a seat on some chairs near Luke's room. She stared at the door intently, waiting for the doctor to reappear and tell her that Luke was going to be ok. She didn't want to think about the other option right now. After what felt like an eternity, the doctor exited Luke's hospital room with a clipboard held to his chest. Lorelai jumped up immediately and rushed over to him, preparing to bombard him with questions.

"Is Luke ok?" she asked desperately.

"Let's take a seat," he suggested. She agreed silently but something about the way he was acting gave her a bad feeling in her gut. Was something wrong? "As you know, Luke suffered from shock." Lorelai nodded eagerly, willing him to continue. "It was relatively mild, and we're treating him right now. In fact, he's almost as good as new." Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief.

"So when can we go home?"

"Well we'd like to keep him overnight for observation, but if all remains well he should be discharged by noon tomorrow." Lorelai smiled widely and thanked the doctor for everything they'd done for him.

"Can I see him?"

"Yes, but he does need his rest so don't keep him awake for too long," he warned. "The best thing for him is sleep at the moment." Lorelai nodded in agreement before watching the doctor walk away to tend to other patients. She took a deep, calming breath and made her way over to Luke's room. She slowly pushed the door handle down and opened the door, stepping into the slightly darkened room.

"Hey," she greeted quietly as she made her way over to where he lay on the bed.

"Hi, you ok?" he asked, immediately worrying about her.

"I think I should be asking you that question," she mumbled, a small smile gracing her lips.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Don't worry about me." Lorelai's eyes ran up and down his lazy body.

"Why are your legs propped in the air?" she asked, confused at why they were making him lay like that.

"Apparently it's a good way to treat shock," he shrugged. "Something to do with blood pressure."

"Oh...looks a little uncomfortable."

"It is, but the doctors know best right?"

"I guess so," she said before looking down at his face again. Luke didn't like the distance between them so he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bed forcefully. "Luke," she gasped, the smile returning to her voice. "What are you doing?"

"Lay down for a while, you look exhausted." She shook her head slowly.

"The doctor said you need rest," she informed him.

"I can get some rest after we've had a little time alone," he said softly. "Now come here." She grinned at him before perching on edge of the bed and swinging her legs up so the length of her body matched his. She found a comfortable position in the crook of his arm then ran her fingertips over his broad chest, remembering what he was hiding underneath the hospital gown he wore.

"You know if Miss Patty knew you had a six pack, she'd be all over you trying to get a peek," she chuckled at the mental image of Patty trying to sneak a peek under Luke's flannel shirt. Luke didn't laugh though; he didn't even move never mind make a sound. "Luke?" she asked, tilting her head so she could look up at him. He was staring off into space, completely speechless. "Luke?" she repeated pressingly, he was beginning to scare her now. His eyes fell on her; they were full of moisture, most likely unshed tears.

"My diner's on fire," he stated. It was like he had just realised the true extent of the situation, how much damage will have been caused and how much time and effort will go into getting it back up and running. Then there was the money issue; where was he going to find tens of thousands of dollars to do all the renovation work? It was one big mess and he wasn't sure what to do. Usually he was Mr Fix-it; he always knew what to do and how to fix everything, but this was beyond his ability.

"I know babe," she replied softly, watching as more tears filled his eyes. She knew he was holding them in though, he hated crying, especially in front of other people.

"I...I need to do something," he said, removing his arm from underneath his girlfriend and shuffling around so he could move from the bed. Lorelai grabbed both his shoulders and held him down, preventing him from moving any further.

"There's nothing you can do Luke," she told him gently. "The fire brigade are there, and the police. They'll sort it out; all we can do is wait."

"I can't just sit around and do nothing," he shouted angrily. "I need to help, my diner's on fire, my home's on fire." Lorelai winced slightly at the force of his words, but Luke didn't notice. He was too worked up, it was to be expected in this situation.

"You collapsed less than two hours ago," she said, raising her voice to match his. "You're not going anywhere." She pushed him back down so he was lying on his back, and watched as expression told of the devastation he was experiencing. His expression made Lorelai feel awful; she'd never seen that look on his face, but she suspected that it was similar to the one he wore when his mother and father died. "I know this was totally unexpected and it's hard, but you have to think about your safety first Luke. If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do." Her tears began to fall, mostly at the sight of a broken Luke, as well as the extent of the terrible situation they were in. A couple of minutes passed in silence as Lorelai collected herself and only tear stained cheeks remained. She heard Luke sigh tiredly before he filled the silence.

"What am I gonna do?" he asked shakily. The teens were now lying on their backs next to each other, both staring at the ceiling blankly. "I can't afford the repercussions of this."

"I thought you'd been saving," she said.

"I have, but I've only had the diner a year, I haven't got that much," he sighed. "Four thousand at the most."

"That'll go towards it though; four thousand is a lot of money Luke." She was shocked at the figure, she didn't know he had that much money in the bank.

"But it's not enough," he said knowingly.

"You have insurance right?"

"Of course I have insurance," he replied irritably. Lorelai tore her eyes away from his so he wouldn't see how much his snappy comment had gotten to her. Yes he was in a horrible situation right now, but there was no need to vent all his frustration out on her. "I'm sorry," he sighed sadly.

"It's ok," she murmured, barely audibly.

"No, I know this isn't your fault. I shouldn't take it out on you." Lorelai moved her gaze back onto him and smiled softly, but Luke noticed they weren't their usual bright blue, they were murky and dull and completely anti-Lorelai.

"I know this is hard for you, it's hard for me so I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling right now." She rolled onto her side so she was facing him and propped her elbow up so she could rest her chin in her palm. "Just remember that I'm here, I'll always be here if you need me." Luke smiled slightly in acknowledgement to her comment, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered, brushing his index finger down her cheek. "I'll bear that in mind."

"And the town is here for you too, I'm sure they'll wanna help in some way." Luke rolled his eyes but smiled anyway, mostly for Lorelai's benefit.

"Just as long as Kirk doesn't get involved, any plan that Kirk's included in can only end in disaster." Lorelai chuckled, but the mention of disaster just reminded her of what was going on at the moment and she quickly sobered. Luke noticed her fallen expression and wrapped his arm firmly around her waist. "I wonder what's happening right now," he said thoughtfully.

"Sookie said she'd drop by with information as soon as there was any," she reassured him. "So I guess they're still working on it, rather that or they're not telling anyone anything." Luke nodded, his face expressionless. "They'll sort it Luke, it'll go back to normal eventually."

"Yeah eventually," he echoed. "But what happens until then? Everything's gonna be ruined," he said sadly, the moisture gathering in his eyes again. "All the hard work I put into it when I converted it to a diner, all my dad's tools that were hung around the diner, it's all gone." Lorelai noticed a tear escape his eye, but he hastily wiped it away before it could fall. She knew anything to do with his dad was a weak spot for him, she learned that on his dark day when they visited the graveyard together.

"It may still be salvageable," she said, trying to keep him optimistic rather than looking at the dark side of things. But the dark side was the reality, she knew everything was ruined; everything he'd worked for, it was all gone. She just didn't wanna admit it out loud.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "The diner, my apartment, my dad's tools, they're all gone forever," he admitted firmly, it was as if he was reading Lorelai's mind like an open book. "You saw the fire, it was out of control. It had reached the apartment, all my stuff's up in flames." The moisture in Luke's eyes was building with every word he spoke, but he was trying his absolute hardest to prevent it from escaping.

"Luke..." Lorelai began sympathetically, but she was interrupted by the door bursting open and a very worried Liz barging into the room.

"Luke!" she called frantically as she rushed over to his bedside and grabbed his free hand. Luke quickly released Lorelai and she sat up so they didn't look so...intimate. "Are you ok?" It was obvious that she was also distraught, probably because of the diner but maybe it was also the fact that Luke was the only family she had left, and seeing him in a hospital bed as well made her a little antsy.

"I'm fine," he assured her, giving her hand a squeeze. Lorelai stood up from the bed, catching Liz's attention in the process.

"I didn't interrupt anything did I?" she asked, realising that they looked to be deep in conversation when she entered the room.

"No it's fine," Lorelai dismissed. She noticed Mia standing in the open doorway with a very annoyed looking Jess sat on her hip, probably because he'd been woken up at a late hour. Luke noticed her too and gestured for her to go to him.

"How are you doing?" she asked quietly, adopting a motherly tone as she addressed him.

"As well as can be expected," he replied with a nod. All three women could see the distress in his dark blue eyes; it was shadowing them with a grey colour. Mia nodded at his previous comment and Luke let his eyes drift to his nephew, who was studying him carefully. "Hey buddy," he greeted, reaching out to touch him briefly.

"Ucal Luke?" Jess asked quietly, with much less enthusiasm than usual. Luke held his arms out so Mia gently lowered Jess so he was sitting on his uncle's stomach. "Hurt?" Jess asked.

"No I'm not hurt," he assured him. "I'm ok." Jess gave him a tiny smile to show that he understood but didn't say anything in reply. Instead he poked at Luke's hospital gown, marvelling at the material that he had never felt before. It was something new and exciting for him.

"Luke?" Liz said after a few moments of watching her brother and son interact.

"Hmm?" He looked up and noticed the tears gathering in her eyes. Lorelai noticed too and frowned.

"Um...I think we're gonna go to the waiting room for a while," she said, realising that the siblings needed a minute to themselves. "Should I take Jess with me?" Luke nodded and smiled gratefully. He held his hand up to Jess and the boy hit it with his own in a high five, something he had learned from Luke himself. Lorelai took him into her arms, immediately gaining protests from the one and a half year old.

"Will you be ok with him?" Liz asked, noticing her son's angry cries beginning to start.

"Yeah, I'll get him settled," she assured. "I'll be right out there ok?" she whispered to Luke. "Shout if you need me." Luke nodded, smiled, then took his attention to his sister again. Lorelai, Mia and Jess slipped out of the room, leaving the brother and sister to discuss the tragedy of the night's events. They headed to the waiting room, where a few toys had been left in the corner. Lorelai sat on the floor and settled Jess in front of her as they began searching through the toys.

"This is terrible isn't it dear?" Mia asked, wondering how Lorelai was feeling right now. She simply nodded and smiled slightly at the elder woman. "How are you doing?"

"I'm ok I guess, can't say the same for Luke though." Mia frowned.

"Oh it must be so hard for him, I can't imagine what it'll be like when he goes to look at the damage and see if anything's left."

"I know, it's gonna be awful," she countered. "He's worked so hard on that place, it was his home and it's all been taken away." A few tears slipped from her eyes and Jess noticed immediately, as he was holding a toy car out to show her.

"Lolai sad?" he asked, pointing to her face. She sniffled, not able to stop the smile spreading across her face. Jess reminded her so much of Rory, and Rory reminded her of Jess. The toddlers obviously spent too much time with each other.

"I'm ok sweetie," she told him, wiping away her tears quickly. "Just thinking about your uncle."

"Ucal Luke?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes I was thinking about Uncle Luke," she confirmed, smiling as she stared into the happy set of eyes gazing back at her.

"Wowy?"

"Yes where is Rory tonight?" Mia asked curiously.

"She's staying with my parents tonight," she replied. "My mom was supposed to drop her off at the diner tomorrow." Another pang of sadness hit her as she was once again reminded of what they were faced with.

"Maybe you should go see them and talk to them about what's happened," suggested Mia but Lorelai shook her head insistently.

"No, I wanna stay here," she said firmly. "I'm not leaving Luke."

"Ok, maybe later then. If not, I can go collect her for you." Lorelai nodded, showing Mia that she was thankful for her caring nature.

"I'll see what happens," she said quietly before taking her attention to Jess, who was playing with the toy cars.

XXX

"The diner," Liz stumbled. "All dad's stuff...it's gone," she said, the tears breaking out. Luke reached his arms out and enveloped her in a hug, bringing her down to rest on the bed next to him.

"I know," he said softly. "I know it's hard." He held his little sister tightly as she cried into his hospital gown. He knew this was just as hard for her as it was for him, even though it was his diner, the contents of the building held a special place in each of their hearts.

"Those tools, they're the only thing we have left of dad," she cried, huge sobs wracking her body and making her shake uncontrollably.

"Hey, they're not the only thing we have," he soothed. "They might be the only physical thing but we have plenty of other things." Liz pulled away slightly and looked up at him, still resting most of her body weight against him.

"Like what?" she asked, not exactly following his train of thought.

"All those memories from when we were kids," he began. "I remember when he bought you your first bike," he smiled. "You were four or five and you'd been begging him for weeks to get you one. So one day he came home from work carrying this box; he opened it and pulled out this sparkly pink bike with tassels hanging from the handlebars. You loved it, I've never seen your face light up so much." Liz smiled at the memory of her father teaching her how to ride her new bike. It was a vague memory, many of the details blanked out because it was so long ago, but she could remember snippets and that was enough for her.

"Remember at Christmas time when we used to go to the lake? He always made us climb up to that damn cave so we could have a fire and toast marshmallows, I hated it." Luke chuckled.

"You mean you hated the walking part, once you were up there, you had a great time."

"Yeah cause it was warm and there were marshmallows," she said matter-of-factly.

"I miss that," Luke said quietly.

"What?"

"The traditions we used to have, like going to the lake at Christmas, going fishing on the fourth of July, swimming on Sunday mornings," he listed. "I miss those times."

"I miss everything," said Liz. "Just seeing mom and dad every day, that's what I miss the most." Luke nodded in a silent reply, both Danes teens realising just how much they missed having their parents around. They had come to terms with it to some extent, but the pain never goes away when you lose a loved one.

"At least their together now, that's where they belong," whispered Luke. It was not something he would normally say, especially with it being so mushy and cliché. But it was true, he knew that for certain. They sat together, arms wrapped around each other comfortingly, as they shared stories of childhood antics, involving both of their parents. Luke liked reminiscing about his childhood, especially with his baby sister, who he thought he'd never have a civilised conversation with again after she began behaving recklessly. "Can you get Lorelai?" Luke asked after at least a half an hour of sharing memories. Liz nodded empathetically before giving her brother's back a few light pats and getting up to leave the room.

XXX

"Hey you," Lorelai greeted a few minutes later as she entered the room. She noticed how tired he looked and knew it couldn't be good for him. She didn't want to leave though.

"You ok?" he asked in his usual caring voice.

"Yeah, had a little playtime with Jess," she said, smiling down at him from where she was standing next to the bed.

"I'm sure that was fun for you," he chuckled, but she noticed his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Huh, yeah I'm fine," he shrugged. "I don't know why I'm in this place."

"Because shock can be a serious thing," she told him. "They just need to observe you to make sure you're back to your normal self." Luke sighed.

"I know, I just wish I could put my legs down already." Lorelai giggled at his legs that were propped up by several pillows near the end of the bed.

"So this is a way to treat shock huh, who knew?"

"The doctors obviously," he replied dumbly, but there was traces of a smile in his voice.

"You'll be back home tomorrow," she said in assurance. Luke frowned and opened his mouth to speak.

"I don't have a home to go to though, not anymore," he said sadly. Lorelai sat down slowly on the bed next to him and rested her hand on his chest.

"You always have a home with Rory and I," she told him quietly, not sure what she herself was suggesting here and what possessed her to do it.

"What?" he asked, his head shooting up to look at her.

"I...I want you to come and live with us for a while," she said, completely unsure of whether she should be doing this or not. She saw Luke was speechless so she carried on. "I know you don't have anywhere to stay at the moment, and it's gonna take a long time to get the diner back up and running. You stay at my place a lot anyway, well you did before...well you know...but I think it'd make sense," she shrugged. "That way you can spend more time with Rory, and you have a few clothes and stuff at the shed anyway." Luke didn't know what to say, could he really move in with her; his girlfriend of almost five months? Wasn't it too soon? "Luke?" she asked, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Huh, what?" he asked, not realising that she was addressing him.

"What do you think?" she asked, an inch of hope in her voice.

"Um...isn't it a bit soon...for that?" he asked, being careful not to hurt her feelings.

"Well maybe, but I'm just trying to help you here, it would only be temporary until you get the apartment sorted out." She was beginning to grow to the idea herself, and she hoped to god now that he would say yes. He opened his mouth to speak, but a gentle knock on the door interrupted him and they looked over to see the doctor poking his head into the room.

"It's getting late," he said, smiling at the couple. "It's time Mr Danes got some rest." Lorelai frowned and the doctor could see the disappointment written across her face. "I'll give you a few more minutes to say goodnight." He knew how young love could be, and decided to let them have an extra few minutes to themselves. He gave them another smile then closed the door, leaving them alone once again.

"I guess I have to go outside then," she mumbled, looking down at where her hand still rested on his chest.

"You're not gonna stay in the waiting room all night are you?" he asked, hoping she would find somewhere more comfortable to rest her head for the night.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I don't wanna leave you here by yourself."

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "You should go back to Stars Hollow with Mia and Liz. Or you could go to your parent's house if you want to be closer, then you can bring Rory here to see me in the morning," he suggested.

"I feel like I haven't seen her for weeks," she said quietly. "So much has happened mom picked her up earlier.

"I know," he replied, wishing he could hold his little girl in his arms right now. "It's weird how you can miss someone so much, I didn't know it was possible," he chuckled. Lorelai smiled too.

"Tell me about it," she said.

"So you're gonna go to your parents tonight?" he asked, just to make sure she was going to sleep in a proper bed that night. Lorelai pouted but nodded her answer. "Good, you need your sleep too Lorelai, we don't want you getting sick do we?" She shook her head and leaned forward to kiss him, but another knock on the door interrupted them and they pulled away from each other before their lips could connect.

"I swear if that's the doctor again I'm gonna throw something at him," Lorelai mumbled. The door swung open and Sookie entered, looking just as tired as the two of them did. "Sook!" Lorelai exclaimed, jumping up from the bed to envelope her friend in a warming hug.

"Hey, you both doing ok?" she asked, taking the opportunity to glance at Luke.

"Yeah we're good," Luke replied, although his expression told a different story. "What's happening with the diner?" he asked, eager to know how his business was doing.

"They managed to put the fire out," she told them happily. Luke breathed a sigh of relief and Lorelai smiled, until she realised that there would be a lot of damage.

"What else?" Lorelai asked. "Do they know how it started?" Sookie shook her head.

"It was quite late by the time the fire was under control, so they're gonna start the investigation in the morning," she said. "They said they wanna ask you some questions when you get home tomorrow," she told Luke.

"Uh...ok," he replied. He glanced down at the bed sheets that covered him before looking up at Sookie again nervously. "How does it look?" he asked, almost inaudibly.

"Not good," she said sympathetically. "It's pretty black from the outside, and all the windows were smashed." Luke took a deep breath and nodded. Lorelai took his hand to comfort him, but she felt herself becoming a bit emotional too. She still couldn't believe that this had happened.

"So it looks bad," he concluded. Sookie just nodded, not wanting to inflict anymore bad news upon them. The doctor came back into the room, giving them a stern look that told them their time was up.

"Visiting hours are over," he said. "In fact they were over a long time ago but I made you an exception because you arrived late. Mr Danes needs his rest now." Lorelai nodded and smiled down at Luke sadly.

"I'll meet you outside ok?" Sookie asked, wanting to give the two a little time alone, even if the doctor was gonna stand there and watch. Lorelai nodded and watched her best friend leave the room.

"So it's time for me to go," she told Luke, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, make sure you get some proper sleep ok?" She nodded and leaned down so her lips were close to his.

"Love you," she whispered before capturing his lips with hers. She kept it brief because of the audience they currently had and pulled away after only two or three seconds.

"Love you too," he replied, just as quietly. Lorelai smiled at him then stepped away from the bed.

"I'll be back in the morning," she told him. "And I'll bring Rory with me." Luke nodded as he watched her step further away from his bed. Lorelai smiled at him one last time, gave the doctor a shy smile and gained a nod in reply, then left the room for the night. She found Sookie waiting for her outside in the corridor, Mia and Liz stood with her as they talked quietly.

"Hello dear," Mia greeted. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah I just didn't wanna leave tonight, that's all," she said unhappily.

"Well at least you can get a proper night's rest," said Sookie, knowing that's exactly what her friend needed after the day she'd had.

"Yeah," she replied shortly.

"Are you coming back to Stars Hollow then?" Liz asked as she adjusted Jess, who lay fast asleep against her shoulder.

"Um...no I think I'm gonna go to my parent's house tonight," she replied. "I wanna see Rory anyway."

"Do you need a ride?" asked Sookie, willing to help in any way she could.

"Yeah that'd be great actually," she accepted with a genuine smile on her face. "You don't mind?"

"Not at all, I'm happy to help." The five of them left the hospital and got into their respective cars; Liz and Jess in Mia's and Lorelai in Sookie's. They said their goodbyes and that they'd see them the next day, then the two best friends were on their way to the Gilmore mansion. Sookie pulled to a stop in the driveway; surprisingly the gate had been left open, and turned to look at Lorelai who had been surprisingly quiet the whole way there, only speaking to give directions. "So we're here," she said, pointing towards the big building next to them.

"Yeah...uh...thanks for the ride Sook," she said gratefully. Sookie noticed Lorelai's weird mood and immediately called her up on it.

"What's going on with you?" she asked. "You've hardly spoken a word since we got in the car." Lorelai looked taken aback at first, but it soon faded and she frowned.

"Tomorrow's gonna be awful," she said. "Seeing the diner all burned and stuff, I'm not looking forward to it at all." Sookie nodded in understanding.

"It was pretty heartbreaking when I saw it afterwards," she admitted. "I don't think it's meant to be easy though."

"Thanks Sook, you've really helped tonight," she thanked. "You didn't have to drive all the way to Hartford though."

"Oh I didn't mind, you and Luke deserved to know what was going on," she dismissed. "You'd better get inside so you can get some rest." Lorelai leaned over and gave her friend a hug as a silent thank you before muttering something about seeing her tomorrow then climbing out of the car. She waved as Sookie pulled out of the driveway then made her way over to the front door. She took a deep breath, wondering what her parents would say when they saw her on their doorstep at midnight. She knew that she'd have to tell them what had happened but she wasn't sure if she was up to it tonight. Suddenly the door swung open and Emily's voice could be heard.

"I swear I heard a car Richard," she told her husband before they both noticed Lorelai stood on their doorstep.

"Lorelai?" Richard asked in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" asked Emily, equally confused. They were supposed to be looking after Rory tonight.

"Um...I need to crash here tonight, if that's ok?" she asked nervously. Both her parents looked perplexed but allowed her to walk through the door and into the living room. She seated herself under the watchful eyes of Emily and Richard, feeling very nervous.

"Would you like a drink?" asked Richard.

"Err...coffee would be good, thanks dad," she muttered. Richard nodded and got up to prepare his daughter a much needed beverage. Emily admired Lorelai's outfit, it was still the dress she had worn to dinner, and wondered what could have possibly happened to cause such a late night visit. And she also wanted to know who had dropped her off.

"Lorelai what is going on?" she asked shrilly. Lorelai focussed on the floor.

"I'll tell you when dad gets back," she said firmly before focussing on the door that Richard had left through. Richard re-entered the room a few minutes later and handed Lorelai a steaming cup of coffee. She thanked him and took a few long sips before wrapping her hands around it, enjoying the warmth that radiated from it.

"So what's going on?" Richard asked. Lorelai cleared her throat then looked directly at her parents.

"The diner caught fire tonight," she whispered. The elder Gilmores still heard her though and their eyes widened in shock. "Sookie brought me here, from the hospital." Richard was the first to speak up.

"The hospital, are you ok?" he asked, entering a state of panic.

"Yeah I'm fine, it's Luke that's there," she told them.

"Luke?" Emily asked. "Luke was in the fire?" Lorelai realised how her parents had misinterpreted the events, and she realised that she had gone about telling them in the completely wrong way.

"Luke and I went out to dinner and when we came back, we found the diner on fire," she amended. "No one was inside."

"So why is Luke in the hospital?" asked Richard, not understanding the situation. She went through the events of the night, reassuring them that Luke would be ok and that he would be home within twelve hours. After a long conversation and two cups of coffee, Lorelai finally trudged up the stairs and made her way to her daughter's room, leaving Emily and Richard to discuss the information downstairs.

XXX

Hi sweets," she whispered, loud enough for Rory to hear, but not loud enough to wake her. She tried to resist the urge to pick her up and hug her, but the need overtook her and she found herself cradling Rory to her shoulder. The girl began to stir and looked up tiredly at her mother.

"Mama," she whispered, wondering why she had been woken up.

"Hey baby," she said quietly. "Mommy just wanted to see you," she cooed. She made her way towards her old bedroom and settled Rory on the bed before looking for a pair of pyjamas in one of her drawers. She quickly changed then climbed under the covers, tucking Rory in with her.

"Seepy," the baby mumbled as she snuggled in closer to Lorelai's side.

"I know how you feel, it's been a long night," she replied. "Go to sleep ok?" She watched Rory drift off again, content that she was near her and could take comfort in her. She fell asleep also, looking forward to tomorrow when she could see Luke again, but dreading it at the same time, knowing that they would have to face the damaged diner. It was a restless sleep that night, for both teenagers.

**Quite a long one to make up for you having to wait. I do apologise again **** now I'm not really in the mood for a really long A/N so I'm gonna keep it short. Pleeeeaaaaase review...I'm on 683 reviews at the moment...think I can get 700 with this? It would really make my month, start August on a good note :D especially after a rainy couple of days away! Bye for now...**

**Emily.**


	45. Facing Reality

**Ah...you know when you're writing but you know that what you're typing is a load of rubbish but you carry on anyway? That's what I felt about the beginning and through to the middle of this chapter. I think it gets better though, so I hope you think so too. **

**See I haven't made you wait too long for this, and it is quite a long one! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, 700 woooooohooooo. I think you can tell I'm happy about that :P I'm glad you're all intrigued as well, makes writing the next chapter a whole lot easier. I hope you enjoy this **** oh and sorry I haven't replied to any reviews...I thought that typing this up was more important than writing to you all, so sorry, I say thank you again!**

Lorelai woke up early the next morning; earlier than she cared for, but as she would normally roll over and go back to sleep for another few hours, on this particular morning she found herself unable to. An hour passed, where she simply stared up at the ceiling as random thoughts ran through her head. She tried to ignore most of them, but the one that played on her mind the most, was where Luke was going to live.

She'd hoped he'd say yes when she'd asked him the previous day, but they were interrupted and she never got to hear his answer. Maybe she'd bring it up that day. She felt Rory shift next to her and looked down to see the set of sleepy blue eyes looking up at her curiously. It was like she knew something was going on, that something wasn't right; Lorelai could see it in those big eyes.

"Morning babe," she whispered, pulling her up so she was sitting on her stomach. It took Rory a few moments to get orientated, but she finally smiled and crawled up Lorelai's body to reach her face.

"Mama," she squealed happily once they were face to face. Lorelai couldn't help but grin at her daughter's cuteness, even though she didn't feel much like doing at the moment, not with everything that was happening.

"Kiss?" she asked, happy to enjoy her daughter's good mood for a few moments, kind of like an escape from reality. Rory obliged and left a big wet kiss on Lorelai's lips, then another on her cheek. Lorelai eventually sighed and made the decision to climb out of bed; it was seven am now, visiting hours began at eight so she wanted to get to the hospital and see Luke. She quickly dressed herself then carried Rory into the nursery so she could change her diaper.

"Let's see what outfit mommy packed for you," she said to her daughter as she picked up the diaper bag from the floor. She put Rory down and began searching through the jumble of pacifiers, stuffed toys and everything else she'd packed for the overnight stay, but she couldn't find the clothes she was certain she'd put in. "Where are they?" she asked herself.

"What's the matter Lorelai?" Emily asked from the doorway. She'd been observing her daughter for several moments.

"Oh god, you scared me," she said, throwing a hand to her chest. Emily walked into the room and smiled softly down at Rory.

"Rory's clothes are in the laundry room," she informed. "I had the maid press them last night and lay them out to keep them nice. She should have brought them up actually." She shook her head, knowing that was another incompetent maid who she'd have to fire later that morning.

"I'll go get them," Lorelai decided, bending down to pick Rory up.

"Oh I'll take Rory," offered Emily, resting her hands lightly on Lorelai's forearms. "I'll have the maid prepare her breakfast." Lorelai rolled her eyes. She wasn't in the mood for messing around; she wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

"It's ok," she assured her mother. "I wanna get her ready so we can get going." Emily's face fell.

"Oh, you're leaving so soon?" The disappointment was evident in her tone, and Lorelai felt a teeny tiny bit sorry for her.

"We need to get to the hospital," she told her.

"You're taking Rory to the hospital?" Lorelai nodded her head absently. "But that's no place for a baby, there are diseases and she'll get bored just sitting around all day." Emily was trying to think of a way to keep Rory for a little longer, she loved taking care of her granddaughter. Lorelai however, was getting frustrated with her mother; couldn't she remember what she'd told her the previous night?

"Luke wants to see her," she said matter-of-factly, trying to keep her voice even and her irritation hidden. "I told him I'd take her to see him this morning."

"Well I hardly think it's appropriate," she replied. Lorelai rolled her eyes again.

"You're doing it again," she mumbled, not quite aware she'd said it out loud.

"Doing what?" Lorelai swallowed hard and continued.

"Taking over, trying to take Rory away from me," she said honestly. Her voice was laced with sadness, but with a hint of anger at the same time. Emily quickly remembered what happened the last time she undermined her daughter's parenting skills, and gave in.

"I was just saying Lorelai; I'm entitled to have an opinion." Her voice had softened, a bit of desperation seeping in.

"Yeah but I'm her mother, if I want to take her to the hospital to see her dad, I will, understood?" Emily was a little shocked at Lorelai's firmness, but found herself nodding. "Good, now I'm gonna go get Rory's clothes then we're leaving." She picked up her daughter then exited the room, leaving a speechless Emily Gilmore standing in the nursery.

By the time Rory was changed and dressed, it was already a quarter to eight. Lorelai had wanted to be at the hospital for when visiting hours started, but obviously she wouldn't be and she wasn't happy about that fact. She walked down the stairs to find her mother and father eating breakfast in a contented silence.

"We're leaving now," she told them, suddenly feeling like she lived here again. Emily simply nodded, whereas Richard was a bit friendlier.

"I was just about to head out to the office if you'd like me to drop you off at the hospital," he offered.

"It's ok, we can take the bus," she shrugged. But then she remembered that she had no money on her, and found herself accepting her dad's offer.

"I'll see you tonight Emily," he said as he bent down to leave a loving kiss on her cheek.

"Goodbye Richard," she replied, successfully avoiding eye contact with Lorelai.

"I'll um...see you at dinner, on Friday," said Lorelai nervously. Emily once again nodded in acknowledgement before taking a few sips of her coffee. Lorelai sighed and took one last glance at her mother, before following Richard out to the car.

XXX

She arrived at the hospital at eight ten, and after thanking her father and saying goodbye, she and Rory made their way up to the third floor where Luke's room was situated.

"Ready to see daddy Ror?" she asked as they walked past the waiting room she'd sat in the night before.

"Dada," Rory squealed and clapped her hands together excitedly from her place on Lorelai's hip. Lorelai lightly knocked on the door to Luke's room then pushed it open, poking her head inside before fully entering.

"Hey, you've got a visitor," she told him. His face lit up when he saw Lorelai, but his smile grew even wider when he noticed Rory attached to her hip. She closed the door behind her then made her way over to the bed, dropping the diaper bag on the floor beside it. She was happy to see that he looked a lot better now, he was sitting up rather than lying down, and his legs were no longer propped up in the air.

"Hey," he greeted her, pulling her down for a short but sweet kiss. "Hi Rory." The little girl looked at him for a few seconds before grinning widely and reaching her arms out to him. Lorelai lowered her to the bed and watched as the two got reacquainted with each other.

"So are you feeling better now?" she asked, perching on the edge of the bed.

"I'm fine," he said stubbornly. "I don't know why I'm still in this place."

"Good thing you're coming home today then," she said with a wide smile. She watched as Rory crawled up to Luke's head and began running her fingers through his hair before tugging on it roughly.

"Ouch," he muttered, a smile spreading across his lips. Rory giggled at his reaction and continued to touch it with her fingertips.

"She doesn't normally see your hair; it's always hidden under that damn baseball cap," Lorelai chuckled.

"You don't like my baseball cap?" he asked, pretending to be offended but his large smile gave him away. She leaned in closer to him and ran her fingertips over his stubbly jaw.

"Ah who am I kidding? I love the baseball cap." She grinned and gave him a lingering kiss, one that both of them were enjoying, until Rory pushed them apart that is. "Hey," protested Lorelai. Rory pouted at her before clinging onto Luke's arm.

"Mine," she whined, obviously wanting Luke all to herself for a while. Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest and pouted back at Rory. Luke thought they looked ridiculous.

"Sometimes you have to share," Lorelai told her, but she just clutched Luke's arm tighter.

"No," Rory disagreed.

"Yes," corrected Lorelai.

"Ok that's enough," said Luke sternly. "You both have to learn to share." Rory smiled at him sweetly, as did Lorelai, but he simply rolled his eyes at the impossible nature of the Gilmore girls. He was thankful for the interruption when the nurse brought breakfast in, followed by the doctor who was once again carrying a clipboard.

"Good morning Luke," he greeted his patient. The nurse set the tray down on the wheelie table next to the bed and positioned it so he could reach it easily before slipping out of the room. "Ah you're here already," he said to Lorelai.

"Yup, I just couldn't stay away," she replied with her trademark smile, touching Luke's arm affectionately. The doctor noticed Rory, who was now curiously studying the stubble covering Luke's jaw.

"And who do we have here?"

"This is Rory," Luke answered. "Our daughter." The doctor's eyebrows rose considerably; he was expecting the baby to be a sister or a cousin; he never would have guessed when he met them last night, that they were parents.

"Oh," was all he said. He tried to hide his obvious surprise, but he didn't do a very good job. Luke noticed Lorelai bow her head slightly, not ashamedly though, it was more because of the fact that she knew he was passing judgement on the two of them. He noticed Rory looking up at him shyly, so he put on a smile and reached his hand forward to tickle her tummy. She giggled at the contact and proceeded to bat his hands away, so he withdrew them quickly. "How old is she?" he asked the young parents.

"She'll be fifteen months now," replied Lorelai proudly as she ran her fingers through Rory's fine hair.

"Ah, wonderful age," he said with a nod. "So she's learning to walk and talk?" he asked, suddenly curious about the baby's development. He was a doctor after all; his job was to look out for people's health and well-being.

"She's been walking for a while now," Lorelai answered.

"She took her first steps when she was eleven months old," Luke contributed, remembering the day well. It was the morning after Lorelai had slept over at his apartment for the first time, after about a week of knowing each other. He still marvelled at how quickly their relationship had formed. He usually kept to himself, and people had to prove themselves before he let them be a part of his life. But with her it was different, and now, five months later, they had come so far. It felt a lot longer than five measly months to him, well to both of them actually.

"Wow, she must be a quick learner," he observed. "How's her speech coming along?" He looked at the hesitant expressions of the two teenagers and realised that he might be coming across too strongly. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry," he apologised. "It's just, being a doctor makes you curious." Both Lorelai and Luke smiled in understanding, and Luke proceeded to answer his question.

"She's pretty good with words actually," he said. "She says 'mama' and 'dada' regularly, well all the time, but it's usually when she wants something." The doctor nodded and let out a chuckle at his description. "She's good with manners, she's got the 'please' and 'thank you' thing down, and she knows when to use them too."

"She's got this friend called Jess, he's technically her cousin actually, and she can say his name," interrupted Lorelai, wanting to prove how smart her daughter really was.

"Jesh!" Rory exclaimed, looking around the room for him but frowning when he wasn't there.

"Like that?" the doctor asked, grinning widely at the little girl's outburst. Lorelai nodded.

"She says 'yes' and 'no', and 'grandma' and 'grandpa'," added Luke. The doctor nodded, taking in all the information.

"Well she seems to be very advanced for her age," he told them. "She's gonna be a very smart girl when she's older." Luke and Lorelai grinned proudly at each other. "Does she speak in sentences at all, or is she limited to single words?"

"She speaks in two word sentences now and again, but that's the extent of it," Lorelai frowned. The doctor noticed the worry flash across her face, and was quick to put it at ease.

"That's good," he assured her. "She seems to be developing at a faster pace than an average fifteen month old, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about." The proud grin made it's way onto Lorelai's face again as she lifted Rory to sit in her lap. "Now we appear to have gotten off topic a little," he chuckled. "I originally came in to tell you that you're doing a lot better than you were when you were brought in last night. I just have a few more tests to carry out, but if those come out ok, you're free to go."

"That's great," exclaimed Lorelai, looking forward to getting out of the building. She wasn't a big fan of hospitals, but who was?

"Nana," said Rory longingly, just noticing the yellow piece of fruit sitting on Luke's breakfast tray. She shuffled off of Lorelai's lap and crawled onto Luke's, leaning her back against his chest as she reached for the banana.

"Thanks doctor," Luke said gratefully. "How long are these tests gonna take?" he asked as he peeled Rory's banana for her.

"Well I'll let you finish your breakfast first, but after they've been carried out, you should only have to wait ten minutes or so to find out the results. Then you can be discharged." Luke nodded, picturing in his mind what his burned diner would look like, and remembering that he'd have to go inspect the damage when he got out of this place. The doctor left the room, leaving the family to share a minute or two to themselves.

"So we're going back to Stars Hollow," Lorelai stated. Luke could tell by her tone that she was just as hesitant as he was about it. She looked into his eyes, trying to read his expression, but she found it impossible. "What are you thinking?" she asked softly, knowing that today wouldn't be easy for him. Luke shook his head, pulling himself from his daydream before smiling at her.

"Nothing," he replied. He looked down at Rory and busied himself by feeding her things from his breakfast tray. Lorelai frowned, she knew he was avoiding having to talk about the diner, and she feared it wasn't good for him. He needed to face what happened so they could get to work on fixing it back up.

XXX

Luke was discharged just half an hour after breakfast. He changed into the clothes that Sookie had brought by the night before; ones she had found in Lorelai's closet at the potting shed, then picked up Rory, revelling in the fact that he could hold her again. The trio walked down the corridor towards the elevator, both knowing what was coming up in the next hour or so, and both completely dreading it. They made it to the car park, and realised that Luke's truck was back in Stars Hollow, seeing as they rode to the hospital in the ambulance.

"How do we get back?" Lorelai asked, although she wasn't sure she wanted to go back just yet.

"I guess we have to take the bus," mumbled Luke, realising that he was getting closer and closer to his destroyed diner. He didn't want to see it; he thought that if he hadn't seen it for himself, then he could believe that nothing had happened, and that everything was as it should be. But he knew he couldn't play out that fantasy for very long, he'd have to go back to Stars Hollow whether he wanted to or not.

XXX

Various townies were surrounding the diner that morning as the investigation began. The fire brigade had marked the building as safe just fifteen minutes ago, so professionals flooded in to determine the damage and look for anything suspicious. Nobody was aware of what had started the blaze; for all they knew it could have been anything, or anyone. But there was one person standing outside the diner that morning, who had something eating at his brain, and he was dying to share the information with somebody.

Kirk hadn't slept much the night before; every time he closed his eyes he saw her face, that grin getting to him as he wondered what it could possibly have meant. She hadn't started the fire, had she? It wasn't possible. He knew she'd been awful since she arrived back in town, but she was such a nice girl before. Was it possible for someone to change that much? He needed to figure it out before he told someone, he decided. He didn't want to waste police time after all.

XXX

The bus journey back was almost silent. Lorelai had tried to start up a few conversations during the ride but Luke wasn't very cooperative and she found he was drifting further and further into his own thoughts, completely blocking her out in the process.

"Luke," she said quietly as the bus drove past the inn. They were only a couple of minutes away now. He looked at her, but didn't say anything. He just waited for her to continue. "We're almost there, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. The bus turned the corner into the town square but Luke kept his eyes forward, wanting to savour the last few seconds before his world fell apart. The bus stopped and Lorelai was the first to step off, her mouth dropping open at the scene before her. Luke followed, with Rory attached to his hip, and stopped when he was standing next to her, devastation written across his face. Lorelai took Luke's free hand and gave it a squeeze in an attempt to comfort him as they tentatively stepped towards the scene in question.

Miss Patty and Babette were the first to see the family inching closer to the diner. They managed to catch Lorelai's attention from where they were standing and gave her a short wave, which she returned. Everyone seemed to glue their eyes onto them after that, as they eagerly awaited Luke's reaction to his ruined business.

"I...I can't believe it," he said quietly, mainly to himself but Lorelai managed to overhear so she squeezed his hand that much tighter.

"I know," she agreed, her eyes scanning all areas of the building. There was no glass left in any of the windows; not even in his apartment.

"I don't know if I can go in just yet," he admitted, swallowing thickly and popping his ears in the process.

"It's ok, we can go in when you're ready," she assured him, letting him know that she wouldn't rush him into anything and that it was all up to him. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around Rory, pulling her closer to him and taking comfort from her. Lorelai's heart was breaking seeing him like this; he wasn't crying or anything, but she could see how hurt he was, and she suspected that if he wasn't so objective to shedding tears, that's exactly what he'd be doing right now.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he asked, his voice shaky with unshed tears. Lorelai didn't know what to say, so she let him continue his train of thought. "I'm not a bad person, I eat healthily, I help people whenever I can," he listed. "Why are all the odds against me?" Lorelai looked at the floor before answering truthfully.

"They're not," she replied, a lump forming in her throat. Luke nodded stubbornly, trying to get his theory through to her. "No Luke, this was just an accident," she protested. "You did nothing to deserve this."

"But it's not just this," he started. "First my mom died, then Liz went off the rails, then my dad died," he said sadly. "But then I opened the diner, and nine months later, I met you. I guess I'm being punished for being happy," he concluded.

"Luke, that's not true," she said sympathetically. This wasn't Luke, this calm, collected guy talking about being punished and what have you. The real Luke would be thinking up ways to fix this, to get out of the awful situation. She just hoped he'd return, sooner rather than later.

"Then why did Rachel come back?" he asked, raising his voice. He was frustrated to his very core, why was she arguing about this with him? Why couldn't she just agree? "And why did you have that pregnancy scare?" A few gasps could be heard from the townspeople standing close by, they'd obviously been listening in on the conversation.

"Luke..." she said softly in an attempt to calm him down. She pulled him closer to her and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, as best she could with Rory on his hip. His right arm reached around to her back as he held her to him. Just holding her like this calmed him a little, and he buried his face in her shoulder. Lorelai chose to ignore the whispering she could hear surrounding them, it was just the nosy townspeople speculating about her pregnancy scare. Obviously nobody knew about it except them, and their breakup over it had been a mystery to them all.

"I don't understand why this has happened," he mumbled, his voice muffled by the material of her coat. She moved her mouth up so it was next to his ear.

"Nobody does babe, but we need to work together to put it right ok?" Luke could hear the emotion in her voice, and he suspected it was because she desperately didn't want him to shut himself off from her. Luke nodded against her shoulder then pulled away, looking right into her warming blue eyes as he spoke.

"I think I'm ready to go in now," he said quietly. Lorelai studied him for a minute before nodding.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah...gotta do it sometime," he shrugged. "What's the point in waiting?"

"Ok, I'll get Patty to watch Rory while we go in." Luke nodded in return, but Lorelai could tell he wasn't entirely sure about something. She didn't know if it was the actual going into the diner, or the fact that she was going in with him. Either way, she wanted to clear it up. "Do you want me to go in with you?" she asked tentatively. "Cause I could wait out here if you'd rather do it alone."

"No, I want you there with me," he assured her. "I don't wanna do this alone." The corners of Lorelai's lips turned up slightly.

"Ok, hold on a second." She took Rory from him, walked over to Patty and explained the situation, before returning to him. "Ready?" she asked. Luke nodded again and took hold of Lorelai's hand as they inched closer to the entrance; well what was left of it anyway. An officer standing by the door offered them hard hats, telling them it was safety precaution and they could not enter the building without one. Although it had been marked as a safe building, there was still a chance that something could land on their heads; it was a pretty harsh fire after all.

"Mr Danes?" Another officer asked as he strode over to them.

"That's me," Luke replied, not pleased with all the distractions. He needed to get in there before his mind talked itself out of it.

"Mind if we ask a few questions?"

"Uh..." The officer noticed him glancing longingly through the door of the diner.

"You can take a look afterwards," he promised. "This'll only take a couple of minutes." Luke looked at the diner again before nodding his head. "Ok, so where were you last night when the fire started?"

"We went out to dinner," he replied.

"And you were there around nine thirty, when we believe the fire to have started?" Luke thought back to the previous night, but it was mostly a blur. He remembered the important parts, like eating dinner, driving back from Hartford, doing...stuff at Lorelai's place. But he had no idea of the times they did those things at, he hadn't been keeping a track. Lorelai noticed his hesitancy, and was quick to intervene.

"We left the restaurant about a quarter to nine," she told the officer.

"I see, and where did you go after that?" he prodded. "Did you come right back to Stars Hollow?"

"We went to my place," she said. "I live behind the Independence Inn, a few minutes out of town."

"And how long were you there for?" Lorelai blushed as she remembered what had almost happened between them the night before.

"A little longer than a half an hour," she answered uncertainly. "I'd say it was not long after ten that we arrived in town."

"Ok and what happened when you got here?"

"Um...we rushed over to the diner when we saw the smoke, then Luke collapsed and we've been at the hospital ever since," she finished her encounter.

"Everything's ok now I presume?" he asked, seeming to actually care for the well-being of Luke.

"Yeah I'm fine," Luke replied distractedly. To be honest, he hadn't really been listening to the questioning, his mind was elsewhere. He really just wanted to get inside and see if he could salvage anything from the wreckage, but this police officer was stopping him. "Are we done yet?" he asked, he was clearly irritated.

"Not yet, just a few more questions Mr Danes." Luke shifted from foot to foot eagerly, but stayed by Lorelai's side as they were asked the remainder of the questions. "Last question," he assured the couple. "When was the last time you were in the diner, before the fire?" Luke looked down at the floor, appearing to be deep in thought, before answering the officer's final question.

"Right before we set off for dinner," he told him. "I went to pick Lorelai up but realised I'd forgotten my wallet, so we went back there."

"And what did you do once you got there?" Luke exhaled heavily.

"You said that was the last question," he muttered.

"Mr Danes, please. We need all the information we can get if we're going to get to the bottom of this," he explained. Luke nodded, realising that the information was vital for their investigation.

"We went in, I put the coffee maker on then went upstairs to get my wallet," he answered easily.

"Huh, you say you put the coffee maker on?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, Lorelai wanted coffee, she's a bit of an addict, so I made her some," he said, not realising that may be the cause.

"And did you switch the machine off before you left?" Luke's brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to remember exactly what he'd done the night before. He was pretty certain he'd switched it off; he'd been going through the same routine for a whole year now, he couldn't have slipped up, could he?

"Uh I think so," he replied unsurely. "I mean, I always make sure everything's off before I leave."

"But everyone makes mistakes," he pointed out. "If you were in a rush and you were distracted by this young lady here, you may have forgotten." Luke shook his head slowly, but it was beginning to make a bit of sense. "Anyway, thank you for your time Mr Danes. I'll let you get inside so you can take a look at everything."

"Wait...what do I do now? You've just basically told me that the fire might be my fault," he said in disbelief. The officer shrugged.

"Our investigation team, along with forensics, are inside searching for the source of the fire," he informed. "Right now all we can do is wait." And that's when he left them, probably to interview a few other townspeople that may have information. Luke sighed, knowing that he'd never be able to forgive himself if this was his fault.

"So this might not have happened if I hadn't begged you to make me coffee last night?" she asked, feeling completely to blame for the disaster. Luke looked up at her and shook his head insistently.

"No," he replied softly. "It's not your fault, don't think like that."

"But...if it was the coffee maker..."

"But nothing," he cut her off. "If it was the coffee maker, then it's my fault for not switching it off afterwards." She could tell he was desperately trying to remember exactly what he'd done last night while they were at the diner, but it was a blank in his mind. It's like when you can't remember if you've locked your car door or not, so you walk back and check. If only he'd done that last night.

"Let's just go in ok? We'll find out what caused it soon enough." Luke nodded and turned towards the diner, sucking in a deep breath before slowly walking through the door, trailing Lorelai along behind him.

XXX

"Emily, I'm home," Richard called as he entered the house around lunchtime. It was unusually quiet; usually the maid would have the vacuum cleaner running, or Emily would have her friends from the DAR over for lunch and they'd be chattering away like women do. But today it was dead silent, and Richard immediately wondered what was going on.

He walked further into the house, but after checking the entire space downstairs, he made his way to the first floor where all bedrooms were situated. He checked theirs, no sign of his wife. He checked Lorelai's room, no Emily in there either. So finally, he checked Rory's nursery, knowing there was nothing else particularly interesting in the other rooms they occupied. He pushed the door open and found his wife sitting in the rocking chair wearing her robe, with a stuffed toy clutched between he fingers.

"Emmy?" he asked, wondering what the hell had happened to his wife.

"Oh Richard, I didn't notice you there," she said, her voice sounded shaky and broken, and it was evident that she had been crying not so long ago. "You're home early, shall I have the maid prepare you lunch?" Richard walked further into the room, shaking his head both in answer to her question, and in disapproval of her current state.

"What's the matter?" he asked as he crouched down next to the rocking chair she was sitting in.

"Oh nothing," she brushed off.

"This isn't nothing Emily," he pointed out. "Why are you still wearing your gown? And why have you been crying?" Emily's eyes glazed over again at her husband's budding concern and a few tears slipped from her eyes as she began to tell him what was bothering her.

"I'm scared that Lorelai will cut off contact with us again," she mumbled.

"Why?" he asked softly.

"This morning...she said she was taking Rory to the hospital with her, but I told her it wasn't practical, that a hospital is no place for a baby. So she told me I was doing it again," she sobbed.

"Doing what?" he asked, trying to make sense of his wife's rambling.

"Telling her what to do, undermining her ability as a mother, trying to take Rory away from her," she listed. "She said I was acting the way I used to when she lived here, but I wish just giving her my opinion Richard, I'm entitled to that as Rory's grandmother aren't I?" Richard hated seeing Emily like this. He wordlessly pulled her from the chair, seated himself in it, then sat her in his lap.

"It's ok," he said soothingly into her ear as he held her tightly in his arms.

"What if she stops coming to dinner?" she asked frantically. "And doesn't let us see Rory anymore? What do we do then Richard?" she cried.

"Shh, calm down," he told her, leaving feather-light kisses on her cheek and temple. "Lorelai is not going to cut us off again," he assured her.

"How do you know that?" she asked accusingly, like he was lying to her.

"Like I told you last night, she will always need us, that's never going to change." Emily snuggled further into his chest, dampening his suit with her tears. But Richard didn't mind, his only bother was thinking up a way to make his wife feel better.

"Why can't we just have a normal relationship?" she asked sadly.

"Things that have happened in the past will always affect the relationship you have now, but you both have to learn to get along with one another. You've been doing so well recently, there hasn't been a disagreement for a while now," he chuckled. When Emily didn't say anything, he carried on. "Taking into account what's been going on recently in Lorelai's life, she's bound to be a little stressed. With Luke's ex-girlfriend back on the scene, the diner setting on fire and Luke being in the hospital last night. Add living alone, working and taking care of a baby, all at the young age of seventeen, she's bound to be snappy now and again." Emily listened carefully to what he was saying, and found that it all made sense. She never realised how much Lorelai had to deal with every day by just going out and earning enough money to keep Rory in diapers. But with everything else that had happened recently, she understood her daughter's outburst that morning. She still didn't like it very much though.

"So you think we'll be ok?" she asked, in such a small voice that it pained Richard. She was usually so strong.

"I think you'll be fine, we just need to learn to cut Lorelai some slack." Emily nodded and pulled away to smile softly at her husband. Richard was glad to see a smile back on her face, but he knew he needed to talk to his daughter privately about the way his wife had been worrying herself.

XXX

"Oh my god," said a shocked Lorelai as they took in the interior of the diner for the first time. Everything was ruined, there was literally nothing left to show for Luke's achievements of the last year. Luke was stunned into silence; he wasn't expecting it to be quite as bad as this, or maybe it was just wishful thinking. Whichever it was, it was a shock to the system seeing it like this. Part of him wanted to scream and cry until he had no tears left to shed, but the other part wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.

"You the owner?" asked a man, who appeared to be in his late thirties. He was holding a clipboard with a pencil sitting on his ear.

"Yeah, that's me," he replied, wondering what this man could possibly tell him. Had they found out the cause of the fire?

"We're still investigating for the start of the fire, so it'd be great if you could leave everything where it is so it can be used as evidence if needed."

"Ok uh...can we go upstairs? My apartment's up there and I just wanted to take a look."

"Sorry, the staircase isn't safe," he replied. "We're investigating the ground floor first, and if we don't find the cause down here then we'll clear it out and get a team in to secure the staircase so we can get up there. But we're pretty sure the cause will be down here," he said confidently. Luke looked around the diner again, taking in the damage. There was literally nothing left of his business, it was all ash lying on the floor. He felt like a piece of his heart was missing, quite a large piece at that.

"How long till the investigation's over?" he asked, eager to get to work on clearing his stuff out.

"It's hard to say, we might be done today depending on what the actual cause is. If it was a gas leak or an appliance, it's a pretty straight forward job. But if it's a different matter, it could take a lot longer."

"A different matter?" asked Luke, wanting to know what he meant by that comment. "You don't mean..."

"Arson, yes," he replied bluntly, causing Lorelai's hand to fly to her mouth in shock. "We're not sure at this stage, and we can't make any assumptions. But it could very well be arson."

"Oh my god," he gasped. He didn't know who'd do such a thing, he knew he was the town grump but nobody hated him enough to set his diner on fire. Unless...no that was impossible, Rachel would never do anything like this, no matter how mad she was at him.

"We just have to wait and see," the man shrugged before going back to his job. Luke and Lorelai glanced at each other uneasily, not knowing what to think. But there was a thought playing on both their minds; is Rachel really capable of this?

XXX

It had been another long day for the Gilmore/Danes clan. Luke and Lorelai had spent a large amount of time standing in the diner, just observing the damage the fire had caused. Then they spent the rest of their afternoon standing outside in the square, talking with various police officers and other people involved in the investigation.

As six pm loomed, the team packed up their equipment, including some bits and pieces from the diner that they were going to run tests on. They had determined that the appliances were not the cause of the blaze, so it was a completely different story now. As they drove away from the town square, Luke watched helplessly. They hadn't been told anything after they'd spoken to the man in the diner; they suspected they didn't want to give any more information until they knew more themselves.

"What do we do now?" he asked as they stood in the silence of the square.

"I guess we try and get some sleep," she decided, the subject of where Luke was gonna live creeping up on them again. Luke glanced at her briefly before looking longingly at the diner. He really didn't want to leave it tonight, he wanted to be able to sleep in his apartment again but he knew that just wasn't possible. He wasn't even allowed up there. "So are you staying at my place tonight?" she asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah I suppose," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I don't have anywhere else to sleep." She nodded, happy to spend the night with him after their time apart but not thrilled at the circumstances that made it possible for them to do so. After picking Rory up from Miss Patty's, Luke drove them to the inn. Lorelai wanted to broach the subject of their living situation, but decided to wait until they were settled in the potting shed before they got into a heavy discussion.

Rory was almost falling asleep by the time they parked at the inn. It was still a little before her bedtime but she had gotten up earlier than usual that morning and she hadn't had a full hour for her nap. They strolled down to the inn, Lorelai holding Rory with her left arm while she gripped Luke's hand tightly with her right, as they walked in silence.

"Feels like forever since we were last here," Lorelai said as they entered her home.

"I know," he mumbled. Lorelai noticed he was a bit uncomfortable so she excused herself, saying she was gonna get Rory ready for bed. Luke noticed that he and Lorelai had been dancing around each other since the fire. They had had a lovely evening at dinner and a pleasurable time at her place afterwards, but after the fire, the romance had died a little. It was like they were scared of what they should and shouldn't say to each other, in fear of upsetting one another. He realised it was mostly his doing, with him being so preoccupied with the goings on of the last twenty four hours, but he couldn't help it. How was he supposed to act at a time like this?

XXX

"Are you gonna go to sleep baby?" Lorelai asked as she laid Rory on the changing table to dress her in her nightwear. Rory let out a big yawn in reply, then smiled sheepishly at her mother. "You've had a long day today haven't you?" she cooed. "Did you have fun at Miss Patty's?"

"Yesh," Rory replied tiredly before reaching her arms out to Lorelai, silently asking to be picked up.

"Almost done," she replied as she snapped her sleeper closed. Lorelai felt an arm snake around her waist from behind her and warm breath on the back of her neck.

"Brought this for Rory," whispered Luke as he held the bottle of warm milk out for her to see.

"Thanks," she replied, glad that they could still seem to keep their usual routine, even during a crisis. She lifted Rory up then let Luke drag her over to the armchair in the corner of the room, pulling her down into his lap. She shifted until she was comfortable then settled back against his chest, revelling in the intimacy they were currently sharing, even if Rory was there as well.

"Here I'll feed her," he offered, moving Rory so he could get to her. He gave her the bottle, but kept a loose grip on it just in case she happened to drop it. They proceeded to sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes as they watched Rory drink her milk, but eventually Luke spoke up. "Sorry about the way I've been acting," he apologised, catching Lorelai off guard.

"What do you mean?" she asked, although she too had realised that things were weird between them now.

"I've been so lost in my own world that I haven't been treating you the way I should have been."

"Luke it's fine, you have a right to be in a world of your own, especially after what's happened," she told him. "You can take as much time as you need to get used to this situation, I'll be here when you're ready." She watched him nod, before taking a deep breath and plucking up the courage to ask the question she'd been wanting to know the answer to the night before. "So...have you thought anymore about my offer?" she asked.

"Offer?" he asked, looking at her like she'd grown two heads.

"My invitation," she corrected. "For you to live with us until the diner's back up and running." Luke's mouth formed an 'o' shape and Lorelai found herself doubting her decision to ask him again. "I mean...you don't have to," she said, trying to salvage some of her dignity. "It was just an idea, you know, if you had nowhere else to go that is. I mean..."

"I'd like that," he said, cutting her rambling right off. This time, Lorelai looked at him like he'd grown two heads.

"What?"

"I said I'd like to move in with you guys," he made himself clear. "That's if it's ok with you."

"It's more than ok with me," she said happily. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't like the idea." Luke smiled slightly at her before nuzzling his face into her neck.

"It'd be nice to get to do this every night," he said, meaning sharing moments like this with the girls.

"Yeah it would, or it will be should I say," she chuckled. She quickly sobered and turned to look him in the eye. "Are you sure it's not too soon?" she asked, wanting to make sure he had no doubts, even though it was only temporary anyway.

"It's a little soon, I mean, we've only known each other five months," he said. "But we hardly spend a night apart anyway and like you said, I don't have anywhere else to go." She nodded, what they were doing was the right thing to do. She would feel awful if he were out on the streets because they thought it was 'too soon' for their relationship.

"Luke?" she asked after a few moments of silence. Rory had fallen asleep by now, but Luke was still feeding her the milk, wanting her to finish the whole bottle.

"Hmm," he hummed into her hair.

"What are you gonna do about all your stuff?" she asked. Luke took a deep breath, preparing to answer her question, but she continued before he'd even exhaled. "All your clothes and stuff are gone."

"We don't know that yet, until we get into the apartment we don't know what's salvageable."

"I guess, but what do we do if it's all ruined?"

"I suppose I'll have to buy new clothes," he shrugged. "I don't need that many anyway."

"Hmm ok." They still hadn't spoken about the issue Luke was going to have with money for the renovation work that would need doing. He hadn't contacted the insurance company yet so he wasn't sure how much it would cover. What he did know though, was that it was going to be an expensive job, no matter how much the insurance would pay out.

After laying Rory in her crib and whispering their goodnights, they both quickly changed into their pyjamas and crawled into bed. But as they got settled, Lorelai felt the mattress shift, then heard the sound of feet padding across the floor.

"Where are you going?" she asked, reaching to turn the on the lamp on her nightstand. She found Luke checking the knobs on the appliances to make sure they were all switched off.

"Just checking," he told her once he was satisfied that everything was switched off.

"Come back to bed," she ordered. "Most of those things haven't been used for the past week, cause you haven't been here to cook anything." He climbed back into bed and got comfortable under the covers.

"You can't be too sure," he argued. She cocked her head sympathetically before nodding in agreement.

"I know hon," she whispered. She reached over and turned the light off, before snuggling back into her pillow.

"Thanks for being around to help out in the last day or so," he mumbled.

"Welcome," she replied monosyllabically. "Glad I could be of help." She felt Luke shift next to her, before his lips sought out hers. They shared a soft, passionate kiss, where Luke poured out his gratefulness to her. He pulled away and they both grinned in the darkness of the room, glad to have the passion back that they had both missed so much. "Night," she murmured, snuggling into Luke's side as he wrapped his arm around her. His other arm draped across her stomach in a familiar position as they both fell asleep. The slept a lot better than they had the night before, even though they did still have a huge weight on their shoulders. The worst was not over yet.

The phone rang not long after that, and Lorelai groaned in unhappiness. She swung her arm out, temporarily forgetting Luke was lying next to her, and ended up hitting him right in the nose.

"Ouch," he complained. "What was that for?"

"Phone," she mumbled, not having enough strength to say much more. He sighed and reached over to her nightstand to answer it, leaning on top of her in the process. "Squashing me," she complained.

"It's your own fault for making me answer the phone," he replied grouchily. It was obvious they were both suffering from lack of sleep, and at their teenage stage in life, it didn't go down well with either of them. "Hello," he said sleepily. It was actually only ten thirty, but it felt a lot later to the two of them.

"Is that a Mr Danes?" a serious voice could be heard on the other line.

"Uh...yeah, who's this?" He was slowly becoming more alert.

"This is Detective Gray, I've been running tests on the items we took from your diner earlier today."

"Did you find anything?" he asked, knowing that they would only call if they had found something important.

"There appears to be traces of petrol on a few of the items we retrieved," he stated. "I'm sorry to say that it looks like we're dealing with an arsonist."

**Oh look, the end of another chapter...THANK GOD! Seriously, I love it when the end is in sight; my chapters seem to take so long to write. I am going to ask you kindly to review :D I know you all reviewed the last one to get me to my goal of 700 (thanks again by the way!) so I fear that I won't get that many this time...please don't let that happen! Reviews make me grin like an idiot :P See you next time.**

**Emily.**


	46. Whodunnit?

**Hi **** I hope you're all okay! Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter, I really love reading them. As you can probably tell, I'm not really in a talkative mood, but I'm gonna watch a bit of GG later so maybe that will change :D hope you enjoy this...**

Luke hardly slept after that phone call; in fact his eyes weren't closed for more than fifteen minutes throughout the whole night. Who could possibly hate him enough to do this? He knew he was a grump most of the time; a hermit if you will, but he'd never upset anyone enough for them to set his diner on fire.

There was one name swimming around in his mind all night though, Rachel. He still didn't think she'd be capable of this, but anything's possible right?

Finally, at five o clock, he rolled over and sighed deeply. He would normally wake up at this time to open the diner every morning, and the routine he'd gotten into was obviously sticking with him. He finally just decided to get up and start the day, knowing he wouldn't get anymore sleep anyway.

"Luke?" Lorelai asked, as she felt the mattress shift, her voice thick with sleep.

"Go back to sleep," he said softly, this wasn't a time she was used to seeing.

"Where are you going?" She opened her eyes and blinked a few times as they adjusted to the dark room.

"I need to go to the police station," he replied honestly. She sat up next to him, suddenly becoming fully alert. She had gone back to sleep while he was on the phone last night, so she hadn't heard his side of the conversation.

"Why?" she asked confusedly.

"It was them calling last night when the phone rang," he told her.

"And?" Luke took a deep breath before answering her prompt.

"They said they tested the stuff they took from the diner, and found traces of petrol on some of it." Lorelai's mouth dropped open momentarily. "They said it looks like arson," he finished. Lorelai was stunned into silence, not quite believing what he'd told her. She eventually found her words, and looked up at him slowly.

"Who would do this?" she asked, in just above a whisper. Luke shrugged his shoulders, wondering if she'd come up with the same conclusion he had.

"It could have just been a bunch of kids," he offered, but deep down he knew that wasn't the case.

"Or...or it was her," said Lorelai, her voice full of anger.

"I don't think she's capable of this Lorelai."

"But she's been trying to get between us all week," she argued. "Maybe when you told her to leave last night, she wanted to get back at you. What better way to do that than to burn down your home?" As she spoke, the idea was starting to make more and more sense to her, but Luke wasn't having it.

"Lorelai it could have been anyone," he said. "There's no use in pointing the finger, we should just let the police handle it."

"Luke it's obvious," she said in exasperation.

"Look, for all we know, it could have been absolutely anybody. It could have even been Christopher," he spat. Lorelai was taken aback for a second.

"Christopher?" she repeated, questioning the reason for his outburst.

"Yeah I mean, last time we saw him, he lost Rory to me. Surely that's a good enough reason to make him spiteful, and he knows I own the diner," he said logically. Lorelai shook her head.

"You think Christopher did this?" she asked, running the scenario through her head.

"It's possible."

"He's not allowed in Stars Hollow remember? We got a restraining order," she pointed out.

"Like a restraining order's gonna stop him. If he wanted to set the diner on fire, that's a bit more of a crime than breaking a damn restraining order."

"But, he would have had to break in, and someone would have noticed if the diner was being broken into."

"Unless he had help from someone that knew where the spare key was kept." They both mulled over the theory Luke had come up with, neither of them quite sure whether it could actually be true or not. "I have to get going anyway; they said they wanted to ask me some more questions." He climbed out of bed and quickly dressed in the same outfit he'd worn the day before, seeing as the majority of his clothes had been set alight.

"How long do you think you'll be?" she asked from where she was still sitting on the bed.

"Not sure," he replied. "I'll probably go to the diner afterwards, see what's going on there." Lorelai nodded. She was disappointed that she wouldn't see him much that morning, but she knew that he had to do what he had to do.

"Do you want me to meet you in town later? We could get lunch at Weston's," she suggested. Luke nodded distractedly. "Ok um...twelve thirty sound good for you?"

"Yeah that's fine," he replied, his eyes searching the room for his baseball cap.

"Whatcha looking for?" she asked curiously. Luke shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"I just realised...my cap was in my apartment," he murmured, perching on the edge of the bed.

"Oh well...you can always get a new one," she told him while laying a hand against his back.

"You bought me it, for my birthday," he reminded her.

"I know," she replied. "But it doesn't matter; I can get you a new one." She didn't know why he was so bothered about his ball cap, it wasn't that important. Yes he'd worn it every day since he turned nineteen, but it could be easily replaced.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just realising what I've lost, you know?" She nodded sympathetically and moved over so she was straddling his thighs. She then proceeded to wrap her arms around his neck in a tight, comforting hug. Luke arms slowly made their way around her waist, and he held her thin frame close to him, accepting the comfort she offered. "I had a load of photos in there," he admitted.

"What photos?" she asked in interest. Maybe this was one of those times that he shared a piece of information about his family with her, it was a rare occasion.

"There were framed ones of you, me and Rory, a couple of Liz and Jess," he listed. "I had a few photo albums too, they were my mom's, but I claimed them after she died."

"Were they photos from your childhood?" she asked, her arms still tightly wrapped around his neck.

"Yeah, my mom used to take pictures all the time, she liked to capture the moment," he said with a smile at the memory. "Then my dad added to them after she passed on."

"That's nice, I would have liked to have seen them," she said, knowing it wasn't possible anymore.

"Well they're gone now," he said firmly. "Anyway, I'm gonna get going." She nodded and pulled away from him, breaking their intimate moment.

"Rory and I'll meet you at lunch," she told him. She was just about to move off his lap, but his hands grasped her hips to hold her in place.

"I'll look forward to it," he said quietly before bringing her lips to his. The kiss resembled the one they had shared the previous night before they had fallen asleep, and neither of them wanted to break it. Eventually, Luke remembered he had somewhere to be, and reluctantly pulled away from her swollen, demanding lips. "Go back to sleep for a while," he said softly as he lay her back on the bed and threw the covers over her. She settled back down and closed her eyes, letting sleep take over her. Luke watched her for a few minutes, reminding himself of how lucky he was to have such a beautiful girlfriend. He knew he'd taken her for granted recently, not realising how much he needed her around until he almost lost her completely. He gave her another kiss, on her forehead this time, then went to say goodbye to Rory before making his way down to the police station.

XXX

Lorelai awoke when she heard someone knocking on the door. Her head shot up and she checked her alarm clock; seven thirty, who the hell was knocking on her door at seven thirty?

"Ugh, hang on," she called as she scrambled out of bed and searched for her robe. In the end she gave up and chose to answer the door in just her PJs. "Dad," she said in surprise as she swung the door open. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I need to talk to you," he said, making it seem important. "I'm not intruding at all am I?" He noticed her unmade bed, and that the curtains were closed.

"Um...just sleep," she muttered, hoping that he didn't hear that part. "Come in," she ushered, wishing away the cold air that was drafting into the otherwise warm room. She gestured for him to sit on the couch, then walked over to the kitchen area. "Would you like some coffee?" she asked, trying not to sound grouchy at all. She needed her first dose of the day, especially at this ungodly hour.

"Yes that would be grand, thank you." Lorelai went about preparing the sacred drink, then brought the full cups over and set them on the coffee table. "Is Rory not around this morning?" he asked as he noticed his granddaughter's absence.

"She's still sleeping," she replied. "Not everyone gets up at the crack of dawn." Richard nodded. "So what did you come to talk to me about?" she asked.

"Ah well, I understand you and your mother had a minor disagreement yesterday," he told her formally.

"Yeah, nothing unusual," she answered, although it had become something that happened very rarely nowadays.

"I'm not sure what happened exactly, but it upset Emily very much." Lorelai looked at him in shock for a second; why was she upset? It was her that started the whole thing in the first place.

"Why?" she asked. Richard sighed.

"Well I came home from work yesterday to find the house completely silent," he began. "I've never known it to be that way, there's always something going on. So I went looking for your mother, and found her in Rory's nursery, still wearing her robe with no makeup on and her hair was all messed up."

"Oh," was all she said, that definitely meant something was not right with her mother.

"Yes, so I asked her what was the matter, and she told me she was scared."

"Scared of what?" she asked curiously. Richard sighed again.

"She's worried that you're going to cut us off again," he admitted. "She thinks that you're going to stop needing her around, and that you'll keep Rory away from us." Lorelai furrowed her brows.

"Why does she think that?"

"She said something about you wanting to take Rory to the hospital, but she didn't think it was a good idea." Lorelai nodded sombrely.

"Yeah, I was taking her with me to see Luke, but she was trying to stop me," she justified. "It just reminded me of when I used to live with you guys, and how she used to keep Rory away from me." Richard understood where she was coming from, but he knew that was not Emily's motive this time. She just wanted to be a part of her granddaughter's upbringing.

"She wasn't trying to take over Lorelai," he said softly. "She just wanted to share her opinion with you; she's trying very hard to be a good grandmother to Rory."

"It just felt like she was undermining me," she shrugged. "I didn't mean to upset her, or to make her think I was gonna cut her out of our lives."

"I know sweetheart, but your mother can be sensitive sometimes. You may not think so, but believe me; I've known her a very long time."

"So should I apologise?" she asked, wanting to clarify what her father was telling her.

"Maybe," he replied. "But I know what would make her a lot happier." Lorelai leaned in closer so she could focus on what he was about to tell her. "She loves taking care of Rory, I think it reminds her of when you were a baby and she used to spend all of her time taking care of you. I think the reason she may have been adamant to let you take her to the hospital yesterday, was because she wanted to keep her for a little while longer. Last night she asked me if I thought you'd be open to the idea of Rory staying at our house overnight on a regular basis. She suggested Friday nights after dinner." Lorelai looked down into her lap as she considered the idea. She didn't realise that Emily enjoyed taking care of Rory so much.

"And you think that'll put her mind at ease?" she asked. She didn't like the idea of her mother upset over the possibility of losing contact with them, she had no intention of that happening.

"I think so," he said with a nod. "After you ran away, she thought she'd never see either you or Rory again. I think she's terrified that it's going to happen all over again."

"It's not," she replied firmly. "I like that Rory has a relationship with her grandparents, and I like that I still get to see you both, even after everything I did." They heard Rory calling for her mother, so Lorelai excused herself, promising that she'd be right back. She returned with the toddler in her arms, and put her on the couch next to her grandfather.

"Hello darling," he greeted her, lifting her into his lap.

"Ganpa," she squealed excitedly before showing him her widest, cheesiest grin.

"Someone's happy this morning," he chuckled.

"Yeah, we all got an early night last night," she said. "I think she got too much sleep." She watched Richard interact with Rory for a few moments, before he turned to look at her, his voice returning to it's previous softness.

"As unhappy as I was when we found out you were pregnant, I'm glad you had Rory." Lorelai's eyes clouded over with tears, and a few escaped her eyes, trickling down her cheek.

"Me too," she said quietly as she smiled proudly at her daughter.

"I'm happy with the way things turned out." Lorelai nodded in agreement, but her smile quickly turned into a frown.

"Except this whole thing with the diner," she mumbled.

"How is that going anyway?" Richard asked caringly.

"The police called last night and said it's an arson case," she told him.

"Do you think it might be this ex-girlfriend that's back in town?" he asked.

"I think it is, but Luke's set against it. He said she's not capable of something like this."

"Anybody is capable of this Lorelai," he told her. "If she had a motive, she could have easily committed this crime." Lorelai nodded before coming out with her next comment.

"Luke thinks it might be Christopher," she admitted quietly. She realised that she hadn't thought about her daughter's biological father for months now, and the fact that he was being mentioned all over a sudden threw her off guard.

"Christopher?" he repeated, the way Lorelai had to Luke earlier that morning.

"Yeah, I mean, I know he'd probably have reason to do something like this, but would he actually do it?" Her frown deepened as a million possible thoughts and scenarios ran through her head.

"Christopher was never the sharpest tool in the shed," he replied. "If he had help, I'm certain he could be capable of this." Lorelai shook her head, not wanting to believe that what they were saying could actually be true.

"Bwekfas," whined Rory, making her presence known in the conversation.

"And what would Rory like for breakfast?" Lorelai cooed, using her best baby voice. It always made Rory smile when she spoke like that.

"Mama," she giggled. Lorelai moved closer to her daughter.

"Does Rory want cereal for breakfast?" she asked.

"No," the baby replied.

"Do you want a banana?"

"No." Lorelai was expecting her to answer yes to that one actually.

"It's very strange that you don't want a banana," she observed.

"No nana," she said while shaking her head.

"Ok...um...how about a yogurt?"

"Dada Bwekfas," she mumbled.

"Aww hon, daddy had to go somewhere this morning so he can't make you breakfast," she said softly. "How about we get dressed and go into town for something to eat?" She figured that Weston's would be getting a lot of business from her in the coming months, seeing as she couldn't eat at Luke's anymore.

"I can make something for breakfast," interrupted Richard. He'd been observing the conversation between the girls in his life and had quickly realised that Lorelai couldn't cook to save her life.

"Oh, that's nice of you, dad," she said sincerely. "But we don't have anything in to make anything with. I haven't really been to the store much recently."

"Right then, I'll leave you girls to start your day," he said, settling Rory on the couch next to Lorelai before getting to his feet. "I've said what I came to say."

"You can come with us for breakfast, if you want to," she offered. "Unless you have to get to work or something."

"No I think they can manage without me for an hour or so, I'd love to have breakfast with you." Lorelai smiled happily.

"Ok, let me just change Rory then I'll get ready."

"I can get Rory ready," he said. "You concentrate on yourself, I know how long it can take you to do all your girly things, I lived with you for seventeen years remember?" Lorelai giggled.

"It doesn't take me that long," she defended herself.

"There's the understatement of the year."

"Well seeing as it's only January ninth, that doesn't really mean much." Richard grinned at his only daughter before shooing her into the bathroom. "Wait, I need to show you where Rory's things are."

"Ah yes, you can't get dressed if you don't have any clothes can you sweetheart?" he asked Rory, tickling her tummy to make her giggle. Lorelai picked Rory up from the couch and led Richard over to the nursery.

"This is Rory's room," she told him, holding an arm out to emphasise her comment.

"Luke paid for this to be built didn't he?"

"Yeah, he built most of it himself too, just had some help from a couple of contractors," she shrugged. Richard's eyebrows rose as he admired the room.

"That boyfriend of yours is very talented," he complimented. "It looks to be well built."

"It is," she clarified. "I didn't even know he was building it, I mean, I knew he was going to build it eventually, but I didn't realise he'd already started."

"I bet it feels weird having her sleep in a whole other room, especially after getting used to sharing the one out there." He gestured towards the door, indicating that he meant the rest of the potting shed.

"Yeah, it feels like she's really far away," she admitted. "But I've gotten used to it now."

"If you think it's strange now, wait until the three of you move into a proper house," he said, not realising how his words would affect Lorelai.

"The three of us, a house?" she asked, wanting to make sure she was hearing him properly.

"Yes I mean, obviously you and Luke are going to get a house together sometime in the future," he told her.

"Oh um...maybe, I don't know," she shrugged. "I mean it's still early days, we've only been together five months."

"But a lot has happened in that space of time, with Luke adopting Rory and everything else. I think it would make sense for the three of you to live together." Lorelai looked down at the floor, working up the courage to tell her father her news.

"Well, Luke kind of moved in...here..." she trailed off. Richard looked up at her, obviously shocked by what she had just told him.

"He what?"

"He didn't have anywhere else to go, so I asked him to live here for a while. It's only temporary, until he gets his apartment sorted out." Richard didn't look happy, and he was beginning to scare Lorelai a little.

"He's living with you, here?" he asked again. Lorelai simply nodded, not able to find her words. "I can't believe this."

"You've just been going on about how Luke and I should live together, in a house," she reminded him. "I'm not sure where the money for this house is coming from exactly but you just said it. Why are you mad?"

"I was talking about in the future," he said. "You are seventeen, and Luke is nineteen, did you really expect me to be talking about this happening any time soon?" Lorelai shrugged sheepishly. It had been a while since her father had shouted at her, not that he was actually shouting, but the concept was there.

"What do you want me to do dad?" she asked tiredly. "His home burned down, he has nowhere to live. Do you really think I'm just gonna let him sleep on a park bench every night when I have space for him here?" Richard looked into her eyes and saw the moisture building in them. He didn't mean to upset her; he just wasn't exactly thrilled with the fact that his teenage daughter was living with her boyfriend.

"I know Lorelai, you're just helping him out," he said, his voice softening. "But you have to understand where I'm coming from here, how would you feel if Rory was seventeen and she decided to move in with her boyfriend?" Lorelai looked down at her daughter, frowning at the image of her as a rebellious teenager, like she was. She sighed heavily.

"I wouldn't be happy about it," she admitted.

"Exactly, that's how I feel right now." Lorelai nodded but avoided eye contact with him.

"It is just temporary though, as soon as the diner's been renovated and the apartment's liveable again, he's moving back there again."

"These things take time though," he said knowingly. "Depending on the severity of the damage the fire caused, it could take months, or it could even take years."

"Years?" she asked incredulously.

"If it was a bad fire, yes, it could take at least a year to fix it up."

"Everything was ruined," she whispered. "It's gonna take ages to get it back to how it was before." Richard noticed his daughter's expression as she realised just how long Luke would actually be living with her. It was one of worry, the lines creasing her forehead.

"Did you think about this before you suggested it?" he asked.

"Um...well kinda, I thought about how Luke and Rory can spend more time together," she said sullenly.

"Did you think about yourself in the decision?" he inquired. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders.

"I thought it'd be nice for a little while, I never thought it'd take years."

"Maybe you should speak with Luke about this." She shook her head insistently, immediately ruling out the suggestion.

"He's got so much going on right now; he doesn't need me bugging him about this."

"But if you're not happy with the situation, you should say something."

"Yeah," she agreed, just to appease her father. She knew she wasn't going to talk to Luke about this, he had enough on his plate at the moment. She would just have to deal.

XXX

Down at the police station, Luke had been passed around three different police officers already; all had questions that needed answers.

"Do you know anyone that may hold a grudge against you, or that have a reason to hate you?" asked the fourth officer.

"Uh, there's my ex girlfriend," he admitted.

"And what's her name?" Luke hesitated before answering.

"Rachel Holland," he finally replied.

"I see, and why would Ms Holland set your diner alight?" he asked curiously.

"Look I'm not saying she did it alright, I was just answering your question."

"Yes and I would like you to answer the one I just asked." Luke sighed heavily in defeat.

"She's been hanging around town a lot lately," he began. "She's been causing some trouble between my girlfriend and I."

"Right, has she done anything to suggest that she might hold a grudge?"

"Well she's said stuff to my girlfriend, and the two of them got into a fight in the town square last week."

"A fight, what happened exactly?"

"Things were said, I'm not sure what exactly cause I wasn't there, but they ended up hitting each other, pulling their hair out, it was a classic girl fight." The officer cracked a tiny smile, but the corners of Luke's mouth didn't shift from the frown they were currently holding.

"So you think Ms Holland might have had something to do with the fire?"

"I..I don't know," he said.

"We'll have to get your girlfriend down here for an interview."

"Why does Lorelai have to get involved in this?" he asked, not wanting her to get caught up in the proceedings.

"We need a little more information than what you're giving us at the moment," he explained.

"Such as..."

"Such as the things Ms Holland and your girlfriend have been saying to each other, and whether or not your ex could have been capable of this."

"I really don't think..." He was cut off by the police officer.

"If you don't think it was her, who else could it have been?" he prodded. "Tell us Mr Danes, do you have any more enemies." Luke sighed again, before revealing his next suspect.

"My girlfriend's ex," he told him.

"May I ask what your girlfriend is called please?"

"Lorelai Gilmore."

"And what is the name of Ms Gilmore's ex?"

"Christopher Hayden," he replied. He scribbled the names onto a piece of paper then looked up at Luke again.

"Ok and what makes you think it was Mr Hayden?" Luke jumped into the story of Christopher's behaviour; he told him all about the kidnapping, the custody case and the adoption. By the time he'd finished, the officer was a little stunned.

"So Mr Hayden is a definite suspect," he said surely. "We'll be sure to get in contact with him at sometime today." Luke nodded. Although they hadn't seen Christopher for a few months, it was still possible for him to have played a part in this. "Is there anyone else that could have done this?"

"No, they're the only people that hate me enough."

"Ok that's all we need for now Mr Danes, thank you for coming into the station." Luke nodded.

"Does that mean I can go now?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes you've answered all the questions we needed you to."

"Thank you." Luke turned around to walk away, but turned back when the officer called after him.

"We will find out who did this, you'll get your justice," he assured the young man.

"Justice isn't gonna fix my diner though is it?" He walked away, the officer watching him sympathetically. It always happened to the good ones.

XXX

Lorelai hurried back to the inn after breakfast with her father, she only had fifteen minutes till her shift began, and she wasn't even in her uniform yet.

"Morning Mia," she greeted as she hurried into the lobby with Rory on her hip.

"Good morning Lorelai," she replied. "No uniform today?"

"I just went for breakfast at Weston's with my dad, I was just wondering if you could keep an eye on Rory while I get changed?"

"Of course dear," she said eagerly as she ushered the little girl out of her arms. "Are you going to spend a few minutes with me?" she cooed. Rory grinned at her; obviously she was happy to see her.

"I'll be right back," Lorelai called. She hurried out of the back door and down through the gardens to her home. Naturally, she was out of breath by the time she reached the front door, and she reached into her purse for her keys.

"Hey," she heard a voice behind her. She could recognise that voice anywhere, and she quickly turned around, shocked to her very core.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I thought it was time I visited you guys."

"We have a restraining order Christopher; you shouldn't be anywhere near here."

"I know, I know," he said, attempting to calm her down.

"No you obviously don't know," she shouted. "Otherwise you wouldn't be standing outside my house right now."

"You call this a house?"

"What do you want Christopher?" she asked angrily.

"Just wanted to see you," he shrugged, slowly stepping closer to her. "You still with the diner man?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes I'm still with Luke," she replied. "He's the father of my kid."

"No that would be me," he said harshly.

"Not anymore, the adoption went through months ago, Rory is nothing to do with you."

"She has my blood Lor, nothing can change that." Lorelai felt her anger boiling inside of her, and the fact that he had just called her by her high school nickname again just made it even wilder.

"Just leave," she spat.

"I'm not going anywhere, not till I see my kid."

"She's not your kid; she's mine and Luke's."

"You're not gonna get rid of me, I'll always be around."

"I have a restraining order against you, you shouldn't be anywhere near us." A thought crossed Lorelai's mind then, a thought that originated from the conversation she'd had with Luke early that morning. "You did it didn't you?" she half whispered.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You came to Stars Hollow on Saturday night."

"Lorelai I was in Hartford on Saturday night," he insisted.

"You set the diner on fire." She whispered those last words, not quite believing that they could be true.

"Set the...are you kidding me?"

"It all makes sense Christopher, the diner burns down then two days later you show up at my home."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh I think I do, Luke was right about this, I should have listened to him this morning."

"What? The diner man's been talking about me?"

"Oh grow up Christopher, what are you, twelve? So what if he's been talking about you."

"Don't listen to him Lor..."

"Lo-re-lai," she spelled out for him.

"He's messing with your mind." Lorelai shook her head.

"Why are you still fighting for me Chris? I think it's pretty obvious you're gonna lose."

"You're worth the fight," he said.

"Yeah, but you see, the fight ended when you kidnapped my kid and nearly starved her to death," she said harshly.

"How many times? It wasn't kidnap, she's my daughter."

"I can't deal with you, just get out of my life," she snapped. She flung open the front door and stepped over the threshold, but Christopher took a hold of her shoulders and pulled her back, causing her to yelp in surprise.

"I didn't do it alone," he said as he grasped her brown locks between his fingers. He was nearly tugging the strands out of their roots.

"What are you talking about?" she asked through clenched teeth, the pain of having her hair almost pulled out rapidly becoming too much for her.

"Saturday night," he whispered in her ear. "I had help."

"Let me go," she demanded, but Christopher just held on tighter.

"You see, I got a visit from a certain redhead, who told me you'd been upsetting her." He was beginning to creep Lorelai out now, and she considered calling for help, even though she knew no one would hear her and it would only make things worse.

"How do you know her?" she asked.

"Funny story actually, I don't. No she just showed up on my doorstep, well my parent's doorstep," he corrected himself. "Seems she'd done a little research, found out who Rory's real father was, you know, cause that's me," he bragged. "And she found me. All she wanted was some sweet revenge."

"You're sick Christopher, how could you do this?" she spat.

"Now, now," he said into her ear. "I did this for Rory."

"And how did it help exactly? Now her dad's out of a job and has nowhere to live, she's losing out here."

"Ah you see, I thought about this a lot, and I came up with the solution that once the diner guy has no money and nothing to show for himself, you'll leave him. You'll leave him for someone who does have money, who was somewhere to live." It seems his conniving plan wasn't going to work.

"You don't have money, your parents have money." Chris shrugged.

"What's the difference really?"

"So you're just gonna sponge off mommy and daddy forever?" she asked, trying to strike a nerve.

"No, you see I have a plan. You, Rory and I, we're gonna be a family. I'm gonna go out to work at my dad's firm, and you're gonna be the stay at home mommy to all the little rats we're gonna have. It's the perfect scenario."

"What, you'll work at your dad's firm?" she asked to confirm.

"Yup."

"Well that seems to me like you'll be sponging off your parents, I mean, your dad owns the company, so he's paying you the money anyway. You may as well just live at home for the rest of your life."

"We can do it either way, it'll be amazing." Lorelai scrunched up her face at the image of being Christopher's wife, attending to his bratty children. Yes she knew Rory was Christopher's child, but he'd had no say in her upbringing, and she was in no way bratty.

"You're living in a dream world," she replied harshly.

"Oh come on Lor, you know I love you."

"Oh yeah? Is that why you cheated on me while I was pregnant? Six times might I add."

"That was a mistake."

"Yeah well it's done with, and you've failed. I want you to leave."

"No the diner man's failed," he said in frustration. "He doesn't even have anywhere to live."

"He does actually, he's living with Rory and I now," she informed him. Christopher's face fell at the news.

"What?"

"Yeah, Luke moved in with us," she repeated. "Rory loves having him around so much, she almost cried when he wasn't there to make her breakfast this morning." Christopher stepped back from her, letting go of her hair in the process.

"You know what? Setting that diner on fire was the best thing I ever did," he mumbled, before turning around and stalking away. Lorelai watched after him for a second before rushing into the potting shed and calling Miss Patty's.

"Patty? It's Lorelai," she said frantically. "Yeah is Luke at the diner? Ok can you just check please?" She waited until Patty had returned to the phone, informing her that Luke was nowhere to be seen. "Ok thanks Patty, b-bye." She sighed heavily as she put the phone down. So much was happening, and all at once too. She quickly changed into her uniform and tied her hair back into a high ponytail, before returning to the inn to start work. She was now fifteen minutes late.

XXX

It had been a very long day for Lorelai; Luke had called the front desk mid-morning and told Mia to inform her that he wouldn't be able to make it to lunch, and that he'd see her that evening at 'home'. So the day had gone by extra slow, and the huge weight on her shoulders continued to get heavier.

Finally, at four o clock, she packed the cleaning supplies away in the storage cupboard and dragged her feet downstairs so she could pick up Rory from Mia's office. She entered the lobby and found Rory playing with some building blocks next to the couch, while Mia was standing at the desk talking with someone.

"Hi baby," she cooed as she lifted her daughter onto her hip.

"Mama," she squealed.

"Did you miss me today?" Rory giggled and buried her face in Lorelai's shoulder. "I'll take that as a yes," she chuckled. She walked over to the desk and noticed who the woman was that Mia was speaking to. "Marie, hi," she said politely, although she was a little shocked that she was back so soon.

"Hey Lorelai," she replied. "It's nice to see you again." Lorelai nodded in return. She knew she'd have to stop and chat with them, but all she wanted to do was get back to the potting shed and talk to Luke.

"Marie will be returning to work next week," Mia informed, catching Lorelai's full attention.

"What?"

"Well the baby's in a proper routine now, and I can bring her to work with me without causing chaos."

"Oh well, it'll be nice having you around again," she said sincerely.

"It'll be nice to be back," she replied. "Anyway I should get going, I left the baby with my husband and you know how useless men are." The three women chuckled before Marie walked away, saying her last goodbyes. Mia turned back to look at Lorelai, preparing to approach the subject of Lorelai's position at the inn.

"We are going to need to discuss how Marie's return will change things," she said carefully. Lorelai instantly knew what she was talking about, but she desperately wanted to speak to Luke.

"Oh well..."

"We don't have to talk right now, I understand that your shift is over and you may have things planned," she clarified. "But maybe tomorrow, you could come to my office and we'll sort it out." Lorelai nodded, grateful that Mia wasn't going to keep her much longer.

"Ok that sounds good," she replied. "Look I really have to go so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright dear." Lorelai smiled then hurried out of the back door and down to the potting shed. She threw open the door, only to find the room empty.

"Luke?" she called, checking that he wasn't in Rory's room or the bathroom. When there was no reply, she sighed heavily and proceeded to change into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, then fastened Rory's coat and put her gloves on. She walked into town quickly, making herself out of breath after just a few minutes. She stopped momentarily to catch her breath again, then carried on down the sidewalk. When she finally arrived in the town square; there was Luke, staring up at the diner. "Luke?" she called as she hurried over to him.

"Oh hey," he replied as he swung around to look at her.

"Where've you been?" she asked, knowing he hadn't been in town for long.

"I went to the graveyard," he answered quietly. "I wanted to tell my dad what happened."

"Oh, I was worried about you when you cancelled our lunch date," she said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he told her. Lorelai nodded and looked over at the diner. There were a few vans parked outside and men in hard hats walking in and out.

"What are they doing now?" she asked.

"They're securing the building so we can go in," he replied. "The stairs are almost done apparently."

"So we can go up to the apartment?"

"Yeah I guess so," he shrugged. "We can start cleaning it up too, you know, get it back to normal?" She nodded in agreement before looking down at Rory, who was sat on her hip. The little girl was looking at the diner confusedly; it was like she recognised it but couldn't place where she'd seen it before. Luke noticed her too, and ran his hand through her fine hair. "What did you do today Ror?" he asked softly. Rory looked up at him and cracked a small smile.

"Me," she said. Luke looked up to Lorelai, showing that he didn't understand what the baby had just told him.

"She hung out with Mia," she corrected.

"Did you have fun with Mia?" he asked.

"Yesh," Rory replied. "No dada bwekfas." Luke frowned.

"I know I wasn't there at breakfast sweetie, but I had stuff to do." That reminded Luke of his trip to the police station. "They said they need to interview you, at the police station," he told Lorelai.

"Why me?" she asked.

"I told them about Rachel, and Christopher," he admitted. "They said they need more information about what Rachel said to you, and about what happened between you and Christopher." Lorelai had gone into a trance, as she went through the things Christopher had said to her earlier that day. She had been dying to tell Luke all day long, but now, when she was standing in front of him, she couldn't get the words out. "Lorelai, you ok?" he asked, referring to her current quietness.

"Hmm?"

"You ok?" he repeated.

"Um..." She shook her head to clear it, then looked him straight in the eye. "I um...I need to tell you something," she began. Luke's expression suddenly changed into a more serious one.

"What's going on?"

"Christopher...he came to the potting shed today." She winced as she waited for his reaction.

"He what?" he asked, his voice laced with anger.

"He came to Stars Hollow, and...he said some stuff," she said lamely.

"What stuff?" he asked frantically.

"He did it Luke, he started the fire," she said quietly. Luke went into a state of shock, before his face turned red and he backed away from his girlfriend.

"Where is he?" he shouted.

"I..I don't know, he walked away and I don't know where he went to."

"I'm gonna find that bastard, and I'm gonna kill him," he said in a fit of rage.

"No Luke, you're not gonna do anything," she said. "I don't want you to go to prison too." She noticed Luke was breathing heavily, so she placed her free hand on his right shoulder to calm him down. "Listen, he didn't do it alone, he had help from..."

"From who?"

"From Rachel," she finished. Luke's expression turned into one of confusion as his mind processed the information.

"Rachel," he breathed. "But...how? They don't even know each other."

"She did some research apparently, and she found out that he was Rory's biological father. Anyway, she tracked him down and told him what's been going on, but she twisted it to make us out to be the bad guys."

"I can't believe this," he said disbelievingly.

"We need to go to the police Luke, they need to lock them up and throw away the key." Luke stood dead still for a while, leaving Lorelai in suspense. Finally, he spoke up.

"I..." But he was unable to get anything out of his mouth. Lorelai looked at him sympathetically, before taking his arm and pulling him over to the truck.

"I know," she whispered. "We need to get this sorted out," she told him. Luke nodded distractedly, while he opened the door to his truck and climbed inside. Lorelai followed and fastened Rory into her car seat, before Luke started up the engine and they were on their way to the station. They would get their justice, and Chris and Rachel would spend their lives in prison. Lorelai just hoped that the police believed her, and did just think she was being a spiteful ex-girlfriend.

**Well, well...Christopher AND Rachel started the fire :P I actually got the idea for that from Copop, so thank you and I hope you don't mind that I stole it. Please review before you go, I am craving reviews right now **

**Emily.**

**PS...If you haven't read my new two-shot story yet...please do! It's called 'It Has Nothing To Do With Pigs' and it's Javajunkie of course :D byyeeee for now.**


	47. Let the Cleaning Begin

**FRIDAY THE 13TH :O**

**Hi :D thank you for your reviews, I've been enjoying reading your thoughts on the whole storyline. Anyway, this is a long chapter, and there's a reason for that...I'm going up to Scotland on Monday, till Friday, and I won't be updating at all while I'm there. So this is to keep you going until I do have the chance to write another 7/8000 words **

**To SarahLouisex3...I always nearly miss the stop on the train cause I'm reading a fanfic :P it's quite funny actually. Yes the weather is crappy in the UK right now, I wish that heat wave would come back that we had a while ago! And BlackBerry's are sooo distracting, I love mine :) I like reading your reviews, your English isn't bad lol. **

**Enjoy this chapter :D**

Luke and Lorelai hurried into the police station and strode up to the front desk. Luke made no move to say anything; he'd hardly spoken a word on the way down there, so Lorelai found her voice, not that it was a great challenge for her.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes...we'd like to speak to one of the officers dealing with the fire at Luke's Diner," she replied politely. The middle aged woman looked them both up and down, gave Rory a short glance, then addressed them again.

"Are you witnesses?"

"Well this is the owner," she said, gesturing to Luke. "And we have some information for them." She eyed them again before nodding.

"May I take your names please?"

"Yes, Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore."

"Ok take a seat over there and somebody will be with you shortly." The teens made their way over to a group of seats and plonked down into them.

"You ok?" she asked Luke once they were settled.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine," he brushed off. He'd been sweeping his feelings away a lot lately. Lorelai knew he was lying but she let it go anyway. She looked down at Rory, who was currently staring at a man sitting opposite them. He had all kinds of piercings and tattoos, and he looked a little scary.

"Rory stop staring," she whispered. "He's a scary man."

"Shary," said Rory loudly, gaining the attention of the man in question. Lorelai laughed nervously as she noticed the man looking at them strangely.

"She just comes out with all sorts of random words," she explained, making the man's eyebrows rise. "She doesn't even know what half of them mean." He sighed then looked away, obviously disinterested with them. She glanced at Luke, who was looking at her in amusement, a small smile sitting on his face. "What?" she asked, although she was smiling too.

"You trying to get us beaten up?" he asked.

"No that would be Rory; she was the one that said he was scary." Luke shook his head, his smile growing. "Just look at some of the people in here," she whispered. "We totally don't fit in."

"I wonder why that is," he drawled.

"Cause we don't take drugs and..."

"Shh," he cut her off, trying to quieten her. "You really are trying to get us killed aren't you?" Before she could reply, an officer approached them, one that Luke recognised from earlier in the day.

"Mr Danes, back so soon?" he asked, smiling kindly at the couple.

"Yeah, we need to talk to you about the case," replied Luke, playing with his hands nervously.

"I assume this is your girlfriend," he stated. Luke nodded. "Ok well if you don't mind, I'd like to interview you first," he said to Lorelai.

"Um ok," she agreed.

"Great, right this way." He gestured towards a door in the corner of the waiting room, while smiling at her. She looked at Luke and transferred Rory onto his lap before standing up.

"I won't be long," she said quietly. Luke simply nodded and watched her and the officer walk away.

XXX

Once seated in the interview room, Lorelai rested her hands on the table in front of her as she watched the officer fiddle around with the cassette recorder.

"Problem?" she asked.

"Just modern technology," he chuckled as he tried to put the tape into the slot.

"Um...I think you're trying to put it in the wrong way," she told him, turning it around in his hand so it faced the right way.

"Ah," he said with a laugh. "That would explain it. We usually have these things set up for us, but as your visit was unexpected, I have to do it myself."

"Well if it makes you feel better, Luke is totally useless with things like that," she chuckled. "Seriously, he didn't even know what a walkman was." The officer furrowed his brows.

"What is a walkman?" he asked. Lorelai shook her head.

"Total déjà vu," she mumbled. "Never mind," she replied. "Shall we start this thing?"

"Ah yes, we shall," he said.

"You sure you know which the on switch is?" she joked.

"I think I can just manage it," he replied. He flicked it on and introduced the interview for the sake of the tape. "Ok Ms Gilmore, now I understand you've had some trouble with a Ms Holland recently," he started. "When did that begin?"

"About a week ago," she replied.

"About? Would you care to be more specific?"

"Ok erm...it was New Years Eve," she corrected.

"Right and what happened on that day?"

"Well she came back to town, she's Luke's ex girlfriend you see and she left like a year ago, but now she's back."

"So she came back to town..." he prompted Lorelai to continue.

"Yeah she came back and I saw her at the party we went to. Well actually I ran into her in the street earlier in the day but I didn't know who she was then."

"And how did you find out that she was Mr Danes' ex?"

"Um...his sister told me at the party."

"So put the pieces together for me here," he requested. "She came back to town, you were at a party," he listed. "How did the two of you begin fighting?" Lorelai took a deep breath.

"At the party, I went looking for Luke cause I hadn't seen him for a while...anyway, I found him outside, with Rachel, and they were..."

"They were what, Ms Gilmore?" She looked down into her lap.

"Kissing, they were kissing," she told him. He regarded her sympathetically for a moment, before remembering that the interview was being recorded and quickly went back into officer mode.

"What happened then?"

"I left," she replied simply. "I went home."

"Right so there was some hatred between you and Ms Holland at this point."

"Yeah, definitely," she confirmed.

"Tell me what happened after that."

"Um...we had a few arguments, mostly over Luke. And she said some things about my daughter, that's what caused our fight."

"Yes Mr Danes told me about this fight," he informed. "So the reason for it was because of things she said about your daughter?"

"Yeah she said such awful things; I don't know why she even brought Rory into it."

"So you proceeded to fight in the street?" Lorelai felt a little defensive at that point; was he judging her?

"I don't know what came over me," she told him. "Rachel was saying stuff about my baby, I wasn't just gonna stand there and listen. Surely you would have done the same if you'd have been in that situation." The officer noticed how defensive she was becoming, and was quick to reassure her that he didn't mean it that way.

"Calm down Miss Gilmore, I'm simply looking for the facts here. You're not being judged over the things that have happened; we need this information for the sake of the case." Lorelai took a deep breath and nodded. "After the fight, did you have any more encounters with Ms Holland?"

"Just a few," she replied. "I managed to avoid her for most of the time though."

"Right so when was the last time you saw her?"

"Before Luke and I went to dinner on Saturday evening," she replied, knowing that they were getting to the important part.

"The night of the fire?" he asked to confirm.

"Yes."

"What happened when you saw her?"

"I was in the diner; Luke had gone upstairs to his apartment to get his wallet. I was making some coffee and she came in, even though the diner was closed." She swallowed thickly. "She was going on about the usual stuff, how she and Luke are meant to be together and all that. Then Luke came downstairs and she started begging him to get back together with her."

"I take it Mr Danes said no?"

"Yes."

"So do you think Ms Holland is capable of arson?" he asked, completely changing the subject.

"Absolutely," she replied without even thinking about it. "That's actually why we came down here today."

"Oh yes?"

"Yeah, I don't know if Luke told you about Christopher Hayden..."

XXX

"Where's that mother of yours huh?" Luke asked Rory. Lorelai had been in the interview room for two hours now, and he was beginning to wonder what was going on in there.

"Dadadadada," whined Rory, becoming restless from been sat around doing nothing.

"We can go soon," he promised.

"Hugwy," she complained.

"I know," he soothed. "I'm hungry too." It was almost seven, an hour from Rory's bedtime and she hadn't even had her dinner yet. The receptionist had brought a bottle of water over for her, and that occupied her for all of twenty seconds until she began squirming again. He wished he had brought some of her toys for her to play with, of course he didn't think about it at the time, his only goal was to get to the station and tell them the information they'd acquired.

"Banana." Rory continued to whine, and as much as Luke loved her, she was doing his head in at the moment. Eventually, someone in the waiting room also got fed up of her whining and pulled a banana out of her bag, offering it to the toddler. Rory gladly took it, muttering a quick thank you before holding it out to Luke for him to peel.

XXX

At seven o clock, the officer emerged from the interview room and called Luke in. He took a seat next to Lorelai, noticing how drained she looked, and looked at the officer expectantly.

"Ms Gilmore has told me what happened earlier, and I wanted you to be here when I discussed what our next steps are going to be." Luke nodded, telling him to carry on. "From what you've told us, Ms Gilmore, I think we need to take action immediately."

"What are you gonna do?" Luke asked, as he bounced Rory in his lap gently.

"We're gonna find Mr Hayden and Ms Holland, and keep them in custody until we have more evidence. We'll need to run fingerprints, and look for fibres from the clothes they were wearing. I'm warning you now; it could be a long process." Luke and Lorelai sighed loudly. "But if we find enough evidence to say that these two committed the crime, they will be sentenced with no trial. However if no evidence can be found, I'm afraid you'll both have to testify in court."

"Ok," Luke replied, not happy that he might have to face Christopher in court again. He thought he was out of their lives for good.

XXX

Finally, at almost seven fifteen, the young family left the police station. They didn't think they'd be in there for that long, but they had a lot of issues to deal with.

"Need coffee," she mumbled, clinging onto his arm as they made their way over to the truck.

"We can get something to eat on the way home," he told her. "Rory hasn't had dinner yet."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry sweets," she apologised, lifting Rory into her arms. "I didn't mean for it to take so long."

"Hugwy," she told her.

"I know, me too."

"There's a surprise," Luke mumbled.

"Hush Burger Boy," she quietened. "Now drive us to a burger joint, us girls are starved."

"We are not having burgers," he said pointedly. "You're having proper food." They climbed into the truck and Luke started the engine.

"Oh yeah, where's this proper food coming from then?"

"We'll stop at Walmart on the way home and buy some stuff for dinner."

"You're gonna cook?" she asked, hearing her stomach grumble at the thought of Luke's cooking.

"Yup, maybe now that there's no diner, you'll eat better for a while."

"In your dreams, Bucko."

"Bucko?" he asked incredulously.

"New nickname," she shrugged.

"Not another one," he muttered. He pulled into Walmart a little while later and found a parent/child spot near the door.

"Can I choose what we have?" asked Lorelai as she climbed out of the truck and lifted Rory out.

"As long as it's reasonable, yes."

"Your reasonable and my reasonable are completely different types of reasonable," she said. "Can we have steak?"

"Too expensive," he told her. "I don't have much money to spare now remember, it's all gonna go into the diner." Lorelai nodded, remembering that things were gonna be different from now on. It would be weird, that's for sure.

XXX

Forty five minutes later, Lorelai was sitting at her small wooden dining table watching Luke cook their dinner. Rory was sitting in her high chair next to her and was banging her hands on the plastic table attached to it, demanding her food.

"It's coming Ror, I can't cook it any faster," Luke told her.

"Wowy hugwy!" she shouted, gaining a disapproving look from her father.

"Don't shout at daddy like that," warned Lorelai. "It's naughty."

"Hugwy," she whined, a few tears spilling from her eyes. Lorelai's face softened and she lifted Rory into her lap.

"I know babe, it's on it's way," she told her daughter. She turned her attention to Luke. "You know she was supposed to have dinner four hours ago, I think she's doing quite well."

"Yeah I guess, she still needs to learn that shouting like that isn't nice."

"Oh believe me, that won't happen again."

"You're telling me." Lorelai put Rory back in her high chair then stood and walked over to Luke.

"Need any help?" she asked as she stood next to him.

"You can set the table," he said. "That's probably the safest thing.

"Consider it done," she said. She opened the cupboard and pulled out two plates, plus a plastic one for Rory. She put them on the table, along with knives and forks, then went to stand next to Luke again. "Do you want a drink?" she asked.

"Just water's fine," he replied as he drained the spaghetti into the sink. Lorelai filled a glass with tap water and a sippy cup with orange juice, then poured more coffee into her mug from the pot.

"This looks delicious," she said as she eyed up the food.

"It's just spaghetti," he shrugged.

"Yeah well it looks delicious," she repeated. He plated it up and set it in front of each of the girls, before putting his own down. They ate in silence for a few moments, before Luke spoke up.

"So long day," he said tiredly.

"Yeah, especially for you," she replied. "You've been at the station twice today."

"I think I'm gonna get an early night tonight," he said.

"Yeah, I might too," she agreed. "I hope they find Christopher and Rachel."

"I'm sure they will."

"But they might have skipped town or something," she said worriedly. "If they had this planned, they'll have thought about all the consequences."

"Look, let the police do their job," he said softly. "It's in their hands now; all we can do is wait." Lorelai nodded and looked down at her plate again.

"If they need to test for fingerprints and stuff, that means we'll have to wait even longer to get in there and clear everything out." Luke shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not a problem," he replied. "I don't think I'm ready to go in there just yet anyway."

"Oh, ok." She watched him focus on his plate for a while before polishing hers off and feeding Rory the rest of hers. When both girls had finished, Lorelai excused herself so she could go get Rory ready for bed. She quickly removed her daughter's clothes, changed her diaper, then dressed her in pyjamas.

"Seepy," Rory mumbled as Lorelai sat down in the rocking chair.

"Are you tired hon?" she asked softly. Rory's eyelids drooped gradually and she tried her hardest to stay awake. "Go to sleep," she whispered. "I'll be here when you wake up." Rory finally fell asleep, so Lorelai laid her in the crib, kissed her forehead then left the room, switching off the light on her way out.

"She asleep?" Luke asked from his place at the sink, washing the dishes.

"Yeah, she was exhausted," she replied, letting out a big yawn herself. "Want any help over there?"

"No I'm just gonna wash these and leave them to drain till the morning," he told her, dumping another clean plate on the rack.

"Ok I'm gonna take a shower," she said.

"Now?"

"Yeah I didn't have one this morning cause my dad came round," she explained. "So I need one now."

"Ok, don't be too long."

"Yes sir." She sauntered into the bathroom and turned the water on, letting it run while she undressed. She felt a lot better when she stepped out, the worry and stress the day had caused having run down the plughole. She briefly towel dried her hair and pulled it into two French braids, before applying her cleanser, brushing her teeth and leaving the bathroom. Luke was already in bed when she emerged, he was staring up at the ceiling blankly.

"Good shower?" he asked when he noticed her.

"Great shower," she confirmed as she crawled under the covers next to him. She shuffled closer to him then settled into her pillow.

"Your hair looks nice like that," he complimented, taking one of her braids between his fingers.

"Why thank you, I'll tell you now that you are looking extra hot tonight," she said jokingly.

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh, want me to show you how hot?" She leaned over and kissed him square on the lips, leaving no room for discussion. Her hands were soon wandering over his body, but he stopped her when she began playing with the waistband of his sweatpants. "What's wrong?" she asked as she pulled back slightly.

"Nothing, I'm just...tired," he finished lamely. Lorelai studied his face for a moment before pulling away completely and collapsing into her pillow.

"Ok," she said disappointedly. She rolled onto her side so she was facing away from him, then turned off the light on her nightstand.

"Night," he said, not realising that she was feeling pretty rejected right now. She saw through his excuse, it was the way he hesitated before he finished his sentence that told her he was lying. Lorelai didn't reply, instead she stared into the darkness of the room, trying to remember what it was like to actually have sex with Luke. It seemed like it had been an eternity since they were last connected in that way, even though it was just a little over a week.

XXX

It was soon Friday; the week had passed by all too quickly. Forensics had been in and tested the diner on Tuesday, then taken the swabs off to the lab to be examined. However there was no news on Christopher and Rachel, as the police were still looking for them. They had covered Hartford, and every possible place they could think of, but there was no luck so far. Straub and Francine had no idea where their son was, which was either true or they were covering for him, Lorelai wasn't sure.

Luke woke up early again on Friday morning, just like he had been doing all week. Instead of climbing out of bed immediately like he usually would though, he rolled over and slung his arm over Lorelai's stomach. She instinctively turned to him and buried her face in his chest, keeping her eyes closed in the process.

He knew what today was; they had been given the all clear to start cleaning up the diner and the apartment, something he wasn't really looking forward to doing, but knew it had to be done sometime. He sighed as he thought about what his apartment would look like, his dad's old office. He had a strong feeling it would be completely ruined, and there would be nothing left to show for his mere existence.

"Luke," Lorelai mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"Time is it?" she asked sleepily, her eyes still closed.

"Five thirty," he replied.

"Ugh, why are you awake?"

"Force of habit, I guess." She snuggled closer into his t-shirt and breathed in his scent.

"Go back to sleep." With that, she was out again, like a light. It didn't take much for Lorelai to fall asleep, especially not when her Burger Boy was her pillow. Luke sighed softly as he allowed his thoughts to drift away again. He tried to imagine what his stuff would look like, his clothes and his flannel sheets, his framed photos and his couch, but it was a big blank in his brain. It was almost like his conscience didn't want him to know what it was like, so it was blocking out all possible imagery. "Luke," Lorelai murmured not ten minutes later.

"Hmm," he repeated.

"Why are you still awake?" He wondered how she knew he was awake, even though she hadn't opened her eyes.

"I was asleep," he tried.

"Liar, your breathing was all uneven; it goes calm when you're sleeping." Luke sighed again.

"I was just thinking," he shrugged.

"About what?"

"It'd be easier to speak to you if your eyes were open," he told her. She cracked one eye open and glanced up at him.

"Only if there's coffee," she bargained. Luke rolled his eyes but began to shuffle away from her. "Where are you going?"

"You wanted coffee," he reminded her.

"But my big squishy Luke pillow's gone," she pouted.

"It's me or the coffee, you decide," he shrugged.

"Coffee, hands down," she replied without missing a beat. "It's always the coffee."

"Don't I feel loved?" he teased. She smiled through closed eyes as she relaxed back into her pillow, waiting for the irresistible scent of coffee to fill her nostrils. Less than five minutes later, Luke held a steaming cup of coffee under her nose, waiting for her senses to kick in. She opened one eye and grinned when she confirmed that there was in fact coffee. She sat up and took the cup from him, letting the heat warm her fingers.

"You're a god," she said gratefully before she took a few tentative sips. "I love having my own personal coffee god."

"Don't get used to it," he mumbled, although he enjoyed seeing her happy. "Once work on the diner starts, I'll be up and out for five." She took a few more gulps of coffee before cradling the cup in her hands.

"So is that what you were thinking about, the diner?" she asked. Luke settled down next to her under the sheets and nodded slowly.

"Yeah I was just wondering what the apartment's gonna look like," he shrugged.

"It might not be as bad as we think," she said, trying to lift his spirits. Luke shook his head.

"Nah, if it's anything like the diner, it'll be bad," he said surely. Lorelai looked down into her mug for a moment, thinking of something to say. "Do you want some breakfast?" he asked, cutting through her thoughts. He began to move off the bed again and made his way over to the kitchen.

"Is there bacon?" she asked.

"There's enough for you," he answered.

"I'll have that and toast then please." Luke nodded and set about making his girlfriend's breakfast, aware of her withering stare on him. "So what time does the cleaning start?" she asked after a few minutes of silence, where only the oil in the frying pan could be heard sizzling.

"I think we're gonna start at eight," he told her.

"Who else is helping?"

"Uh...Andrew, Bootsie, Gypsy, Morey and Patty's husband," he replied. "Thankfully, Kirk's at school and his mom won't let him skip, so I don't have to put up with him all day."

"There's a relief," she sighed, then an idea crossed her mind. "Hey can I help out? I know I'm not the strongest, or the athletic type, but I wanna play a part in this," she shrugged.

"Oh, what about Rory?" he asked. "There's no way she's going anywhere near that building."

"I could call my mom, I know she wants to spend more time with Rory," she said logically. "Then we can bring her home with us after dinner."

"Ok you can help," he allowed. "But you're wearing a hard hat, and protective clothing," he warned.

"Yes master."

"There is no way you're gonna get hurt in there," he continued. "If something falls down, or you trip, you're outta there."

"But the building's been secured, nothing's gonna fall down."

"You can never be too sure." Lorelai smiled at his overprotective attitude towards her, as independent as she liked to be, she loved it when Luke looked out for her. Even if he did tell her what to do sometimes, she knew it was only because he cared about her. Luke put her bacon on a plate and buttered her toast, before setting her place at the table. She dragged herself out of bed and sat down at the table, immediately taking a few greedy bites of toast.

"So I'll call mom after breakfast, I'm sure she'll be happy to take Rory for the day."

"It seems like a long time though, if she picks her up at eight, then we get to dinner at seven, that's eleven hours she'll be gone for," he worked out.

"Are you gonna miss her?" she cooed in her baby voice.

"You got a problem with that?"

"No, no problem at all. I just think it's sweet."

"Sweet?"

"Yeah, the way you act around Rory."

"I am not sweet," he grumbled.

"I didn't say you were, I said the way you act is sweet."

"I repeat, I am not sweet."

"Aww Lukey, are you embarrassed?"

"And don't call me Lukey. My name is Luke and I'm far from sweet." Lorelai sighed tiredly, obviously bored with the debate they were having. She finished off her breakfast, rinsed off her plate in the sink and poured herself another cup of coffee.

"I'm gonna check on Rory," she told him before slowly pushing open the door to her room. She crept over to the crib and found that Rory was still sleeping, so she left a light kiss on her forehead, adjusted her blankets then left the room again, pulling the door closed behind her. She heard the shower running in the bathroom, indicating that that's where Luke was. She sighed and made her way over to the phone, in hope that Emily realise that she was trying to do a nice thing by allowing her to take care of Rory all day.

"Hello Gilmore Residence," greeted an unfamiliar maid, but that was to be expected.

"Is Emily there please?" Lorelai asked politely.

"Who may I ask is speaking?"

"It's Lorelai."

"Mrs Gilmore only takes calls if I tell her who you are," she replied, wanting to get more information about her relation to Emily.

"Well I think if you tell her my name, she'll know who I am."

"It would be much easier if you tell me now." Lorelai sighed, already hating this maid. It was unusual for her to hate them, because usually they were normal people who were absolutely terrified of Emily Gilmore. But this particular one was a pain the ass Lorelai didn't need.

"I'm her daughter, now can I speak to her?"

"Absolutely." The line went quiet as she waited for the maid to collect her mother, but finally Emily's voice could be heard.

"Lorelai?" she asked as she brought the phone to her ear.

"Hi mom," she said.

"What are you calling for; you're not going to try and cancel dinner tonight are you?"

"No, dinner's still on," she assured, hearing a sigh of relief come from Emily.

"Oh good, so what's going on?"

"Well Luke and I are going to sort the diner out today, but we can't take Rory with us cause it's dangerous," she started. "So I was wondering if maybe you were free today." Emily was silent for a moment.

"I have a DAR meeting at noon," she said, sounding disappointed.

"Oh, couldn't you take her with you?" she suggested. "I mean, she's not too much trouble and you've taken her before."

"Look how well that turned out," she muttered. Lorelai heard her mother's comment and was quick to call her up on it.

"I know those women said some stuff the last time, but it's really none of their business," she said. "Who cares what they think of me? You can't let it stop you taking Rory places with you."

"I guess not," she replied thoughtfully.

"So...is that a yes?"

"Of course, I would love to take her for the day," she agreed happily. "What time should I pick her up?"

XXX

"Lorelai are you almost ready?" Luke called to the closed bathroom door. It was ten minutes after eight, they were supposed to have started work on the diner ten minutes ago, and they hadn't even made it out of the door yet.

"Almost," she replied shortly. Luke sighed from his place on the couch, knowing it was a bad decision to let Lorelai help out with the clearing process, especially if she was going to mess around like she was doing right now.

"What's taking so long?" he asked impatiently. "We're cleaning the diner, not going to a fashion show."

"I'll be out in a minute," she told him, rapidly becoming fed up of his constant questioning. Why do men never understand that a woman needs time to get ready, no matter where it is they're going?

"But..." He let out a big puff of air as he decided to sit and be quiet until she finally decided to show herself. About five minutes later, the bathroom door creaked open and Lorelai appeared wearing a matching pink tracksuit and white sneakers. "Finally," Luke rejoiced when her heard the door opening. He stood up and turned to look at her, raising his eyebrows at her outfit. "What are you wearing?"

"Why Mr Danes are you trying to seduce me?" she chuckled. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this but that only works over the phone." He rolled his eyes.

"Lorelai."

"It's a tracksuit, what does it look like?"

"It's pink," he stated.

"And?"

"It's not a fashion show." Lorelai shrugged.

"So I'm not allowed to look pretty while we're cleaning?" she pouted. Luke sighed and walked closer to her.

"I just think you'd be better wearing something more...durable," he said, choosing his words carefully. "You know you look good in anything." A small smile tugged at Lorelai's lips and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Big softie," she cooed. "But I'm wearing the tracksuit." She withdrew her arms and patted his cheek before pulling her coat on and fastening it up. "Now I'm ready to go."

XXX

"Gather round people," ushered Taylor to the five townspeople that had come to help out. Everyone chose to ignore the town selectman's voice and carried on with their meaningless chatter. "I said gather round," he repeated.

"Why are we gathering around you Taylor?" Gypsy asked. "We should be listening to Luke right now."

"Well Luke's not here," he retorted.

"Then we should wait for him," she suggested.

"There is no need; Luke has given me permission to get this started without him."

"Yeah right," scoffed Patty, who'd come to watch with Babette. Mostly so they could watch the men lifting heavy objects. "Luke wouldn't trust you as far as he could throw you."

"I say we wait for Luke," called Babette, gaining a few agreements from the small crowd.

"Luke can't be bothered to be here on time so I'm taking over," Taylor said pointedly.

"What are you doing Taylor?" growled Luke from behind the older man. He'd literally just arrived and had heard Taylor's last comment.

"Luke," said Taylor in surprise as he swung around to look at him. "You finally decided to show, we we're going to get this started without you."

"No Taylor was gonna get it started, we refused," Andrew told him. "We said to wait for you to get here."

"You're right," he said with a nod before turning to Taylor. "Who do you think you are?" he asked. "This is my diner, that's all my stuff in there, what right do you have to decide when you can go rummaging around in it?"

"I..." He was interrupted by Luke's rant.

"That's your store." He pointed to Doose's. "This is mine. Yours, mine. You get it?"

"I was just trying to help out..." he stumbled nervously.

"Well don't ok? I don't need your help."

"If that's how you feel..."

"Oh it is!" he shouted.

"I guess I'll get going then. Just a few rules, the skip cannot be parked here," he said, gesturing to the giant yellow waste bin right outside the diner. "It is blocking the road two centimetres more than it should be."

"Get out of here Taylor," he yelled. Taylor jumped at his sudden outburst but dropped his clipboard to his side and scurried off to the market where he was safe. Luke took a few minutes to cool down, then smiled at the group slightly. "Right so I think the best way to do this is to each find an area in the diner and clean around it. Anything that looks salvageable, leave it here." He pointed to an area on the ground next to the skip. "And is it's completely ruined, throw it in here. We all clear?"

"Yes," the group said simultaneously.

"Ok, grab a hat, some gloves and a reflective jacket and let's get in there." The five townspeople hurried to get their clothing then entered the building, immediately getting to work on picking up bits and pieces. Luke and Lorelai waited outside for a moment, just watching them work.

"Look at how much they care for you," she said quietly, amazed at how the town had pulled together to help him out. Luke smiled softly at her before reaching for a hat and sitting it on top of her brown curls. "Does it look good on me?" she asked seductively.

"Like I told you before, everything looks good on you," he quietly answered, but he was not quite quiet enough.

"Wow Luke, we didn't know you had it in ya," Babette said. Both women were surprised that Luke actually had a romantic side. They knew there was a reason that Lorelai was still with him, but they figured it was for his good looks.

"Quite the charmer aren't we?" chuckled Patty, causing Luke to turn five different shades of red.

"What are you two doing here anyway?" he muttered, annoyed by their ability to embarrass him at every opportunity.

"Came to watch our men at work," said Patty, eyeing her husband.

"Yeah, I came to see Morey's ass when he bends over. He has such a perfect ass," she gushed.

"Jeez," complained Luke. "I'm going inside." He began to walk towards the doorway, that had no door, but Lorelai stopped him.

"Don't forget your hat, Burger Boy," she said. She placed it on his head and winked at him. He let out the smallest of smiles before turning around and walking into the destroyed diner, the three women watching after him.

"He's got it bad for you," chuckled Babette.

"I like to think so," she said with a firm nod.

"Who knew Luke was such a romantic?" Patty asked.

"He can when he wants to be," she told them, knowing that Luke wouldn't be happy about her discussing this with the two gossip queens.

"You're a lucky girl, you don't find many like him," said Babette. Lorelai nodded. She knew that she was lucky to have Luke, but sometimes she wished he'd be a bit more open with her and share his feelings. Because at the moment he was bottling everything up inside.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go on in there," she said, gesturing towards the diner. "Can't stand out here all day chatting."

"You're helping?" asked Patty incredulously.

"Yeah, I wanna do my bit," she replied.

"Honey that's not a woman's job," she said. "Leave it to the big, strong men, I say."

"Gypsy's in there," she shrugged.

"Yeah but Gypsy's training to be a mechanic, she's more of a man than Andrew."

"I heard that!" called Andrew from where he was clearing up next to the window.

"Oh please, you work in a bookstore, what do you expect?" He scowled at the women before getting back to his work.

"Ok ladies, while you finish off this debate, I'm gonna get cleaning."

"Good luck!" they both called after her. Lorelai waved them off then entered the dangerous grounds of the diner. She spotted Luke standing by the doorway where the curtain used to be, occasionally glancing up the stairs nervously.

"Hey, where do you want me?" she asked, sneaking up behind him and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Huh, oh anywhere is fine," he shrugged. "How about we work over here together?" he suggested.

"Sure." They moved behind what was left of the counter and began examining bits and pieces strewn across the floor. Most of it was rubble from the various counters and cupboards, but there were some recognisable objects among it all.

"Hey Luke?" called Bootsie. "I think I found the cash register." Luke hardly glanced at the object before answering.

"Trash," he replied. The register was pretty useless now, so it didn't take much examining. Lorelai kept glancing at Luke as they searched through their area of the room, and she couldn't help but notice how deep in thought he looked to be. She also realised that he kept glancing towards the staircase.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked as she focussed on him. No answer. "The apartment?" Luke glanced at her before nodding briefly then getting back to his cleaning. "We can go take a look if you like." He shook his head this time.

"Maybe later," he answered shortly before it went silent between them again. She sighed quietly before scooping up a load of rubble and dumping it in the plastic bag she had sitting next to her. Everybody's bags were beginning to get full, and they'd only been working for ten minutes or so.

"Oh my god," exclaimed Lorelai, her eyes focussed on something among the rubble.

"What?" Luke asked frantically, getting worried at her outburst. It couldn't be anything good the way she said it. A few others from the group had looked in her direction to see what all the fuss was about.

"I think I found the coffee maker," she said sadly as she held up the heaped up piece of plastic. Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at it, it was completely ruined. When said tears escaped and began to run down her cheeks, Luke pulled her to her feet and guided her outside. He wasn't even a little bit surprised by her reaction to finding the inanimate object that meant so much to her, whereas the others were more than sceptical.

"Honey what's the matter?" asked Patty softly as they stopped on the sidewalk.

"She found the coffee maker," he explained, causing looks of realisation to cross the two women's faces.

"Aww sugar, you can always get another one," said Babette soothingly. Lorelai nodded as her tears continued to fall.

"I'm gonna go back inside ok?" Luke asked quietly. "You gonna be ok out here for a while?"

"Yeah," she replied shakily. Luke nodded, kissed her forehead quickly, then strode back towards the diner. "Luke?" she called after him.

"Yeah?" he asked as he swung around to face her.

"Don't throw the coffee maker away."

XXX

Emily opened the door for yet another member of the DAR, seeing as the maid had gone AWOL. She led the latest arrival through to the living room where there was already a large group of women gathered around the coffee table on various forms of seating. Rory was sitting amongst them, watching each and every one of them with interest and marvelling when a new woman walked through the door. She was currently sitting in the lap of a woman with short blonde hair, and she was pretty sure she'd never met her before. She was enjoying all the attention though.

"Mama?" Rory asked over the women's gossiping.

"Where is Lorelai today?" asked another woman, having heard Rory's request.

"One of the businesses in the town she lives in caught fire about a week ago," she explained. "So she's helping out there today."

"Oh that's very kind of her," commented somebody else.

"Yes, it's quite a close community, everybody helps each other." Emily exited the room again to answer the door, she was sure that this was the last person to arrive. "Francine," she said when she answered the door. Sure enough, her granddaughter's other grandmother was standing on her doorstep.

"Hello Emily," she greeted formally.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh I joined the DAR, did you not know?"

"I most certainly did not. Wait here." She closed the door in the woman's face then strode back into the living room. "Who let Francine Hayden into this organisation?" she demanded once she was standing before the large group of ladies.

"Emily..."

"You could have at least had the decency to tell me, rather than letting me answer the door and find her on my doorstep."

"She wanted to join, and we needed new members," one of the women explained. "It made sense."

"Where is she now?" asked someone else.

"Well I left her outside until this was cleared up."

"Let her inside, we need to start the meeting." Emily reluctantly walked towards the front door and swung it open again.

"Sorry about that Francine," she apologised falsely. "Minor misunderstanding."

"Don't worry about it," she replied politely. "So how are you?" she asked as they walked towards the living room.

"Just fine," she replied shortly. Emily took her seat and gestured for Francine to do the same. That's when she noticed the baby sitting in Polly Campbell's lap. She didn't say anything as she watched the little girl grin at the crazy women as they cooed and poked at her, and she felt a pang in her heart that she didn't know her granddaughter that well, or at all really.

The meeting ended and the women began to gather their things and pile out of the Gilmore household, all giving Rory pecks on the cheek or the forehead. Francine was the last one to leave, and she stopped by Emily at the door as she admired her granddaughter up close.

"So this is Rory?" she asked quietly. Emily simply nodded. "She's grown since the last time I saw her," she said thoughtfully.

"When did you see her?" Emily asked. As far as she was concerned, the elder Hayden's had never met their granddaughter.

"I bumped into Lorelai at the pool one time," she explained.

"Oh," was all Emily said.

"She's beautiful," she murmured.

"Yes well...it was nice to see you again Francine," she said politely. "I'll see you at the next meeting." She ushered the woman through the door and closed it swiftly after her, glad to be rid of her for now. She knew she'd have many more encounters with that woman, and frankly she didn't want anything else to do with her.

XXX

It had been a veeeeery long day for seven people of Stars Hollow. They had begun work at eight and it was just turning five now. They had managed to clear most of the rubble, leaving only a small amount in the corner that the majority of them would finish clearing in the morning, plus a few appliances that needed further inspection to decide whether they needed to be thrown away or not. Now, after giving their thanks and saying their goodbyes for the night, only Luke and Lorelai were the only ones left in the almost clear diner.

"We got a lot done today," she said.

"Yeah, it's coming along." It was weird how empty it felt. After disposing of all the chargrilled tables and chairs, there was nothing left but half the counter and a few cupboards, all of which, Luke was going to destroy the next day. They had found that the storage room had minimal damage, so they distributed the food amongst the townies and claimed some for themselves, before giving the floor a quick sweep and closing the door after them, relieved that it was one less room they had to deal with. The only thing left now was the apartment.

"Wanna take a look?" she asked.

"Tomorrow," he murmured. She knew he was just gonna keep putting it off, but if he wasn't prepared to go in there just yet, she wasn't gonna make him.

"Ok," she said in understanding.

"We'd better go get ready for dinner," he said, remembering that they had to be at the Gilmore's in less than two hours time. They left the diner, and Luke placed the wooden board back where the door used to be, before they drove back to the potting shed, their home. The phone was ringing when they got inside, and Lorelai raced to answer it before it rung off.

"Hello?" she asked breathlessly. She'd only run over to her nightstand.

"This is Officer Wells from Hartford Police," she heard the deep, serious voice of a man on the other end of the line. "May I speak to a Mr Danes please?"

"Yeah, I'll just put him on." She held the phone out to Luke. "It's for you, it's the police," she informed him. He quickly took the phone from her and put it to his ear.

"This is Luke Danes," he said.

"Ah good evening Mr Danes," he said politely. "I was just calling to update you on the search for Mr Hayden and Ms Holland."

"Yes..." he prompted.

"I'm afraid they are no longer in the state of Connecticut," he said worriedly. "We've performed an extensive search and found that both their passports are missing from their homes, along with clothes and other essentials."

"So where do you think they are?"

"We're not sure Mr Danes, but we are trying our hardest to find them," he assured the young man. "All you can do is carry on waiting, and we'll contact you when we know more."

"Ok," he replied, not sure what to do with himself. "Thank you." He placed the phone back on the cradle and turned to Lorelai. "They left," he muttered, not quite believing that they had actually skipped town. They must have had the whole crime carefully mapped out for it to work this well, they just hoped that the police would be able to outdo them.

**Ah I feel kinda sad that I can't continue this next week **** I have really enjoyed writing this chapter. I will be jotting down any ideas I think of though, and will be sure to include them. I always find that my imagination goes wild when I don't have a computer near me...huh, strange. Okay so pleeaaase review :D I will really appreciate it and will get to work on writing a new chapter the week after next. **

**Emily.**

**PS. I will also be updating my other stories soon, I promise. I am dead set on getting 'A Long Lost Mother' completed, and 'It Has Nothing To Do With Pigs', which I haven't even started writing the second chapter for yet...oops sorry! I'm also going to finish my first fanfic, 'Family Life'. There's only one more chapter, and I'm in the process of writing it. But I don't really like that story cause it's quite rubbish in my opinion, but anyway, those three stories will be completed soon hopefully then I can focus on this and 'I Wish You Were My Dad', which I have kind of abandoned recently :O**

**Bye for a whole week...**


	48. Put on the Back Burner

**Hello readers **** I know I said I was gonna update as soon as I got back from Scotland, but stuff got in the way...like alcohol consumption and sleep...but now I'm back with an update! After this chapter, I will start work on completing my other stories, so the next one for this may take a couple of days...I won't be gone as long as the last time though. **

**Thanks for the reviews, although some people have mysteriously disappeared **** Is it cause the plot is getting boring? I fear that my writing has gone down in standard...so please come back and review again! Okay now enjoy the chapter...and thanks to coffeebeanner for her suggestion, I have taken it into consideration in this chapter :D**

"And now she's a member of the DAR," Emily complained over dinner that Friday night. "Of all the things she could do, she chose something that I'm involved in. She had been ranting about Christopher's mother for the last forty minutes, and all Richard, Luke and Lorelai could do was nod along.

"So Luke," Richard began.

"I mean, I don't even know why she wants to be in the DAR," continued Emily, ignoring Richard's attempt to change the subject. He simply sighed and took his attention back to the remaining vegetables on his plate. "She knows I'm close to running it, and after what happened between you and Christopher, I don't see why she'd want to be around me for any period of time at all. I know I have no desire to spend time with her."

The room went silent as round seven of Emily's rant came to an end. The threesome knew it was only a matter of time before the next one began. Lorelai looked up at Luke and frowned at his distant expression. From where she was sitting, she couldn't see that his teeth were clenched and he was rhythmically breathing in and out through his nose to keep himself calm.

"She was looking at Rory like she owned her," Emily stated.

"Speaking of Rory," said Luke abruptly, making his voice heard for the first time since they sat down for dinner. "She's getting tired, I'm gonna take her upstairs." Lorelai looked at him puzzled, noticing that Rory was very much wide awake and mumbling to a baby carrot in her hand. Luke lifted the baby up to him, gaining a delighted squeal from her, then turned towards the stairs and ascended them to the first floor. The three Gilmore's watched after him, Richard and Lorelai in confusion, whereas Emily was slightly disgusted.

"You do not just get up in the middle of dinner and go upstairs," she said firmly. "We haven't even had dessert yet." Lorelai focussed on her plate again, her brows furrowing as she tried to decipher Luke's behaviour. She figured out that it probably boiled down to the fact that Emily had been talking about the mother of the man that burned down his diner for the last forty minutes, and she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to go upstairs and check he was alright.

"I'm gonna go check on him," she told her parents, making a move to stand up.

"Not you as well," said Emily. "You will sit there until we have finished dessert, then you can go see Luke." Lorelai frowned; feeling like she was a small child again and she had just asked to use the bathroom during dinner.

"But he's going through a lot lately," she explained. "I just wanna make sure he's ok."

"After dinner," she said sternly. Lorelai slumped back in her chair and glanced at Richard, her father was frowning at her sympathetically. "It seems he doesn't want any company at the moment," she observed.

"You don't understand," Lorelai breathed, closing her eyes momentarily. "We found out who started the fire today, well right before we came out for dinner actually." Richard looked in interest at his daughter, waiting for her to continue.

"Well?" he prompted when she didn't finish the admission. Lorelai inhaled deeply.

"It was two people actually, and we know both of them. Well you know one, but you know of the other, so it..."

"Lorelai," scolded Richard, noticing that she was starting up her own little conversation with herself, and it was more than likely that she would continue talking unless somebody cut her off.

"Right um...it was..." She hesitated, preparing herself for the reactions of her parents when they heard the news. "It was Christopher," she finally admitted. "And Rachel." The elder Gilmore's were speechless for a moment.

"Rachel is Luke's ex, correct?" Richard asked. Lorelai nodded and watched as they went into a state of pure shock. She waited patiently for them to take it in while unconsciously tapping her fingers lightly on the table.

"Christopher wouldn't do such a thing," Emily said after a long stretch of silence. Both Lorelai's and Richard's heads shot up to look at her sceptically.

"How can you say that?" asked Lorelai, curious as to why her mother thought this way.

"He's a smart boy Lorelai," she told her.

"Yeah, he's smart enough to start a fire," she said logically. "Just like he was smart enough to force me to have sex with him and knock me up."

"Lorelai," Emily scolded. "There is no need to speak that way. I was merely stating that Christopher is too smart to put his reputation on the line, he'd be too wrapped up in thinking about what would happen if he got caught to actually commit the crime in the first place."

"Well that didn't stop him," she said truthfully. "Forensics have proven it, there's no doubt about it."

"Oh," was Emily's short reply. "So what happens now?"

"They've skipped town," she admitted. "Nobody knows where they are."

"I bet Francine knows," Emily pointed out.

"The police already talked to her and Straub, they don't know where he is."

"But they might be covering for him," she said. "Maybe I can get some information out of her at the next meeting," she said thoughtfully. Lorelai rolled her eyes at Emily's meddling, knowing that no good could come of it. Even if the Hayden's were lying, there was no way Francine would cave.

"Do you mind if I check on Luke now?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to start another rant from Emily.

"No Lorelai, go ahead," allowed Richard, ignoring Emily's silent protests. She smiled gratefully and pushed her chair out, before making her way up the staircase. She reached Rory's nursery and found it dark and empty, so she frowned as she walked down the hall to her old room. She saw the light shining out from under the door, and heard the unmistakable sound of Rory's giggles.

"Knock, knock," she said as she pushed the door open and peeked around it. She didn't want to disturb them; she just wanted to check that everything was ok. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," he answered, giving her a small but warm smile. She sat down on the carpeted floor next to them and watched as Rory played with some building blocks. "I found these in the closet," he told her. "It was something to entertain her with." Lorelai smiled at him and picked up one of the small Lego bricks.

"I remember when I bought these," she said thoughtfully. "I think Rory was around ten weeks old. I was in the mall, cause mom had sent me out by myself for the day, and I came across this toy store. Obviously, being a mom and all, it caught my attention so I went in and had a look. Anyway, after a while of browsing around, I found these, she never got to play with them though." She finished her memory with a frown, and placed the block on the tower that Rory was currently building.

"Mine," she whined possessively, she obviously didn't want anyone touching it.

"Sorry hon," she apologised innocently. Rory pouted at her for a few moments then took her attention back to her masterpiece.

"She's playing with them now," Luke shrugged, referring to her earlier comment. "And we can bring them home with us, she seems to like them."

"Yeah." She studied him for a second. "So you got fed up of hearing my mother spout on and on about Francine Hayden huh?" she asked, knowing that she'd have to plunge into the deep end to get a coherent answer from him. Luke sighed loudly, and proceeded to nod. "She didn't know she was doing anything wrong you know, she was just being her usual gossiping self."

"I know," he replied, his attention focussed on Rory.

"So, you ok?"

"Yeah, I just hope they find those two," he murmured. She rested her hand on his knee and nodded in agreement.

"Me too babe, me too."

XXX

Three days later, Luke was sitting in the potting shed waiting for Lorelai to return from work. They were finally going to look at the apartment today, after Luke had put it off for the last three days. The diner had been completely cleared out, and all that was left were black walls and a charcoaled floor. Everything else had been demolished.

Luke sighed and walked over to Lorelai's closet, which was now technically his too. He crouched down and began pushing aside the various blankets and items of clothing, revealing the darkened slab of wood he had retrieved from the clearing process. He arranged everything back to the way it was before then made his way back over to the couch, admiring the object in his hand.

He was stopped in his tracks though, when he heard Rory's soft whining coming from her bedroom. She must have woken up from her nap. Luke walked over to her door, the block of wood held securely under his arm, and went over to the crib, laying the wood on the floor next to the rocking chair.

"Dada," said Rory whiningly.

"Hi sweetie," he greeted softly, running his fingers through her hair. "Good nap?" Rory answered by holding her arms out to him, and he happily obliged. He sat in the rocking chair and rested his daughter in his lap. The little girl looked up curiously at him for a few moments before finding the buttons on his shirt to be more interesting.

"Wook," she exclaimed as she managed to undo one of them. Luke sighed and slumped further back into the chair.

"We've gotta go look at the apartment today Ror," he told her, a hint of sadness making it's way into his voice. Rory looked up at him in interest, even though she had no idea what he was talking about. He leaned down and picked up the wood, causing Rory to immediately reach for it and begin to inspect it. Luckily he had sanded it down and it was smooth.

"That?" she questioned, tapping on the wood with her tiny hands.

"This," he began. "Belonged to my dad." He turned the wood over so the faint writing was visible on the other side. "You know about him, we went to see his gravestone remember?" He sighed. "Well you probably don't remember but...anyway you see this writing here?" Luke ran his fingers over the faded script, which had been partially ruined by the blaze.

"There," Rory said as she pointed to the lettering. That showed Luke that she understood.

"Right there is where my dad wrote an order one day," he told her. "He was on the phone and couldn't find anything to write on, so he scribbled the order on the side of the counter." Rory lunged forward and pulled the wood closer to her. "This is one of the only things I got out of there," he said sadly. "I found a few tools, but they're in pretty bad shape." He ducked his head, wishing away the moisture that was currently forming in his eyes. He sniffled and shook his head, scaring away all his pent up feelings.

"Luke?" came Lorelai's voice as she poked her head around the door carefully. She seemed hesitant to enter, and Luke suspected that she'd heard part of his speech.

"Hey, you're back," he said, pulling on his 'happy' veil. Lorelai saw right through it though.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked, stepping further into the room and kneeling down in front of the chair. Luke shrugged.

"Rory just woke up from her nap so we were having a little quiet time," he replied. Lorelai nodded, noticing that Luke had gone back into his shell as soon as she made her presence known.

"And did Rory have a good nap?" she cooed. Rory grinned and reached towards Lorelai, giggling quietly. "Did she?" she pushed.

"Good seep," she said happily as she wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

"That's good," she said as she swung the baby up in the air then brought her down to her hip. "And is my favourite daughter hungry now?"

"Yesh," she replied eagerly.

"Hey I have something to tell you," she said quietly into Rory's ear. She glanced at Luke and noticed him smiling as he watched their bantering. Rory leaned in closer to Lorelai and listened as she whispered something in her ear. Luke watched them suspiciously the whole time, wondering what it was they were up to. Rory stared at Lorelai for a few moments, before catching on and turning her attention to Luke.

"Food," she said"

"What about it?" he asked, although he had an idea of what she was referring to. Rory looked back to Lorelai and listened as she whispered to her again.

"Mama Wowy hugwy," she said cheerfully. Luke couldn't help but laugh a little at how cute she sounded as she'd said it, and he squeezed her cheeks playfully.

"Mommy and Rory are hungry?" he asked.

"Yesh."

"Well what do Mommy and Rory want to eat?" he asked, going along with their little game. He knew it'd make them both happy, even if it did make him look a little bit stupid. No one else was around though, so it didn't really matter.

"Banana," she replied decisively.

"Nuh uh," Lorelai protested, shaking her head. "Mommy doesn't want a banana sweets, banana's are bad."

"Ummy banana," said Rory insistently.

"I have to disagree," she shrugged.

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Ye..."

"Ok," interrupted Luke, cutting off their minor disagreement over bananas. "I'm gonna make dinner, I'll leave you two to get back to debating."

"No bananas please," Lorelai specified.

"You got it." He went out of the room, leaving the two Gilmore girls to hang out alone for a minute or two. Lorelai noticed the slab of wood that was lying on the floor and set Rory down before picking it up curiously.

"What's this sweets?" she asked.

"Dada," Rory answered. Lorelai examined the burned piece of wood and noticed the script surrounded by char. She squinted and managed to make it out, soon realising it was an order from the hardware store. Luke had obviously retrieved it from the diner while she was at work.

"I bet Grandpa William wrote this," she said thoughtfully, mostly speaking to Rory but also a little to herself. She wondered why Luke had hidden this from her, although he had been awfully distant lately. She just hoped he'd return soon, she missed the way they were before Rachel happened.

XXX

Dinner was finished with and the pots and pans had been washed, dried and put away. Now Luke was sitting on the couch watching some television show, one that Lorelai had never seen before. She had been busying herself with getting changed into something more comfortable, and keeping Rory entertained while Luke lost himself in the world of TV, or pretended to anyway.

"You ready to go?" she asked once she had finished what she was doing. The time was dragging on a bit and if they didn't hurry up, it would be too dark to see anything in the apartment.

"Uh...I'm pretty tired," he said, yawning unnecessarily. "I think I'm just gonna relax here for a while instead." He turned back to the TV show and Lorelai rolled her eyes at his back.

"You've been putting this off for days," she said knowingly.

"I haven't," he replied defensively. "I wanna go, but things have been getting in the way and I haven't felt up to it. We can go when the time is right."

"But when is that gonna be?" she asked. "Because it seems to be getting further and further away as time goes on." She noticed Luke frown and softened her voice a little. "Look, you're not helping yourself by putting it off. The longer you leave it, the more painful it's gonna be when you walk up that staircase." She rested her hand on his knee. "We need to do this now Luke." He simply stared at her for a few moments before finally finding his voice.

"I don't know if I can," he sighed, opening up to her a little and letting her in. He had been shutting her out an awful lot recently.

"Why not?" she asked patiently.

"I just...I know it's all ruined," he shrugged. "And I don't wanna see it like that." Lorelai sighed.

"It's gonna hurt Luke," she said. "But it's something you have to do, you need some closure."

"I will go up there," he told her surely. "Just not tonight."

"Luke, when are we gonna do it then?"

"In the morning, before you go to work," he replied. Lorelai looked taken aback for a moment but finally nodded.

"Ok, no backing out this time though," she warned. "We're going tomorrow, and that's final."

"Alright," he agreed as he took his attention back to the TV show he was watching. Lorelai turned away and set Rory up with some toys on the floor, before settling onto the couch and making herself comfortable, being careful not to sit too close to Luke. They hadn't been intimate at all since their steamy encounter before they found the diner on fire, and Lorelai was unsure of whether she should even so much as touch him sometimes. They had shared the odd kisses, and held hands now and again, but other than that, their physical contact had been nonexistent. If it carried on, Lorelai knew she'd have to do something about it.

"What are you watching?" she asked. Luke shrugged.

"It was on when I switched the TV on," he explained. His arm moved around her shoulders and he slowly pulled her closer to him. She happily obliged, unable to wipe the goofy grin from her face as she snuggled into his embrace. She had missed this.

"Change channels," she ordered, pointing her head towards the remote. He nodded and found a movie he thought she might like. They settled back down, and Lorelai dug her head further into his chest, relaxing into his warm body. Luke knew that he'd been less than gentlemanly towards his girlfriend since the fire happened, but he'd been in a state of shock, and kept getting lost in his own thoughts. Right now though, he was focussing on her, and Rory of course. They both needed his attention at the moment, seeing as they'd missed out on so much recently.

"Want some coffee?" he asked quietly, a near whisper actually. Lorelai tilted her head up to glance at him, a huge grin settling on her face.

"Coffee would be great," she replied as she reluctantly removed her head from his chest. He pulled away from her and stood up, leaving Lorelai shivering as his body heat had been keeping her warm.

"Mama," said Rory as she stumbled over to the couch, a soft toy clutched between her fingers.

"Yeah baby?" she asked softly. The little girl held her arms up to her mother and let out a yawn. Lorelai sat her in her lap and smiled down at her baby softly. "You can't be tired," she said. "You only woke up a couple of hours ago." Rory wiped her right eye with the back of her hand then snuggled into Lorelai's chest.

"What's up Ror?" asked Luke as he returned to the couch to find Rory clutching Lorelai's shirt. He pointed to the cup of coffee in his hand and she gestured to the coffee table with her head.

"Mommy needs coffee now sweets," she told Rory. Luke leaned down and lifted her from Lorelai's lap. Rory wordlessly rested her head on his shoulder, acting like she'd never been moved. Lorelai sipped her coffee quickly, savouring the delicious liquid. "That tastes just like coffee from Luke's," she said heavenly.

"Well I am Luke," he deadpanned, only half listening to her as he rubbed Rory's back.

"Is this coffee from the diner?" she asked, noticing it seemed familiar.

"Yeah, I got it from the storage room when we cleared it out." Lorelai looked at the coffee table thoughtfully.

"At least the coffee survived," she mumbled, causing Luke to show a small smile. It soon turned into a frown again though, when he glanced down at Rory.

"Do you think she's ok?" he asked in concern. She did look very pale. Lorelai looked up from her coffee cup and furrowed her brows at her daughter.

"She does look a little out of sorts," she replied.

"I'll get her ready for bed so she can get an early night." He disappeared into Rory's room and Lorelai continued to sip her coffee. Not five minutes later, she heard Rory begin to cry, and it soon turned into screams. Lorelai was just about to go check on them, when Luke rushed out of the room with a very distressed Rory on his hip.

"What's going on?" she asked, wanting to be filled in.

"Rory got sick," he answered simply. "I need to clean it up." She looked at the baby sympathetically, before turning back to Luke.

"I can clean it up," she offered, but Luke shook his head.

"It's ok, you try to calm her down," he said as he gestured for her to take Rory from him. She was just about to lift her when she threw up again, this time on Luke's shirt. "Jeez," he complained. "On one of my only shirts as well," he said, raising his voice as he looked down at Rory. The baby looked up at him, too frightened to move.

"Lu..."

"Just take her ok?" he snapped, his anger apparent. It wasn't hers or Rory's fault that she was sick. He passed Rory onto her, collected the disinfectant and some cloths then stormed into Rory's room, slamming the door behind him. Lorelai watched after him while clutching Rory close to her, a mixture of shock and hurt swam around inside of her. She didn't understand where that outburst just came from; she hadn't done anything wrong and Rory was just a baby, she didn't know any better. She sniffled back her emotion and grabbed hers and Rory's coats, the diaper bag and her purse, before heading out of the door.

She walked up to the inn slowly, going over Luke's behaviour the past week or so in her head. He had certainly been distant, and he had snapped at her a few times, but nothing as uncalled for as this. He had done quite a good job at keeping his anger at bay, and Lorelai wondered if it was an outburst waiting to happen, caused by days of built up aggression. She hadn't even registered that Rory had gotten sick on her coat and was crying softly, she was too wrapped up in her thoughts.

She walked around the inn to the front door, and paused outside to collect herself, before pushing it open and entering the warm, welcoming lobby. Mia wasn't standing at the desk, so she sauntered over to her office and knocked lightly on the wooden door. She heard a 'come in' almost instantly, so she hesitantly pushed the door open, allowing her boss to see who had interrupted her work.

"Lorelai," she said warmly, a hint of surprise in her voice. "What brings you here?"

"Well um..." she paused. "Rory's sick, and Luke's mad...I just wondered if I could hang out here for a while?" She sounded so unsure of herself that Mia wondered if someone had taken over Lorelai's body.

"Of course you can dear," she said sincerely as she pulled her into a hug. She stopped short though when she noticed something on Lorelai's coat. "So Rory's sick?" she asked as she turned her attention to the other Gilmore girl in the room. Lorelai nodded. "Come sit down." She obliged and took a seat on the loveseat in her office. Mia walked over to her desk and opened one of the drawers, revealing a bottle of Tylenol she kept in there.

"I never thought to bring Tylenol," said Lorelai, disappointed with herself that she was too distracted to do what was best for her child.

"Well it's a good job I always keep it in supply then isn't it?" Mia asked softly, noticing Lorelai doubting herself. The teenager simply nodded in reply and watched as Mia gave Rory a spoonful of medicine. "There we go, that should make it all better," she cooed to the baby. She lifted Rory into her own lap from Lorelai's and cradled her to her body. "Now do you want to tell me what happened?"

"It was nothing really," she told her, putting on a fake smile. "I'll be fine."

"Lorelai," she said knowingly.

"It's ok," she shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant when inside she was upset.

"Well I know it's not ok," she said pointedly. "Otherwise you wouldn't have come up here at seven o clock at night." Lorelai looked down at her hands clasped in her lap and let out a defeated sigh. She finally looked up at Mia and opened her mouth to speak.

"Like I said, Rory got sick and Luke got mad," she told her, repeating her earlier words.

"Why did Lucas get mad?" she asked curiously.

"Cause Rory got sick on his shirt," she explained. "It set him off and he practically threw her at me then went in her room and slammed the door." Mia looked sympathetically at the saddened teenage girl before her. "He's never gotten mad at her before."

"Well he's had a lot on his plate recently," Mia reminded her. Lorelai nodded.

"I know," she agreed. "But it was like he was blaming her, it's not her fault and I won't stand for anyone treating her like that." There were several tears rolling down her cheeks, and even more were spilling from her eyes. Mia pulled Lorelai in for a hug and held her tightly, desperate to get her back to her cheery self. After a few moments, Lorelai pulled away and wiped her eyes furiously. "I just didn't expect that from Luke."

"I understand where you're coming from Lorelai, and yes, Lucas was in the wrong. But you have to take everything that's happened to him into consideration, he's obviously hurting on the inside."

"I know that, but it's no excuse to treat my daughter like something he stepped in, it's not fair to her. He can take his anger out on me as much as he wants to, but Rory is not gonna be affected by all of this," she said firmly, her voice becoming stronger now that her tears had subsided.

"So are you going to go home and talk to him about it?" Lorelai sniffled.

"I don't wanna go home just yet," she said quietly. "I wanna let him cool off first." Mia nodded in understanding, before glancing down at Rory. She was fast asleep, curled up against Mia's midsection. "I want her to be happy, and if all Luke is gonna do is shout at her and make her miserable, then maybe she doesn't need him in her life." Her voice broke at the thought of keeping Luke away from Rory; she didn't even know why she'd said it.

"Dear, how can you say that?" asked Mia, also surprised by what Lorelai had said. "You love Lucas, and he loves you back. Rory loves him too, but he's gonna have bad days now and again. Everything he saved after his parent's died, all his dad's hardware stuff, even his home and business, he's lost it all. Can you even begin to imagine how that feels?"

"No," she said shakily.

"Exactly, his heart's probably broken into tiny little pieces; do you really want to add to that?"

"No," she repeated.

"Ok there's your answer. Now go home and comfort him when he needs it most," she ordered. Lorelai nodded, suddenly given a new found confidence at Mia's certainty. She stood up, scooped Rory into her arms and thanked the elder woman, who had quickly become her mentor. She finally left the office, heading back to the potting shed.

XXX

Luke finished cleaning Rory's room then slumped into the rocking chair, mulling over his previous behaviour. He knew he shouldn't have snapped at her like that, it wasn't fair, and especially in front of Rory too. He searched his mind for the best way to tell Lorelai he was sorry, in hope that she would forgive him. When he had come up with a suitable apology, he stood up and opened the door.

"Lorelai?" he asked, but soon realised that the potting shed was empty. He noticed both hers and Rory's coats and shoes were gone, and her purse and the diaper bag were also missing. "Shit," he murmured as he ran his hands down the sides of his face. She shouldn't have gone out, although it was only seven, it was extremely dark out and anything could happen to the two of them. The possibilities didn't even bear thinking about.

He collapsed onto the couch and turned on the TV to some sports show. He wasn't really watching it though, his mind was focussed on his girls, and how he would never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to either of them tonight. After all, it was his fault they were out there in the first place, because he couldn't control his rage. After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened slowly and Lorelai appeared cradling Rory, who was sleeping soundly.

"Where've you been?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral. "I've been worried."

"Just up to the inn," she replied.

"You could have left a note or something; I've been out of my mind." Lorelai took the opportunity to glance at the TV, which was showing the baseball scores.

"Looks like it too," she muttered, but it was heard by Luke. She began to walk towards Rory's room, but was stopped by Luke's raised voice.

"Don't walk away," he called. She swung around to look at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm going to put Rory in her crib," she said, calmly and quietly. "And so help me god if you wake her up with your uncontrollable temper." She gave him one last look, before turning around and heading into the adjoining room. Luke tapped his foot as he waited for her, knowing once again that he had been wrong to raise his voice to her then. He just couldn't help it. She returned to the main room and shrugged out of her coat, before sitting down on the couch. "We need to talk," she said simply.

"Yeah, we do," he sighed as he sat down next to her. "Listen..."

"No, let me go first," she insisted, putting up a hand to stop him. Luke nodded in consent and she took a deep breath before continuing. "I know you have so much going on right now, and it must be hard to handle it all. I've noticed that it's affecting you, you always seem really far away, even when you're sitting right next to me," she observed, her eyes locking with Luke's. "I've dealt with it, because I know you're hurting, and I don't mind you taking some of your anger out on me, everyone needs to vent sometimes." She swallowed thickly. "But when you choose Rory as your target, that's not something I like, in fact, if it ever happens again, we might not be a couple anymore," she finished. She knew she'd completely gone against what Mia told her to do, but Luke needed to be put straight, in her opinion.

"Lorelai," he breathed, shocked to his very core. "How..."

"I mean it," she said firmly. Luke looked down at the floor for a second before looking up to meet her eyes again.

"It won't happen again," he told her surely. "I don't know why I acted the way I did before, everything's just piling up on my shoulders and Rory getting sick was like the icing on the cake."

"Ooh cake," she said dreamily, but then remembered that they were currently resolving their issues and she shouldn't be dreaming about food. "Seriously though, Rory's everything to me and if I think she's been mistreated, I'll act quickly."

"I know," he said sadly. "But you know how much I love her, and you, I'm sorry if I've been acting like a jerk." Lorelai shifted closer to him on the couch slightly.

"It's understandable," she said, remembering Mia's words. "You've been through so much in your lifetime, but I don't think it's fair to blame Rory and I for things."

"It's not," he agreed. "I promise you it won't happen again." He sounded serious, and so honest. Lorelai nodded to show that she agreed, before breaking eye contact with him. "Is Rory doing ok?"

"Mia gave her some Tylenol when we went up to the inn," she told him. "She just needs to sleep it off." Luke nodded.

"I'm gonna say goodnight." He left a soft kiss on her cheek then walked towards Rory's room. Lorelai watched after him and wondered if she should talk to him about their lack of intimacy recently, but she quickly decided against it.

XXX

"Goodnight sweetie," Luke whispered as he stroked Rory's dark hair away from her face. He was about to stand up straight and leave the room, but decided that Rory deserved an apology as well. "I'm really sorry about earlier," he started. "I don't know what came over me, but just know that I don't blame you for anything. I know it's not your fault, you're just a baby and I was wrong to get mad earlier." He sighed then bent down to leave a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

He walked back into the main room after making sure Rory was properly tucked in, and found Lorelai perching on the edge of the bed. She was removing a necklace from around her neck, and he recognised it as the one he had bought her for Christmas. She looked up and smiled slightly when she noticed him, but she didn't say anything to him.

The two went about their nightly routines as usual, and both were climbing into bed at eight thirty. They had been going to bed exceptionally early recently, but usually when couples got an early night, they didn't go straight to sleep. Luke and Lorelai did though, because she was too cowardly to say something to him about the nonexistent physical side to their relationship.

Lorelai lay on her side facing Luke and watched him turn the lamp off on the nightstand. He settled into his pillows and adjusted the duvet so it covered him sufficiently. Lorelai was half expecting him to snuggle a little closer to her than he had been doing but he remained on 'his' side of the bed and turned on his side so he was facing away from her. She frowned to herself and also turned away, trying to swallow the lump in her throat as she wondered why Luke didn't show her his romantic, passionate side anymore. It took her a long time to fall asleep that night.

XXX

The Gilmore/Danes trio were up early the next morning. Rory had woken up early anyway because she'd fallen asleep two hours before her original bed time the night before, so the teenagers felt that they should get up as well so they could get to the diner. Now, they were standing in the empty room that was once a bustling establishment, and Luke was glancing nervously towards the curtain.

"Ready?" she asked quietly.

"Uh...do you mind if I...if I go up there alone?" he asked hesitantly. He didn't want her to be there if his emotions were let loose, the last thing he wanted to do was to let someone see him cry. Lorelai felt like someone had twisted the knife further into her heart. Another thing Luke was shutting her out of, great, she thought.

"Sure, go by yourself," she replied, trying to sound as normal as possible. She gripped Rory's hand tighter and led the girl towards the door. "I'm gonna get some coffee at Weston's." Luke nodded and watched her leave the building, not realising that she was hurting more than he was on the inside. She was just an expert at hiding it.

He made sure Lorelai was a few feet away from the diner before taking a few steps closer to the curtain. He took a shaky breath, willing himself to move further forward, but his legs were refusing. He sighed; he didn't know this was gonna be so hard, he'd had an idea, but he thought that he'd at least be able to get up there.

Finally, after a couple of minutes of contemplation, his legs began functioning again and he made his way to the bottom of the staircase. He could already see the damage up the dark stairwell; the blackened walls, the rubble on the steps, the door to his apartment missing. He tore his gaze away and focussed solely on taking one step at a time. By the time he'd made it halfway up, he had a pressing urge to go back down.

But he carried on, focussing on each slow step. Never had it taken him this long to walk up a flight of stairs. He could have walked to the top of the Empire State Building in the time it had taken him to get to where he was. Eventually, he made it to the top and took the last few steps to the doorway, where he would be able to see the full extent of the damage.

He focussed on the floor, his eyes never wavering as he felt his way to the door frame with his hands. When he knew he was there, he took a deep breath, braced his hands on the frame for balance, and raised his head slowly. It was much worse than he was expecting.

"Oh my god," he murmured.

Everything was ruined. Absolutely everything. His couch, his dining table, his fridge, his stove...it was burned to smithereens. He took in a sharp breath and stepped over the rubble so he could enter the apartment. All his belongings were strewn over the floor. His flannel shirts were no more than old rag, his bed had half of it missing and Rory's crib was completely misshaped. He was just glad that they weren't in here when the fire started.

He spotted a familiar book on the floor, and he could make out the faint writing of 'Danes' scrawled across the front. He hastily picked it up and opened the flimsy album, only to have a load of ash and a few pieces of partially burnt photo paper fall out. Every photo was ripped to shreds, all the memories he had of his mother, all the pictures he had of her; they were gone. He sometimes had a hard time picturing her face, so he would open that photo album and everything would flood back to him. He could no longer do that now.

He felt like crying, but he refrained. He stumbled around the ruined apartment, stepping over large objects and piles of rubble, before he found something on the floor, surrounded by smashed glass. He picked it up and turned over the flimsy piece of paper, showing him a faint picture of he, Lorelai and Rory, the one Rory had gotten him for his birthday. The frame Lorelai had decorated was smashed also.

If that didn't set the waterworks in motion, his next find did; his blue baseball cap. He hadn't bought a new one yet, so he'd been walking around hatless for the last couple of weeks. He picked up the charcoaled cap and noticed that the back of it was hanging on by a thread. He gave it a forceful tug and the cap broke into two separate pieces, and that opened up a reservoir of tears. They ran down his cheeks like Niagara Falls, and he didn't have the strength to even try to stop them. He fell to his knees on the floor and stared at his surroundings, not quite believing that this had happened to him. The diner was one thing, but this, this was a whole lot more.

XXX

Lorelai ordered her coffee and a milkshake for Rory then found a table near the window. She pushed the curtain aside and watched the diner curiously, watching out for a sign of Luke reappearing. She didn't know if he wanted her to go help with the clearing out, or if he wanted to do it all himself. She hoped it was the former; he really needed comforting in all of this. Lorelai didn't even realise that Rory had slid off her 'grown up chair' and was wandering around the bustling bakery.

Fran was booming with business now that Luke's was closed, Weston's was the new place to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. People missed the greasy diner food, and the gruff comments that act as a side dish for your meal. Miss Patty especially missed the eye candy; Fran just wasn't her type. Speaking of Patty, she scooped up a runaway Rory before she could get caught up in the crowd, and brought her back to her mother.

"Lorelai," she said as she approached the table. "You need to watch this one, she moves quickly." Lorelai snapped out of her daze and stared confusedly at Patty. "I caught her running through the bakery, I think she was heading for the cake," she told the young mother.

"Oh, Rory come here." She took the baby from Patty and rested her in her lap. "The one condition of you sitting on a big chair was that you didn't run away." Patty observed the two for a while before becoming suspicious.

"Honey are you ok?" she asked, noticing Lorelai didn't seem herself.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" she questioned, wondering if she was giving off some sort of vibe.

"You seem distant, like you're up in the clouds." Lorelai giggled nervously.

"Yeah, Luke's up in the apartment," she informed the number one gossip queen. "First time since the fire."

"Oh and you're not with him?" she asked. Lorelai felt a familiar pang in her heart but ignored it and put on a brave smile.

"No, he said he wanted to go up there alone at first, you know, to take it all in," she explained, making part of it up. "I'll probably go up there later and help him clear the rubble and stuff."

"Ok sweetie, well take care of him."

"I will, don't worry." Patty gave her a final nod and wave before leaving the bakery and heading back to her dance studio. Lorelai sighed and looked down at her daughter, who was trying to dip her fingers in Lorelai's coffee. "You're a monkey this morning," she told Rory, causing her to giggle. Lorelai once again focussed on the diner, hoping that Luke would come looking for her soon.

XXX

Luke began putting every photograph, every flannel shirt and everything else that ever had any significance to him in the black trash bag he had found. Even the stuff that was completely ruined, he put it in. He would keep this safe for a while, he wasn't quite ready to let go of them just yet.

After sorting through the rubble and finding that he had found everything important, he threw the bag over his shoulder and set it outside the door frame on the landing. He glanced around the apartment, and noticed something he had completely forgotten about; his safe. He rushed over to it and kicked it hard, causing the front to swing open. He rummaged through it, forgetting about the policies and various other pieces of paper he had in there. His mind was only set on one thing.

His mother's engagement ring. She had left it to him, in fact she gave him it on her death bed, telling him to give it to the woman he knew he'd spend the rest of his life with, even though he was just a boy at the time. He found the blue velvet box, it had some damage, instead of blue, it was a shade of murky gray, like the colour of the sky when it's going to rain.

He took a deep, calming breath then lifted the lid, to reveal the same sparkling diamond he remembered. The band was black, rather than silver, but he was amazed that it was still there, that it hadn't been destroyed. He took the ring from the box and held it between his fingers, admiring the glistening diamond as he pictured it on his mother's left hand.

He was going to take it to the jeweller's, he decided, so they could clean it up for him and have it looking as good as new. He did plan on using it one day, and he would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about giving it to Lorelai someday. He placed the ring back in the velvet box and slid it into his pocket, ready to take to the jeweller's whenever he had the time.

He took one last glance around his apartment; a frown set on his face, then walked through the door frame, picking up the plastic bag along the way. Now all they needed to do was clear the apartment, determine what needed work on, then begin the renovation. It was going to be a very long process.

**I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope it wasn't too depressing. The next chapter will start with a time jump...to April. Seeing as it's January in the story now, it's not that much of a jump really, only three months. This same plot is gonna go on forever though if I don't hurry it along a bit and I already know how I want to finish this...but it's gonna take a long time to get there **** pleeeaaase review...I miss getting them, it's been so long!**

**Emily.**


	49. Treading on Egg Shells

**Hello, sorry about the short delay...I had trouble writing this for some reason. Thank you for the reviews you left, I appreciate them very much **

**This has a bit of angst involved, so to the people who cried when reading the last chapter, there is a good chance you will here too. It's solely Luke and Lorelai based, and there is a lot more explanation than there is dialogue...but give it a chance! I am actually pleased with this chapter and I hope you are too :)  
**

Work on the diner had started as soon as the apartment had been fully cleared out. After all his private possessions had been taken out, Luke allowed Lorelai to help him with the rest, and after four whole days of hard graft, the only evidence that there had been a fire was the blackened walls and floor. It had taken another five days after that for Luke to destroy and dispose of the counter in the diner, the appliances in the kitchen and the ones in his apartment as well. He thought they would be able to get the proper work done easily after that.

But problems arose, the first one to be the electricity. The problem was that there wasn't any, and Luke knew that no matter how handy he was, he'd need to hire a professional to take care of it properly. That cost $175, and he knew that he'd never call that particular electrician again, not at extortionate rates like that. And then it was the water. The pipes had been affected by the fire and needed to be put right, so that cost him another $150. That's when he realised that his money wasn't really going to get him far, and he'd have to start cutting down on certain luxuries.

After a whole load of other problems, everything was finally in place, and the real work could begin. New windows were installed, all of which had the patented Luke's logo on, as well as the usual 'good food' written across them. He didn't realise that it would cost so much extra to customise the windows, but he wanted everything to be how he wanted it to look. The front door had also been put in, but he wanted to wait until everything was finished before installing the ones on the interior, he didn't want them to get scratched and covered in paint.

While everything was changing at the diner, Luke's behaviour towards Lorelai had not. He was still keeping her at arm's length, leaving her out of important decisions, and practically ignoring her. And because she cared for Luke, she let him do it. She just sat back and watched as they drifted further apart with every passing day, but never did anything about it. Their romance had pretty much died; they hardly ever showed any affection to each other, never mind talk. Lorelai was actually beginning to wonder; will they even make it?

"It's been four months," she said incredulously. She was over at Sookie's house, sitting up in the privacy of her bedroom so her parents couldn't hear them.

"Well, talk to him about it," Sookie replied. Things had been going great with Jackson, and she had no experience with relationship problems.

"No I can't," she said, shaking her head firmly. "He'll think I'm pathetic."

"Lorelai you're almost eighteen, you're supposed to be having sex like an animal right now."

"Yeah well Luke doesn't find me attractive anymore," she sighed dramatically, her pout fully intact.

"That's nuts," she protested. "You're smoking hot, of course he finds you attractive."

"You're just saying that."

"Seriously, have you looked in the mirror lately? Cause with that ass, it'd be impossible to reject you," she assured. "I wish I had a figure like yours." Lorelai immediately picked up on the sadness in her voice and reached her hand out to touch Sookie's arm.

"You have a great figure," she told her. "Don't ever doubt it." Sookie nodded then quickly changed the subject.

"So your birthday," she said, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"Is next week," she finished, a grin settling on her face. She loved having her birthday. "Tell me there's a party."

"Ah, no can do," she replied. "I've been sworn to secrecy."

"So there is a party," she speculated. "Or else you would have answered no."

"Well..." Sookie cast her eyes downward, avoiding Lorelai's questing gaze.

"There is!" she exclaimed, jumping for joy.

"Alright there is," Sookie blurted out. "But that's all you're getting out of me, and don't tell anyone I told you."

"Ok...where's the party at?"

"Lorelai, I'm not telling you anything else," she said firmly, but her contagious grin told Lorelai that she wouldn't be able to hold the secret in for much longer.

"Fine, I'll have to hound Kirk about it instead," she said thoughtfully. There was a moment of silence between the girls before Sookie spoke up.

"So you know what this weekend is, right?" she asked tentatively. Lorelai nodded distractedly. "Are you still going?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I mean I bought these tickets five months ago, he's probably forgotten about it anyway," she said doubtfully.

"Why don't you ask him if he still wants to go? It's something he'll enjoy, and it gives the two of you a chance to get away from Stars Hollow for a couple of days. Maybe you'll reconnect while you're there, New York can be romantic."

"Not if you're Luke," she retorted. "He hates the city, something about the smell."

"Huh," said Sookie thoughtfully.

"Mama," addressed Rory as she confidently walked over to where the girls were sitting on the bed. She had gotten past the awkward stumbling stage and could now walk freely without having to think about staying upright.

"What sweets?" she asked, grateful for the distraction from the conversation, even if it was only for a few moments.

"Brick," she exclaimed, holding out a small box of building blocks to Lorelai. She obviously meant for her to open them for her. Lorelai removed the lid from the box and gave it back to her daughter, running her hand through her growing hair lovingly. She was getting smarter with age, she could even pronounce the letter R properly, most kids can't do that until they're in their twos at least.

"Fank you," she thanked before going back to her spot on the floor.

"I don't think he'll wanna go," Lorelai stated, returning back to her previous conversation with her best friend.

"How do you know if you don't ask?"

"I know it'll be awkward, and weird, and we'll have nothing to talk about the whole time."

"What do you talk about when you're at home?" she asked curiously. The two had lived together for the past four months, surely they spoke about something.

"Nothing much," she replied. "We usually focus our attention on Rory and use her as a distraction. But Luke's been going out early and getting in late so we hardly see each other. We usually have dinner when he gets in then he takes a shower and goes to bed."

"What do you talk about when you're having dinner?"

"Nothing, we have the TV on so I pretend I'm paying attention to it."

"But you're really thinking about Luke?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "What happened to my Luke?" she whined. "We used to talk non-stop, well I did, and when we weren't talking we were doing...other stuff," she said sadly, gaining a sympathetic look from Sookie. "What if it's over for us?"

"It's not over for you," she jumped in. "The day you and Luke are over, is the day people stop listening to Jackson Five songs...it's never gonna happen." Lorelai frowned, causing Sookie to do the same. "What happened to you? You used to be so happy and crazy, but ever since Rachel came back to town, you've been so down. It's like all the life's been sucked right outta you," she observed. Lorelai sighed.

"I just can't put up with this much longer. Luke's misery is making me miserable and Rory's a lot quieter when he's around, it's like she's scared he's gonna shout at her if she makes a noise."

"Honey, you need to resolve this," she said firmly. "Talk to him."

"But..."

"No buts, if you don't do this then you're not gonna have Luke in your life for much longer." Lorelai frowned further but nodded her head tentatively.

"Ok," she agreed, although Sookie could tell she was lying. She'd just have to do some meddling of her own to get those two crazy kids back into their routine. "I should get back to work," she said thoughtfully.

"Alright, I'll drop by to see you tomorrow." Lorelai nodded as she began packing Rory's toys into the bag she'd brought with her.

"No, Rory pway," the eighteen month old protested. Lorelai sighed tiredly as Rory began pulling a few toys back out of the bag, and Sookie could tell she was close to having a breakdown.

"Hey, why don't you leave Rory here with me?" she suggested. "I'll bring her round your place later on."

"You don't mind?" she asked hopefully. As much as she needed some time alone, she didn't want to boycott Sookie's day off.

"Not at all," she replied as she stood up from the bed. "We'll have fun won't we Rory?"

"Yes," she replied, showing her a toothy grin.

"Do you wanna stay with me?" she asked as she lifted Rory onto her hip.

"Shookie pway?" the little girl asked.

"Yes I'll play with you," she answered before turning to Lorelai. "Go to work, we'll have fun here."

"Ok well she has her nap at three usually but she's been having it a little later recently..."

"I know all this Lorelai, I hang out with you all the time remember?" Lorelai nodded and ducked her head. "Go."

"Rory do you wanna give mommy a big hug before I leave?" she cooed, holding her arms out to her toddler. Rory reached forward and Lorelai lifted her into her arms and gave her a tight hug. She'd been taking comfort from her daughter recently, since she around most of the time when she needed it. "Kiss," she said as she looked down at Rory. She gave her mother a big kiss then smiled happily. "Thanks so much Sook," she said gratefully, opening the bedroom door as she went.

"It's no problem," she shrugged. She watched Rory settle on the floor with all the toys again, then said her goodbyes to her best friend, planning exactly how she was going to tell Luke that he needed to wake up and smell the fire. Huh, that's ironic.

XXX

Lorelai entered the potting shed at five thirty that evening after a long day at work. She'd worked extra hours because Marie had to take the baby to an appointment with the paediatrician, and no one except Lorelai was properly trained to take her place.

"Hey," she greeted Luke as she noticed him sitting on the couch, Rory happily resting next to him as they watched some cartoon on the TV.

"Hi," he replied shortly, his gaze only landing on her for a second or two before it found the TV again. She internally frowned but kept a smile on her face, she wanted to appear normal. "Sookie dropped Rory off earlier," he told her. Lorelai froze for a moment.

"Did she say anything to you?" He looked at her again.

"Just that she'd already given Rory dinner," he said. "Why is there something I should know?" Lorelai quickly shook her head, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Nope, nothing," she answered nonchalantly before moving over to where they were on the couch. She dropped a plastic bag on the coffee table then moved Rory closer to Luke on the couch so she could sit down. "I brought dinner from the inn," she said as she removed the contents from the bag. "It was lasagne tonight."

"We had lasagne last night," he observed, his eyes never wavering from the TV screen. Lorelai swallowed thickly, not another argument, she thought.

"I know, but this last bit was gonna get thrown out cause it was going cold, so I offered to take it," she replied. "We have to take what we can get."

With all of Luke's money going into the diner, and Lorelai back on a regular maid's salary, they had to be careful of what they spent. So instead of spending vast amounts on food as they had been known to do, Lorelai took leftovers from the inn's kitchen and that's what they'd eat for dinner. It didn't seem to go down well with Luke though, nothing did nowadays. They ate dinner in silence as usual, both trying to focus on the TV but their minds preoccupied. Luke stood up when he'd finished, leaving his plastic container on the coffee table carelessly.

"Where're you going?" Lorelai asked.

"Shower," he answered before closing the bathroom door behind him. Lorelai sighed loudly when she heard the water running, then proceeded to clean up the mess Luke had left behind. She'd been doing that a lot lately. She dumped the containers in the trash then collapsed onto the bed, she was emotionally exhausted. Rory lowered herself down from the couch and toddled over to Luke's side of the bed, stopping next to the nightstand.

"Rory what are you doing?" Lorelai asked, her eyes closed. She could sense that her daughter was up to something.

"Wook!" she exclaimed, holding something up that she had found in the bottom drawer. Lorelai opened her eyes and turned onto her side, to find Rory holding up a small blue box, which looked surprisingly similar to a jewellery box. It was slightly burned, and it dawned on Lorelai that it must have gotten caught up in the fire.

"What is it?" she whispered, scared that Luke would catch her snooping through his stuff. She didn't want another reason for him to get mad. She took it from Rory's fingers and opened it slowly, revealing the sparkling diamond ring inside. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was one of the most beautiful rings she'd ever seen. The diamond was understated so it didn't seem extravagant, but there were a small cluster of tiny diamonds surrounding it. Lorelai gasped and her hand flew to her mouth, why did Luke have this?

"Ring," said Rory, pointing to the object.

"Shh," scolded Lorelai. The shower was still running but the last thing she needed was for Luke to know that she'd found it. She began to wonder why he had it, and what his intentions were. Was he gonna propose to her? No, she thought, it would make no sense, seeing as he'd practically been ignoring her for the last four months. Plus, they were still very young and hadn't been together all that long; the idea would be preposterous.

She heard the shower shut off and jumped to attention; quickly placing the ring back in the box before stretching forward to put it back in the drawer. She pushed the door closed then lifted Rory onto bed and pretending that they'd been hanging out there while he was showering. The door swung open a short while later and Luke strode into the main room of the shed, clad in only a towel around his waist, not even sparing a glance at Lorelai and Rory. He went to their closet, picked out some sweatpants and a t-shirt, then disappeared back into the bathroom.

"Won't even change in front of me now," she whispered to Rory, knowing her daughter had no idea what she was talking about. This time when Luke came out of the bathroom, now fully dressed, he walked over to the bed and looked down at the two Gilmore girls.

"I'm gonna get an early night," he said, his face showing no emotion. Lorelai glanced at the clock.

"It's not even six thirty yet," she replied incredulously. Luke shrugged.

"I'm tired." Lorelai stared up at him for a few moments before nodding, trying to hide the sad look on her face, but failing miserably. Luke didn't seem to notice though, as he was already pulling back the covers and was seemingly avoiding Lorelai's stare. She slid across the bed and stood up, lifting Rory with her.

"We'll just watch TV or something," she shrugged, trying to act nonchalant.

"Don't have it on loud, I wanna actually get some sleep." His voice was emotionless, and even just the sound of it made Lorelai feel empty inside.

"I guess we could go hang out at the inn till Rory goes to sleep," she said, changing her mind about staying in the insufferable atmosphere of the potting shed.

"Fine," he barely acknowledged them as he dug his head into his pillow and hiked the duvet further up his body. There was a long silence where Lorelai stared at Luke from where she was standing next to the bed, while he was laying on his side facing the other way, his eyes wide open. "Make sure you both wear a coat," he added gruffly before closing his eyes properly this time.

The corners of Lorelai's mouth turned up into a small smile. This was what confused her; Luke was so distant with her, and shut her out of every possible aspect of his life, and just as she thought he didn't care about them anymore, he said something like that. Telling them to look after themselves. It made a ball of heat roll around in her body, but as quickly as it came, it disappeared again and she was left with that overwhelming emptiness.

Lorelai quickly put Rory's coat on, and her own, then quietly left the potting shed, not bothering to lock the door behind her. She had the urge to cry, but as soon as the tears filled her eyes, she sniffled quickly and managed to hold them back. She wasn't going to be reduced to tears over this, if Luke wanted to shut her out, let him. She couldn't care less. Of course that wasn't true, it was just what she was telling herself. Underneath the strength she displayed, she knew she wouldn't be able to live without him in her life.

"Lorelai, what are you doing here?" Mia asked. The young girl hadn't even noticed she had made it into the lobby; she had been too wrapped up in her thoughts on the way up here. "Is Rory ok?"

"She's fine," she replied, putting on her happy mask. What she didn't know was that Mia had become pretty good at noticing when she'd put it on.

"And are you ok?" Lorelai nodded, quite convincingly actually. She put Rory on her feet and watched her closely as she began exploring the lobby, even though she knew it very well already.

"Luke's getting an early night so we decided to hang out here for a while," she told her. "That ok?"

"Sure dear," said Mia, slightly confused as to why Luke was in bed at six thirty. A bunch of guests gathered in the lobby at that moment and Mia had to excuse herself from the conversation she was having with Lorelai. "You know where the toys are kept," she called as she walked away.

XXX

After two and a half hours of hanging around the inn, spent playing with toys and speaking to guests, Rory was getting restless and Lorelai knew she'd have to go back to the shed. She put her daughter's coat back on, then her own, and said her goodbyes to Mia before heading back into the breezy April evening. She crept back into the shed and made her way over to Rory's room, knowing she'd have to skip the cup of milk she usually had before bed.

"I love you sweets," she said softly as Rory lay in her crib a couple of minutes later. Her eyes were drooping, but she was trying hard to keep them open so she could listen to her mom.

"Wove you mama," she replied, her loud response betraying her level of exhaustion.

"You're such a smarty pants," she cooed, leaning down so their faces were close together. "You're gonna get places in this world Ror, you're gonna go to some top notch Ivy League college, get a great job doing something you love, and you'll be the most beautiful woman Connecticut has ever seen. You'll have all boys falling at your feet." Rory's eyes opened a little further as she seemed to be winning the battle she was having with sleep.

"Mama pretty," she stated, looking up at Lorelai curiously. Lorelai smiled and brushed Rory's hair away from her face.

"Thanks babe, it's a shame daddy doesn't think so anymore," she said sadly. Rory picked up on her mother's change of emotion and a frown settled on her lips.

"Why sad?" she asked, immediately questioning it.

"I'm not sad," she replied, plastering a smile on her face. The problem with Rory getting older was that she was becoming more observant and picked up on things a lot easier.

"Yes sad," she insisted.

"It's nothing for you to worry about babe," she answered, trying to hold her emotions in. "Go to sleep, it's already way past your bedtime." Rory held eye contact with Lorelai, who was desperately trying to hide her sadness for her daughter's sake.

"Sweep," she said finally, rolling onto her side and tucking one hand under her head.

"Night hon," she said quietly, leaving a gentle kiss on Rory's exposed cheek before making sure she was covered properly by the blankets.

"Night night," Rory mumbled as she drifted off into her usual deep slumber. Lorelai watched her for a little while longer before reluctantly leaving the room and closing the door behind her. She grabbed a pair of PJs from her dresser and headed into the bathroom to complete her nightly routine, although she wasn't in the mood. She tiredly massaged her cleanser into her face before washing it off briefly and drying off. She changed into her pyjamas, brushed her hair and applied a small amount of cheap moisturiser before plucking up the courage to leave the bathroom.

She stepped out into the main room and shut off the bathroom light on her way, taking away the last remaining glow to lead her to her bed. She stumped her toe on the corner of the couch and cursed under her breath, although she was pretty sure it was loud enough for Luke to hear. She finally found the edge of the bed and pulled back enough covers to carefully slide in. She paused once she was under the duvet, taking a glance at Luke. He was still facing the other direction, but she felt an overwhelming desire to reach out and touch him.

"Why does it have to be like this?" she asked in a whisper as her hand came into contact with his exposed neck, those soft curls that usually stuck out of his ball cap brushing her fingers languidly. "I miss you," she added, sniffling quickly and trying to swallow the lump in her throat. She removed her fingers from his skin and turned over so she had her back to his, preparing for a completely restless sleep as she cried silently.

Lorelai was certain that Luke was sleeping, but he had in fact been awake since he heard the front door click open. He had heard Rory's animated replies to whatever Lorelai was saying to her, and he felt a little left out. He knew he only had himself to blame though. He had been waiting for the bed to shift since she emerged from Rory's room, but when it did, and he heard her soft whispering, his heart broke a little bit.

He knew he'd been distant lately, but he'd been so wrapped up in the diner and himself that he failed to realise that he'd neglected his girls. He was aware that he'd been keeping Lorelai at an arm's length, but he didn't even stop and think about how it had been affecting her, and how close he was to losing both Lorelai and Rory. They meant everything to him, he couldn't let that happen.

When he felt her fingers come into contact with his skin, and the curls at the nape of his neck, he felt his heart begin to beat faster. Another thing he knew was that it had been an awfully long time since they had slept together, and he was aware that their romance had pretty much died. He never did anything about it though, he just let it carry on and he was certain that Lorelai wasn't happy with it. He failed to notice how it upset her though.

Until he heard that sniffle, the one that signified she was crying. It was then he saw all the hurt she'd been feeling since the fire, every time he looked at her and saw her unreadable expression, he realised she'd been hiding how she really felt. She'd been doing it for the last four months, but why? Why didn't she just tell him how she was feeling? Was it all for his benefit?

"Lorelai?" he asked hesitantly as he slowly switched sides so he lay facing her. He saw her arm move and he figured she was wiping away her tears.

"What?" she asked, not turning to look his way. Her voice was small and shaky, and she hadn't done a very good job at masking her upset, that's if she was even trying to. Maybe she just got tired of hiding away.

"I'm sorry," he told her softly, adapting the tone he used before the fire happened. That caused another dam to break loose and the tears ran down her cheeks uncontrollably. Her body shook, and as hard as she tried to refrain from sobbing out loud, she just couldn't keep it in any longer. She let out a heart wrenching sob, one that broke Luke's heart even further. He hated seeing her like this, but he hated even more that he was the cause of her pain.

He rested his hand on her duvet covered hip, silently urging her to turn towards him. She hesitated at first, her tears still coming fast, but after he whispered another apology in her ear, she turned over and buried her face in his neck as his arms went around her tightly. They stayed like that until her tears had subsided and there were only tracks on her cheeks left. She hesitantly pulled away from Luke and looked up into his eyes, his arms still wrapped around her.

"You ok?" he asked while rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"What happened?" she asked, completely ignoring his question.

"What do you mean?"

"Where did Luke go?" she said, wording her question differently. Luke sighed deeply before meeting her questing gaze. Their eyes had fully adjusted to the dark room so they could see each other clearly now.

"I just needed some time," he told her. He noticed her eyes stray away from his, instead focussing on his stubbly chin.

"I missed you," she said, almost inaudibly.

"Listen, I didn't mean to hurt you or make you upset," he began, his voice never faltering from the soft tone he'd once again acquired. "You know that right?" Lorelai simply shrugged her shoulders. "Everyone has their own way of dealing with grief, mine's to shut out everything around me and come to terms with it by myself. I did it when my mom died, and my dad, and I did it when the diner was destroyed. It's just the way I work. You have to know that I was pretty much alone for the first two; my dad was grieving himself when my mom died and Liz was being...well Liz. I had no one to talk to when my dad died, I was left by myself." He paused. "I guess I just got so used to dealing with it alone, that I didn't realise how I'd neglected you and Rory, I'm sorry." Lorelai was watching him intently and when he'd finished his speech, she snuggled closer to him again.

"Can you let me in a bit more from now on?" she asked hopefully, but she was almost certain he was going to reject her. She was surprised when she felt him nod against the top of her head.

"I'll try," he assured her. "It might take a bit of getting used to."

"Ok," she agreed, a small smile settling on her lips.

"Haven't gone off me have you?" he asked jokingly.

"Yeah, I found a younger model," she chuckled.

"Just as long as it's legal," he shrugged, his tone serious but his smirk gave him away.

"I only have eyes for one man," she told him.

"Oh yeah?" She moved her head away from his chest and looked at him, her eyes sparkling with a newfound happiness. Their faces began inching closer together, it was like an awkward first kiss where neither party was sure if they should be doing this just yet. Their lips touched lightly at first, in an uncertain peck, but Luke suddenly became more demanding and sucked Lorelai's lower lip into his mouth, running his tongue over it possessively. Lorelai was the first to pull away and she smiled brightly at him, the gleam returning to her eyes.

"We haven't been taking advantage of the fact that we're living together," she said thoughtfully, her arms moving around his waist.

"Not tonight," he said, shaking his head. "I just wanna lay here, talk," he mumbled.

"Talk about what?" she asked.

"I don't know, anything," he shrugged. Lorelai was plucking up the courage to ask him about the coming weekend, pushing any thoughts of rejection to the back of her mind. They lay in a contented silence for a few moments before Lorelai finally voiced her thoughts.

"Luke?" she asked hesitantly. His eyes met hers and she instantly felt nervous.

"Hmm?" His arms tightened around her, pulling her even closer to him.

"Do you remember those tickets I got you, for Christmas?" she asked. Luke looked confused for a moment but eventually nodded, before realisation dawned.

"It was in April," he said. "It's April now, have we missed it?" Lorelai shook her head quickly.

"No it's this weekend," she reassured him. "Do you still wanna go?"

"Of course," he replied. "This is one of the biggest games of the season, I'm not gonna miss it." Lorelai smiled slightly, but it soon disappeared again.

"Why don't you take someone who also likes baseball with you?" This was where she tested him to see if he wanted to spend time with her or not. Luke looked at her confusedly.

"Like who?" Her heart sank a bit at his comment.

"I don't know, I hear Bootsie likes baseball," she replied, trying to act normal when she was actually hurting again on the inside.

"Go to New York with Bootsie? That's my idea of hell."

"Well there's Kirk," she suggested.

"Now you're just kidding," he said, shaking his head.

"Who else are you gonna go with?" Luke met her eyes again.

"I thought you wanted to go with me," he answered. Lorelai looked taken aback for a moment but quickly recovered.

"Well..."

"Do you?"

"Erm...yeah," she admitted. "But I don't like baseball." Luke shrugged.

"So? It'll be just you and me in New York for the weekend," he said, speaking in a sexy tone that was completely un-Luke-like.

"The game's only for a day," she reminded him.

"Yeah but it's your birthday next week," he said, surprising her once again. She thought he'd forgotten. "We can have our own little celebration in the city, then put up with whatever the town has planned when we get back."

"There's gonna be a party," she said excitedly, her smile reaching her eyes for the first time in four months. Luke rolled his eyes but was happy to see her happy.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," he said dryly. Lorelai looked to be deep in thought for a moment before she spoke up again.

"When we go to New York do I get to hear you rant about how the streets smell of hot dogs?" she asked, the glint in her eyes becoming brighter.

"Ugh I forgot about that aspect of the city," he groaned.

"This is gonna be a fun trip," she decided, already showing her excitement over the impending weekend away.

"What about Rory, where's she gonna stay?" he asked.

"Mom and Dad will be more than happy to take care of her for a few days," she replied confidently. "They're always saying that they don't see enough of her.

"What if they're busy?"

"Then it's a good thing there are plenty of townspeople on hand, and as long as Kirk doesn't get his hands on her and turn her into some alien, I'm happy."

"You really wanna leave her with Miss Patty and Babette for two nights?" he asked incredulously.

"Obviously Mia would be her guardian," she said logically. "And Sookie of course, but if either of them aren't available at some point over the weekend, other people can step in."

"God I hope your parents are free," he said, already worried for his daughter. Lorelai grinned at him. "Hey, you wanna come to the diner with me tomorrow?" he asked tentatively. He didn't want her to feel left out anymore, so he planned to show her that she was welcome in the diner, as well as every other aspect of his life.

"Sure," she replied happily. "I don't start work till eleven, cause I worked extra today."

"Good, I'll show you around," he smiled. She snuggled her head into his pillow, her hand resting on his chest.

"I think I'm gonna get some sleep," she sighed tiredly.

"Goodnight," he said, his lips meeting hers in a tender goodnight kiss. "I love you," he murmured as they both pulled away from each other.

"Love you too," she replied sleepily. Lorelai fell asleep with a smile on her face that night, safe with the knowledge that 'her' Luke had returned. Hopefully he was here to stay.

**So what did you think? I haven't forgotten about the Rachel/Christopher issue, don't worry. I will address it in the next couple of chapters. But as it stands, there has been no sign of them, I didn't make that clear in this chapter, sorry. Please review, I'm getting close to 800 (I can't believe it :O) and I'd like to get there with this chapter, it's gonna take a lot of you to review though. Okay so I know it was slightly shorter than usual but it's wishful thinking.**

**I will try to update again soon :D**

**Emily.**

**PS..I'm stuck for ideas on my story 'A Long Lost Mother' :S If anyone that reads it has any preferences, please leave me a PM or a review on that story to help me along. It would be a big help :)  
**


	50. Trip to the Emergency Room

**We've reached the big 50! And the even bigger 800! Thanks for that guys, your reviews really mean a lot to me. And thanks to for reviewing every chapter as you read it **

**So it's been a week since I last updated, it's not that long really...is it? I couldn't write this chapter for some reason, but I managed it quickly tonight. Thanks again for those reviews, I hope I hear from you again. I hope you enjoy this chapter...**

Luke woke up at his usual time of a quarter to five the next morning, but instead of jumping out of bed and preparing to go to the diner like he had been doing, he rolled over and slung his arm over Lorelai's waist, his hand coming to rest on her tummy. Tom was coming by the diner at ten to start working on the measurements for the new counter, and take a look at the ceiling to check it wouldn't fall in any time soon, but he had a while before that, so he could sleep in for a little while.

Lorelai sighed in her sleep and pushed back into him, melding the back of her body to the front of his. He felt a certain part of him come to life, and tried thinking of something else, anything else, but all his mind was focussed on was how well their bodies fit together. He shifted uncomfortably, wishing his unwanted excitement away; he wanted to wait till their trip to start that up again.

"Luke?" Lorelai asked with a yawn. Luke squeezed his eyes shut tightly, hoping that he was imagining this and he'd be saved from the embarrassment he was about to endure.

"Yeah?" he asked, his voice slightly strained. She didn't turn her head to look at him.

"Is that...?" she trailed off. He hesitated before answering.

"Yeah," he confirmed, he could feel his cheeks burning.

"It's a bit early in the morning for that," she yawned again. When he remained silent, she turned around so she was facing him, her eyes squinting in the darkened room. "Are you embarrassed?"

"No," he replied, although it was terribly unconvincing.

"Aww Lukey's embarrassed," she cooed, running her hand down his stubbly cheek. "It's nothing to be ashamed of you know." She moved in and gave him a passionate kiss, one that showed how much she had missed him over the last four months. He pulled away from her questing lips, but she had other ideas and began leaving a trail of kisses along his jaw line, leading to his ear.

"Lorelai," he said, his breathing picking up a bit.

"Hmm?" she asked, her lips never breaking contact with his skin.

"We can't do this now," he protested.

"Why not?" she asked, wondering what the problem was.

"We don't have anything," he reminded her. She pulled away from him and swallowed deeply.

"Damn it," she cursed. "You need to go to the pharmacy later," she told him.

"I will," he assured her. "I'll pack some in my bag for our trip." Lorelai grinned naughtily at him before drawing back and relaxing back into her own pillow.

"I'm gonna go back to sleep," she said tiredly. Luke watched her for a moment before shifting to the side of the bed and climbing out. "Where are you going?" she asked, thinking he was going to sleep in with her.

"I need a shower," he told her. "Preferably a cold one." He felt his cheeks flush again when Lorelai winked at him, but luckily she didn't realise this time.

"Ok stud, come back to bed when you're done." She rested her head back on her pillow and was out like a light within seconds. Luke marvelled at how quickly she could drift from consciousness to unconsciousness, before making his way into the bathroom to rid himself of his early morning excitement.

XXX

Luke didn't really go back to sleep after that. He lay in bed staring into the darkened room, mulling over his behaviour the last few months. He thought about how he'd shut Lorelai out of his life, and how she'd continued to act like everything was normal. He'd seen that look in her eye a few times though; the sad, longing glint in her eyes, the one that told him something wasn't right with her. But he never questioned it, and now he felt guilty for it.

He glanced over at Lorelai now and again, studying her face as she slept. Through the darkness, he could see the faint worry lines on her forehead, and he noticed a few minor blemishes had appeared on her usually clear skin. Probably caused by stress, he thought. He knew he had some making up to do during the coming weekend, and he planned doing all the sucking up he could. Dirty.

Finally around eight, he heard Rory's unmistakable squeals from her bedroom. He left a kiss on the end of Lorelai's nose then slipped out of bed, making his way to Rory's room. As he pushed the door open, he heard the toddler talking to herself. He was surprised at how her vocabulary had improved in the past months; she was definitely going to be a genius.

"Mama," she squealed excitedly when she heard the door open. After all, it had been Lorelai who had been there when she woke up recently.

"No, it's me this morning Ror," he told her softly. Rory immediately stopped her mumbling and looked sheepishly over to her bedroom door. Confusion enveloped her as she watched Luke walk over to her crib, stopping to smile down at her. "Are you coming out?" he asked as he held his arms out to her. She would usually respond by holding her arms out to him in return, but not on this particular morning. Instead, she simply sat in the crib and stared up at him, unmoving.

You see, Rory had become detached from Luke over course of the past few months. She had seen him less and less, and he had ignored her more and more. At first she didn't understand why, and she used to beg Lorelai to take her to see him, but after a few weeks, she just accepted the fact that her daddy wasn't gonna be around as much as he used to be.

As more time passed, Rory began getting shy around him, as a result of not having had much contact with him. Lorelai had noticed it, Sookie had noticed, hell even Kirk had noticed, but Luke was oblivious, because of the fact that he hadn't been spending time with her like he used to. Here, now, in Rory's bedroom on this Thursday morning, he saw for the first time, the way his daughter was acting around him. And he didn't like it one little bit.

"Hey sweetie," he said in the softest voice he could muster. "Wanna come out?" Rory just continued to look up at him, her eyes fixed on his. "Come on." He moved his arms closer to her and she instinctively moved backwards, avoiding them successfully.

"No," she protested, determined to stand her ground. Luke felt a pang in his heart, wondering why she was acting this way. Sure he knew it had something to do with him spending most of his time at the diner, but he didn't think she'd hate him this much.

"What's the matter?" he asked. She didn't respond again so he reached his arms further forward, got a secure grip on her waist then lifted her up, sitting her on his hip.

"Noooo," she screeched, and he was certain Lorelai had just been woken by the noise.

"Rory calm down," he told her, trying to keep her under control. She was squirming in his arms, and he was finding it hard to keep hold of her. When she realised he wasn't gonna put her down, she began to cry, not quietly, but loud gut-wrenching screams. Luke was at a loss at what to do, Rory was showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

"What's going on?" came Lorelai's voice as she hurried into the room. She didn't sound tired but you could tell she'd just crawled out of bed at hearing the unfamiliar sound. Rory had never cried like this before.

"I don't know," he replied. "I picked her up and she started like this." Lorelai looked up at him and noticed the hurt swimming in his eyes. She knew he'd just realised the extent of his behaviour, and how it had affected their child.

"It's ok sweets," she soothed, running a hand through Rory's tousled hair.

"Mama," she murmured between sobs, holding her arms out to her mother.

"Come here," she said softly, lifting her daughter into her arms and rocking her slightly. The girl buried her face in Lorelai's neck, her sobs quietening immediately. Lorelai glanced at Luke, who was watching Rory as she calmed down. He caught her eye and she gave him a sympathetic smile, one that he shrugged off. Rory was still clinging to Lorelai's pyjama top a few moments later, her sobs having subsided. "Do you wanna see daddy, baby?" she asked, hoping to get the two reunited.

"No mama," she protested, her face returning to it's place buried in Lorelai's neck.

"Rory, don't be silly," she scolded. Even though Luke had treated them badly the last few months, she felt sorry for him over this. His daughter disliking him was something he didn't deserve. She began to walk towards the door, gesturing with her head for Luke to follow. She seated herself on the couch, and positioned Rory in her lap, patting the space next to her for Luke to sit in. "Why are you being mean to daddy?" she asked, hoping to get an answer.

"Dada mean," she replied, avoiding Luke's gaze.

"Sweetie, daddy's not mean," she told her.

"Gone."

"I know he hasn't been around as much lately, but he's had a lot on his mind," she explained. Rory looked up at her with avid interest. Lorelai felt that part of the reason for Rory's behaviour, was that she hadn't seen her mother and father showing signs of affection towards each other, or even talking to each other for that matter. So she had a feeling that Rory was pulling away from Luke, because she hadn't been all that close to him either. Like mother, like daughter.

"It's ok," said Luke, pushing his hurt and confusion aside. "I understand why she's behaving like that." Lorelai frowned.

"She's acting like this cause of me," she told him, causing him to furrow his brows in confusion.

"How'd you figure that out?"

"She's noticed that we haven't been the same as we used to be, and she knows there's some distance between us, so she copied me," she informed him. "She's always doing it, like if I wear a hat, she wants to wear one too." She sighed. "But I didn't think she'd do it with something like this, I'm sorry."

"This isn't your fault," he said pointedly. "It's mine, I haven't been spending as much time with you guys as I should and now she's shy around me." Lorelai looked down at Rory, who was staring at Luke cautiously.

"Looks like you've got some winning over to do," she said light-heartedly. Luke nodded.

"Maybe it'd be best if we didn't go away this weekend, I mean, how's she gonna react when we both disappear for a few days? I've already been absent enough as it is." That wasn't what Lorelai wanted to hear.

"But, what about the baseball game?" Luke didn't know how to answer. He really wanted to go to New York this weekend, not just for the game, but to reconnect with his girlfriend. He was in the process of fitting something that she would enjoy into the weekend, but every time he tried to think of something, his mind went blank. "Luke?" she asked, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Yeah?"

"I really wanna go this weekend," she told him. "I'm sure Rory will be fine with my parents, she's stayed there before over the weekend and she really likes hanging out with them. Especially when mom has DAR functions, she loves all the attention."

"Are you sure? I feel like I should be making an effort with her."

"She'll be ok," she assured him. "We really need this weekend away."

"Yeah," he agreed. Even though he pretty much hated Manhattan, he knew it'd be nice to get away from the diner, and from Stars Hollow. Plus it meant he could spend some alone time with Lorelai, focussing on winning back her affection. He knew he'd have to ask Sookie for advice on what Lorelai would enjoy doing in New York.

"So what time are we setting off tomorrow? I need to tell mom what time she should expect us at."

"It's gonna take at least two and a half hours to get there," he said. "So if we set off in the afternoon, say two o clock, we can get unpacked and go out to dinner somewhere."

"And explore?" she asked hopefully. Luke rolled his eyes, but was glad she was excited about this.

"Yes we can explore," he allowed.

"Yay!" she exclaimed. "I'll call mom and tell her we'll be round about one thirty-ish."

"Ok." He looked down at Rory who was now listening to their conversation, looking back and forth between the two. Their eyes met, and he gave her a small smile, which, surprisingly, she returned. Obviously seeing her parents speaking to each other again, was having a good effect on her. Luke just hoped she continued to warm to him before they left the next afternoon.

XXX

"Wow, it's coming along," Lorelai gaped as she glanced around the diner. It was a lot different than the last time she saw it, the new windows were installed, there was a new floor, as well as a range of pencil markings on the walls and floor where the counter was gonna go.

"Tom's getting the wood for the counter," he explained. "He said it should be here by Monday, but that means it'll probably arrive on Thursday at the earliest," he chuckled. Lorelai smiled at him, before squeezing Rory's hand.

"When does the painting start?" she asked curiously. It was about the only thing she was good for.

"Not for a while," he replied. "I'm gonna get all the fixtures in first, and sand all the wood down. Painting comes near the end."

"Ok," she said, a hint of disappointment in her tone.

"But when it is time for the paint to come in, you're first in line for the job," he told her, a small smile tracing his lips.

"Really?" she asked as her face lit up.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need help choosing colours too." Lorelai let go of Rory's hand and began jumping up and down excitedly, almost knocking Luke over as she bounced towards him.

"Careful," he chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His fell around her waist as they shared a tight embrace.

"I'm glad things are coming together," she whispered near his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"Me too," he agreed.

"Meeee," whined Rory as she tugged on the bottom of Lorelai's pants. The teens pulled away from each other and smiled down at their daughter.

"Do you wanna join the hug too?" Lorelai asked, lifting Rory up and sitting her on her hip.

"Hug," she exclaimed as she threw one arm around Lorelai's neck and the other around Luke's. The small family shared another hug, before Lorelai reluctantly pulled away and requested to see the rest of the ground floor. After Luke had given her and Rory a tour, Lorelai announced that she had to get ready for work.

"I'm gonna finish up early today," he told her as they stood just inside the diner.

"So what time will you be back?" she asked.

"I should get away from the diner around two, but there's some stuff I have to do after that," he said, not going into details about what exactly he had to do. "Do you need anything from the store for the weekend?"

"Road snacks," she answered immediately. "And coke."

"Anything other than junk?" he rephrased. Lorelai looked thoughtful for a few moments before she made up her mind.

"Razors would be good," she decided. "And I need more cinnamon toothpaste." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Cinnamon toothpaste?" he asked incredulously. "Since when did you start using that?"

"Doose's started selling it about a month ago, it's gorgeous," she gushed. "You probably won't like it though."

"I think you're right," he muttered. "Is that all you need?" Lorelai nodded.

"I should be back by five, at the latest," he told her.

"Ok, I'll look forward to it." They both began to lean forward hesitantly, and their lips met in a gentle kiss. They both pulled away smiling, then Luke took his attention to Rory, who had been watching them intently.

"Bye Rory," he said as he leaned down to her level.

"Bye bye dada," she mumbled, giving him a shadow of a smile. Luke ruffled her hair before standing up straight again. They exchanged a few more goodbyes before he watched them walk away from the diner, the smile never leaving his face.

XXX

Lorelai was watching TV, waiting for her shift to start. She was due to start at eleven, rather than ten, because she covered for Marie the previous day. But it was boring hanging around at home. She checked that Rory was occupied, before making her way into the bathroom to busy herself with her makeup application. When she emerged around ten minutes later, Rory was standing next to Luke's side of the bed, the bottom drawer of his nightstand open.

"What are you doing in there?" she asked as she crouched down next to her daughter. She spied the ring box in Rory's hand and managed to pluck it from her grasp. Rory let out a loud cough, causing Lorelai to become concerned. She couldn't have, could she? She quickly opened the box and found it to be empty, and that's when she began to enter full on panic mode. "Oh my god," she murmured.

"Ring gone," said Rory, letting out another strangled cough.

"Rory what did you do?" she asked in disbelief. Could she really have swallowed the damn thing? Surely she was smarter than that. "Rory, honey, where did the ring go?" she asked, although she had a feeling she already knew the answer. Rory stared at her for a few moments.

"Rory tummy," she informed, patting her stomach proudly. Lorelai nearly fainted.

"Oh my god," she repeated. She grabbed her coat and purse, hastily put Rory's coat on, then snatched her daughter quickly. She didn't bother locking the potting shed, as she raced up to the inn, desperate to find Mia. "Where's Mia?" she asked once she reached the lobby.

"In her office," the receptionist replied, not giving Lorelai a second glance. There were a few people who disliked Lorelai, mostly people who worked closer to Mia than she did. She hurried around the corner, muttering to Rory as she went, then knocked on the door.

"Come back later," Mia called. "I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Mia, it's Lorelai," she said, hoping the elder woman would let her in. "I need your help." There was silence for a few minutes as shuffling could be heard from behind the door. Finally, after what felt like forever for Lorelai, the door swung open and Mia appeared.

"Lorelai, I have a lot of paperwork to go through, can this wait?" she asked politely, although she noticed the frantic look on Lorelai's face. "Is something wrong?"

"Rory...she swallowed something," she blurted out in a rush. "I need to take her to the emergency room." Mia looked shocked.

"Swallowed what?" she asked, beginning to worry.

"It was...it was a ring," she admitted, hoping Mia wouldn't question her about said ring. "She found it in one of the drawers."

"Hang on, I'll grab my keys." Mia picked up her keys from her desk and ushered Lorelai out to the car. "I don't have a car seat for her, will she be ok on your lap?" Lorelai nodded.

"Yeah, I just need to get her there."

"Calm down dear, she'll be fine," she assured the young girl. "Kids swallow things every day."

"I know," she replied. "I'm just worried about her." Yes Lorelai was worried about her baby and the fact that she had a diamond lodged in her throat, but she also desperately needed that ring back before Luke found out it was missing. That was one conversation she really didn't want to have.

XXX

Luke drove up to the inn in the early afternoon, parking in a secluded spot so Lorelai wouldn't notice his truck there. He trudged up the steps, wringing his hands together nervously. God, he couldn't believe he was actually about to ask Sookie for advice, he felt like such a dork. But he needed some ideas for the coming weekend, especially if he wanted to win Lorelai over.

"Sookie?" he whispered as he poked his head into the kitchen. He'd made sure the lobby was clear of either Lorelai or Mia, then had hurried across to the kitchen door.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" Sookie asked, surprised to see him.

"Shh, is Lorelai around?"

"No, I haven't seen her at all today," she replied thoughtfully. Where was Lorelai anyway?

"Good, listen, I need your advice about something."

"Why are you whispering?" she asked, letting out a small giggle at Luke's secretiveness.

"Look, can we talk somewhere? I need to ask you something." Sookie regarded him for a moment before nodding cautiously.

"Oh...kaaay," she dragged out. She removed her apron then followed Luke out onto the back porch, shivering slightly at the cold breeze that hit them. "Are things still bad between you two?" she asked curiously. Luke looked taken aback.

"How do you know about that?" he asked. Sookie rolled her eyes at his cluelessness.

"Lorelai's my best friend," she said matter-of-factly. "We talk to each other about everything."

"You mean, she's been telling you...about it all?"

"Yep," she confirmed. "Why were you treating her like that, Luke?" She wasn't judging him, she was asking him. Luke sighed tiredly.

"Look that doesn't matter now," he brushed off. "We talked and we're sorting it out."

"You did? Oh that's so great," she squealed. "I was totally prepared to put my matchmaking skills to the test, ya know! God it would have been so awful if you guys hadn't have made it, I'm so glad everything's back to the way it should be."

"Look, I don't want the whole of Connecticut to know just yet," he said, trying to quieten her down. The way she was going, Babette and Patty would be over in an instant, bombarding him with questions.

"Sorry," she apologised, putting her hand over her mouth.

"And things aren't completely back to normal, that's why I need your advice." Sookie was silent, urging him to continue. "I'm sure she told you about New York." She nodded for confirmation. "Well we're going, and I want her to really enjoy herself."

"And you need my help in thinking of something she'll really like doing?" she finished for him, feeling her excitement rise already." Luke nodded, telling her that she was right.

"I want this weekend to be special for her, but I'm at a loss on what we should do. We have the baseball game, but that's my thing, she won't enjoy it that much."

"Oh my god!" squealed Sookie, about four notches higher than the last time.

"Sookie, be quiet," he scolded her. She clamped her hand over her mouth again to calm herself down.

"I totally had the best idea," she told him in a loud whisper.

"What?"

"Ok so you know Lorelai really likes the Bangles?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied hesitantly, wondering where this was going.

"Well I don't know if she ever told you about the dream she had when she was in high school?" When Luke remained silent, Sookie took that as a no so she continued with her story. "She really wanted to follow the Bangles on their tour, she was gonna actually do it, but then she found out about Rory and it all went out of the window." Luke looked remorseful for a moment, but he shrugged it off.

"She was gonna follow the Bangles around the country?" he asked incredulously.

"Mm hmm," she confirmed. "But she had to stay in Hartford instead, cause she was pregnant and all. But I found some tickets advertised in some magazine I was reading, for a Bangles concert in New York on April 21st.

"That's on Saturday," he said knowingly, surprised by the irony of it.

"I know, and I was gonna ask her if she wanted to go, but she'd already bought tickets for the two of you to see a baseball game that day, so I didn't tell her about it."

"So what's the point of the story then?" he asked, confused at where she was actually going with this. She rolled her eyes.

"Absolutely clueless," she muttered to herself. "You could take her!" she exclaimed, voicing her amazing plan to him. Luke simply furrowed his brows, and looked at her in confusion.

"But...if we're going to a baseball game that day, how are we gonna go to a concert as well?" Sookie shook her head. Really, women have to explain everything to men don't they?

"What time's the game?"

"Starts at one, finishes at four thirty," he replied.

"And the concert starts at seven thirty, so..." she drifted off, hoping he'd catch on.

"...We can go to both," he resolved, causing Sookie to clap her hands together in triumph.

"Finally, he gets it," she exclaimed. "I can reserve some tickets for you, so you just pick them up and pay for them when you get there. There might still be a few good seats left, you don't wanna get stuck near the top."

"I hate heights," he muttered.

"I'm gonna call them right now," she said excitedly as she turned back towards the kitchen.

"Ok, and Sookie?" he asked. The chef turned around to face him again, the wide smile still fixed on her face. "Don't tell her."

"I won't," she assured him, although her grin told him otherwise. He hoped she'd be able to contain herself. "God this is so exciting! Lorelai is so lucky; I wish Jackson would take me to a Bangles concert." And then she was gone, back into the kitchen to continue with her work. Luke sighed and scratched the back of his head; he hoped this plan worked out.

XXX

"Ok, I've managed to dislodge the ring from Rory's throat," the doctor informed them. They had stayed in the room while he went through the process or x-rays, identifying the object and dislodging it, both women cringing now and again.

"So what happens now?" asked Lorelai.

"It will pass through her system within twenty four hours," he replied. "It may take a little longer, but you need to look out for signs of it when you change her diaper," he explained.

"Ok," she said, not looking forward to the prospect of having to search through Rory's soiled diapers for an engagement ring. She wasn't even sure where Luke had gotten it from. "I can't believe I let this happen," she said as she shook her head.

"Relax, children swallow small objects all the time," he told her. "It's easily done." Lorelai nodded, although she was not entirely convinced. "Now I suggest you take her home and let her sleep off the trauma she's gone through today," he chuckled.

"She didn't like the dislodging part very much, did she?" Mia asked, laughing along with him.

"Nope, but to be honest, not many kids do."

"I can imagine." The doctor looked over at Lorelai again, noticing how young she was and how scared she had been when she first brought her daughter in.

"It's a waiting game now," he told her softly. "I can assure you; it will come out of the other end at some point." Lorelai let out a small laugh then stroked a hand through Rory's hair lovingly.

Not long after that, they were back in Mia's car and on the way back to Stars Hollow.

"What have you been through today, huh?" Lorelai asked Rory softly.

"She did well though, especially with what he was doing to her," observed Mia.

"Yeah, it was awful watching it."

"I know dear, but that's what happens when children get hold of things," she chuckled knowingly. Lorelai sighed.

"It's like all the signs are telling us that we shouldn't go away this weekend," she said quietly.

"What?"

"Well first Rory wakes up in a weird mood this morning and refuses to even look at Luke, then she swallows a damn engagement ring that I'm not even supposed to know about. Maybe we should just stay home," she said thoughtfully.

"No Lorelai, you are going away this weekend," she said sternly. "Rory will be perfectly fine with your parents; they'll look after her properly." Lorelai nodded. "And what's this about Lucas having an engagement ring? It's a little soon for that isn't it?"

"That's what I thought, and he doesn't really seem the type to rush things."

"He's not," she agreed.

"Rory found it yesterday, in the bottom drawer of his nightstand," she began. "The box was burned, so I'm guessing it was in the apartment before."

"What colour was the box?" she asked curiously.

"Blue," she replied. "Or, at least it was before the fire got to it." Mia glanced over at her knowingly, a small smile of remembrance tracing her lips.

"That was his mother's engagement ring," she informed her. "She gave it to Lucas before she died. I always loved that ring," she said with envy. "It was perfect, not too punctuated or extravagant." Lorelai nodded along.

"Yeah, it's a beautiful ring," she agreed. "So it belonged to his mom?"

"Yes, she was a wonderful woman." Lorelai smiled slightly.

"What was her name?"

"Caroline," Mia replied. "Caroline Danes, she and I were best friends."

"I didn't know that," she said.

"Oh yes, we did everything together," she added. "I remember the day Lucas was born, I'd gone round to see her, she was on bed rest you see." Lorelai nodded. "And we were having a good old chat, the way we always did, when all of a sudden, her waters break and I find myself running towards the hardware store to get William." Lorelai giggled as she pictured a younger Mia running through town frantically.

"What was Luke like as a baby?"

"He was quiet, reserved, kinda like he is now. He was always very curious; he used to stare at things that caught his eye, people, objects, anything he found interesting. He would be transfixed by them." Lorelai smiled at the image she had in her head of a baby Luke. "I have pictures somewhere, I could fish them out and we can look at them sometime."

"That'd be good," she said with a nod. "I'm sure I can find some good mocking material." Mia laughed heartily. Even though the day had not started all that well, it was just beginning to get better.

XXX

Luke parked up outside the pharmacy in Woodbridge; there was no way he was buying the things he'd need for the weekend in Doose's where the prying eyes of Stars Hollow were watching his every move. He rushed into the store and quickly picked up Lorelai's requests, before getting a few toiletries for himself. He then hurried over to the last aisle he needed, ducking his head as he walked towards what he was looking for.

He always felt weird when he bought condoms, he felt like all eyes were on him and it made him embarrassed. But then, it didn't take much for Luke to get embarrassed now, did it? He stopped next to a guy around the same age as him and perused the selection for his usual choice; Trojans, large size. He found the box and threw one into his basket, gaining a look from the guy stood next to him.

Luke looked up at him, barely paying him much attention before picking up another and putting it in next to the other. He didn't know how much making up he and Lorelai were going to do this weekend. The guy gave him another look before quickly picking up the small size, and scurrying off, obviously feeling quite embarrassed. Luke shook his head; there were some morons around nowadays, he thought. He quickly paid for his items, before taking the bag and heading back to Stars Hollow.

XXX

The next morning, everyone was up bright and early. The only reason Lorelai had woken up was because she was anxious for Rory to fill a diaper, and she wanted to be the one to deal with it, rather than Luke. God help her if he found his mother's engagement ring while he had a baby wipe in one hand and a bottle of talc in the other.

So she waited. She went about her morning routine, keeping a close eye on Rory as she did. Luke found her behaviour a little suspicious, but he didn't question her about it. He figured she was just hanging around Rory a lot because she was going to miss her over the weekend.

Finally, at ten thirty, Rory had left a little surprise. Luke detected it first, immediately complaining about the foul smell coming from the youngster. Lorelai jumped into action when he lifted her up to change her, telling him that she would do it and that he should carry on with the last of the packing.

"What's with you?" he asked, wondering why she was so willing to change what could possibly be classed as Rory's stinkiest diaper ever.

"I just really hate packing," she told him, keeping her smile up to appease him. He simply shook his head and went back to packing all of Lorelai's stuff into the suitcase they had. Her stuff was already taking up most of the room in the case and there was only her clothes in there.

When the girls made it into Rory's room, Lorelai made quick work of removing the clothes from Rory's lower half, as well as her diaper, scrunching her face up when the full force of the smell hit her nose.

"Ok sweets, let's take a look here," she mumbled. She took a plastic fork from her pocket; she'd been keeping it for emergencies like this, and began picking her way through it.

"Yucky," said Rory as she watched her mom do what she had to do.

"I know babe, just be glad you're not doing it." Rory gave a toothy grin before finding her feet more interesting. "No, no, no, no," she sighed as she found nothing in there. "It's been almost twenty four hours, it should have come out by now."

"Lorelai, what's taking you so long?" Luke called from the next room.

"Um...we were just talking," she replied, it being the best excuse she could think of on the spot.

"Well hurry up and get back out here, I'm not doing all the packing by myself."

"Coming." She quickly cleaned Rory up, then disposed of the useless diaper. "It better come out soon," she muttered.

XXX

As promised, the trio made it to the Gilmore's at one thirty, the truck bed laden with bags. Lorelai went to the door with Rory, as Luke collected the little girl's luggage for the weekend.

"Ah, you're here," said Emily as they were let in by the maid.

"Yep, and on time too," Lorelai chimed in.

"We were almost gonna be late, because someone chose too many clothes to take and the suitcase wouldn't close," complained Luke, everyone knowing who he was talking about. He had gotten a call from Sookie earlier, informing him that the tickets were booked and all he had to do was collect them on the night.

"Well you're here now," said Emily happily. "Hello Rory," she cooed. "Are you looking forward to spending the weekend with your grandpa and I?"

"Granpa," Rory replied, smiling at Emily widely.

"Are you not excited to see me?" she asked, feigning sadness.

"Wove Granma," she said, pointing at Emily. The elder woman smiled lovingly at her granddaughter.

"And I love Rory too." She watched as Lorelai set Rory on the floor and let her wander off towards Richard's study. "That's right, you go and get Grandpa."

"He's working again?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, he's always in that damned study of his," she complained. "But I'm sure he'll come out when he notices you're here."

"Where should I put Rory's case?" Luke asked.

"Oh leave it by the door, I'll have the maid take it upstairs." She turned away from the two. "Larissa!" she called.

"Yes Mrs Gilmore?"

"Could you take my granddaughter's luggage upstairs please?"

"Yes Mrs Gilmore," she replied politely.

"And when you find the time, I would like a cup of coffee."

"Of course Mrs Gilmore."

"I have never heard anyone say 'Mrs Gilmore' so many times," Lorelai whispered to Luke, causing him to smile coyly back at her. Richard appeared with Rory following him close behind.

"Ah, you're here," he boomed. "Are you all ready for your trip?"

"Yeah, raring to go," replied Lorelai.

"Speaking of," said Luke. "We should get going." Lorelai panicked internally; she had to tell Emily about the ring incident before they left for New York. Otherwise she'd never see the thing again.

"Hang on, could I just...talk to mom, just for a second," she said. "In private."

"What about Lorelai?" Emily asked impatiently.

"It's...just come with me." She took hold of Emily's arm and pulled her towards the kitchen. "We'll be right back," she called out to the men who were watching them, both flabbergasted.

"Lorelai, why are you dragging me around my own house? This is absurd." They stopped in the kitchen and Lorelai turned to face her mother.

"There was an incident yesterday," she revealed. "Rory kinda...swallowed something she shouldn't have."

"What?" she bellowed.

"Keep it down," she warned. "Luke doesn't know about it."

"Is she ok?"

"She's fine, she swallowed a ring," she told her. "I took her to the emergency room and the doctor said it should pass through her system within twenty four hours."

"But it hasn't yet," she said, already knowing what was to come.

"Nope, it wasn't there this morning when I changed her diaper." She looked at her mother helplessly. "Look, I need you to look out for it when you change her next, I really need that ring back," she stressed.

"Why is it such an important ring?" Emily asked curiously. Surely a ring Lorelai owned had been bought in some souvenir store.

"It's Luke's ring," she whispered.

"Luke's ri...why does Luke have a ring?" she inquired, her instinct telling her something.

"Because it was his mother's engagement ring," she said. "He found it in the fire, but he didn't tell me about it. I don't think he wants me to know, but Rory found it in his nightstand, and now she's swallowed it." It all sounded so preposterous, like some stupid romantic comedy.

"Well...I'll look out for it," she said, scrunching her nose up at the process. This didn't go unnoticed by Lorelai.

"It's not a nice thing to do, I know, I did it this morning. But it's really important."

"Ok," she agreed.

"Thank you." She threw her arms around her mother's neck, then awkwardly pulled away. She had no idea why the concept of hugging her mother was so awkward, no matter how much they ironed out their differences. "Here's the box." Emily took it and slid it into the pocket of her suit jacket.

"Lorelai?" she asked as her daughter was about to go back to the men.

"Yeah?"

"I hope you have a nice time in New York," she said sincerely.

"Thank you mom." They shared a smile before going back to the hallway where Luke and Richard were standing awkwardly together.

"Ready to go?" he asked when he noticed they had returned. Lorelai nodded, and after fifteen minutes of goodbyes, the teens were finally climbing into the truck. Luke cranked up the engine and moved it forward, ready to pull out of the driveway as they elder Gilmores and Rory waved from the doorway. Once they were on the road, Luke turned to look at Lorelai and smiled. "We're on our way," he stated. She smiled back as she watched the road ahead of them.

"Only three more hours to go," she sighed as she moved closer to Luke on the seat and he swung his right arm around her shoulders.

Yep, it was gonna be a great weekend.

**Aaaaah, *sighs with relief*. As much as I enjoyed writing this chapter and all the silly little parts to it, I'm glad it's over with. I'm tired and I have to get up early to go to a theme park tomorrow :D I'm not sure if any of you have heard of Flamingo Land? Anyway, I hope you leave a review, I love waking up in the morning to find a bunch of them to read. So please, make my morning :P**

**I promise to have another chapter of 'A Long Lost Mother' up soon, I'm just having a bit of trouble writing that one too!**

**See you soon (hopefully) :o**

**Emily.**


	51. New York, New York

**Hello again **** it was a choice between writing a new chapter for this, or for 'A Long Lost Mother'. I chose this...but I promise I will get round to the other one soon! **

**I have been on a job hunt the past week, but haven't been successful so far **** it's just a waiting game I suppose. So I might have a bit of time on my hands. Not tomorrow cause I'm going to see and friend and her new baby, but maybe Wednesday? **

**Thank you for the reviews, I really love to read them. And let's see if we can reach 850 this time...then I'm halfway to 900! Then I'm only a hundred away from 1000 :O one thousand reviews...wow! I never thought one of my stories could reach that number. Anyway, I will stop babbling on and on. Enjoy this chapter, the majority of their weekend will be in the next one, well the best parts will be anyway. Oh and I bought season 7 of Gilmore Girls today! Yay! It finally came out over here in the UK, and I now have the complete collection **

"Are we there yet?" Lorelai asked for the umpteenth time since they set off.

"Do you see the Statue of Liberty?"

"No."

"Are we surrounded by skyscrapers?" She shook her head. "Then we're not there yet." Lorelai sighed and slumped back into her seat. "You know, we've only been on the road a half an hour," Luke pointed out. "That means we've still got about two and a half hours to go." A pout formed on her face.

"I'm hungry," she whined. Luke rolled his eyes, he had a feeling this was gonna happen.

"Eat the snacks I bought you."

"I already did, they're all gone."

"All of them?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup, every last chip."

"Jeez, how do you not weigh five hundred pounds?"

"Beats me," she muttered. "Can we stop somewhere? I'm starved."

"Do you see anywhere to get food?" he asked.

"Ugh, not this game again," she complained. Luke took his eyes off the road and glanced over at her.

"When I see a gas station, we can stop and get you more snacks," he allowed. Lorelai jumped in her seat a little.

"Thank you," she said gratefully as she moved over the seat and wrapped her arms around his neck from the side. Luke smiled for a moment but ended up batting her away to avoid having an accident. "How much further till there's a gas station?" Luke inhaled sharply.

"No idea," he replied, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Have you ever driven to New York before?" she asked curiously.

"Once," he answered. "Why?"

"Well if you've been down this road before, you should know where the gas stations are."

"For god's sake Lorelai, will you quit bugging me? I have no idea when the next gas station is, ok?"

"But..."

"No buts, we'll get to it when we get to it." There were a few moments of silence where Lorelai twisted her mouth thoughtfully, while Luke kept his eyes securely on the road.

"What did you do in New York the other time?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I went to pick up Liz," he replied shortly.

"What was Liz doing in New York by herself?" she questioned. It seemed a bit dangerous to her.

"She ran away from Stars Hollow, with her boyfriend." Lorelai's eyes almost shot out of her head. Liz ran away from home?

"Her boyfriend, like Jess' dad?" Luke nodded. "Wow."

"Yup," he shrugged.

"Was Jess around then?"

"Yeah it was only in December, she stayed there till March this year, that's when I got a call from her."

"What happened?" she asked, not sure she wanted to know. It could have been something really awful.

"Jimmy was treating her bad," he simply said.

"Bad as in..." she trailed off, leaving him to fill in the blanks.

"Violence." Lorelai's expression turned into one of shock.

"Oh my god, was she seriously hurt?"

"Just a few cuts and bruises," he replied, he seemed unfazed by the whole thing.

"Did it not bother you?" He glanced over at her again, one eyebrow raised.

"Of course it did," he answered. "But there's no point in dwelling on the past, he's gone now."

"What if he comes back?"

"If he's got any sense, he won't." Lorelai sat thoughtfully for a few moments, before looking over at Luke again. He'd been through a lot in the nineteen and a half years he'd been on the planet, more than Lorelai had originally realised. She wordlessly slid across the seat to him again, and leaned her head on his shoulder in an act of comfort. Luke's arm made it's way around her shoulders and they sat like that in a contented silence for a few miles.

"I'm glad I can talk to you again," she admitted quietly.

"You could always talk to me." Lorelai shrugged.

"Just didn't feel like it sometimes," she replied. She looked up at Luke and left a kiss on his stubbly cheek.

"You know," he said after another few minutes of silence. "We can do a lot more than just talk while we're in the city," he finished, a smug smirk resting on his lips. Lorelai could see the blush rising in his cheeks, and smiled to herself coyly.

"You're just dying to have your way with me, aren't you Mr Danes?"

"You bet I am." Lorelai took a deep breath to calm the butterflies she felt in her stomach. It had been so long since she'd experienced any sort of physical contact, and the anticipation of their weekend was getting the better of her.

"Drive faster," she ordered. "I don't know how much longer I can wait."

XXX

"Richard, have you seen Rory?" Emily called as she descended the stairs from the first floor.

"You lost our granddaughter?" came the muffled voice from Richard's study.

"I didn't lose her," she replied pointedly. "She just happened to wander off somewhere is all."

"Well you'd better find her, Lorelai won't be very happy if you don't." Emily threw the door to the study open, revealing exactly what she expected to find. Richard was sitting on the chair at his desk, Rory perching on the table with what looked to be a dictionary in front of her.

"Don't joke like that Richard, it's not a laughing matter," she scolded.

"Oh come on Emily, we have to entertain ourselves one way or another." Emily narrowed her eyes at him as she walked further into the crowded room.

"What are you reading?" she asked, peering over the desk to get a better look.

"The dictionary," he replied. "I'm widening our granddaughter's vocabulary."

"She's the smartest eighteen month old I know," she said incredulously. "She doesn't need her vocabulary widening."

"You can never know too many words Emily, especially at such a young age. It's best to teach them when they're little, they pick it up quicker."

"Yes, well it's almost time for Rory's nap," she informed him. "I'll be in to collect her in a little while."

"Very well Emily." Richard then pushed his glasses further up his nose and studied the book again. "Now, what's on this page?" he asked himself as he studied the set of words beginning with the letter F. "Ah, fish," he said. "Nice and easy."

"Fish!" Rory exclaimed, clapping her hands together triumphantly.

"Excellent, you are smart sweetheart," he praised, a hint of pride in his voice. Emily turned on her heel and left the room, leaving the door open slightly as she went. Obviously they needed some grandfather/ granddaughter time. "Finish."

"Fish," she said.

"No, finish," he repeated, emphasising the letters she missed.

"Fiddish." Richard sighed.

"That'll do, for now," he told her. "We'll come back to that one in a couple of month's time."

"Granpa," she addressed him.

"Yes granddaughter?"

"Rory sweepy," she murmured. He smiled adoringly at her before standing up and lifting her from the desk.

"Let's find your grandmother," he said as they went into the living room. Emily was sipping on a cup of tea as she read a book of her own.

"Yes Richard?" she asked without looking up from her novel.

"Rory has informed me that she is tired," he said formally. She finished the paragraph she was reading and placed the bookmark on her page before setting it down on the coffee table.

"I best get her to bed then." She took Rory from him then made her way upstairs to the nursery. As she lay Rory in her crib, she checked her diaper, just to be sure. But there was no sign yet.

"Granma," said Rory quietly.

"Are you ready to go to sleep sweetheart?" she cooed to her granddaughter. "What would you like for dinner when you wake up?"

"Fish," she replied.

"Fish? I'll have to see about that," she said thoughtfully. She realised that Rory was probably repeating words from Richard's dictionary and didn't actually want to eat fish for dinner. "You were very silly swallowing that ring weren't you Rory?" she asked.

"Ring," she repeated as she patted her tummy.

"That's right, now we have to look out for it, and it's not something I thought I'd be doing this weekend." Rory giggled as Emily tickled the spot on her stomach she had just patted. "Sleep well," she whispered as she left a light kiss on Rory's forehead.

"Kiss," Rory whispered, her eyes drooping as sleep threatened to take over her. "Night night," she mumbled as she rolled onto her side and flung her arms out in front of her. She was soon breathing evenly as she entered the land of nod. Emily stayed to watch her granddaughter sleep for a few minutes, smiling at how much she had developed since she and Lorelai had moved to Stars Hollow and how her personality was shining through more and more with every passing day. Finally, she left the nursery and went back downstairs, beginning to search for something to do for the next hour or so until Rory woke up and required her attention.

XXX

"Oh my god, I can't believe we're actually driving on the George Washington Bridge," Lorelai said in amazement as the skyscrapers of New York City got bigger and bigger, until they were towering over them.

"We're here," he said as he joined a row of traffic. "Great," he muttered.

"It's rush hour," she told him. "We should have set off earlier."

"Or maybe we shouldn't have stopped at that gas station for forty minutes while you chose which flavour chips you wanted. Lorelai shrugged.

"Either way, we still would have hit the traffic." They could see that it wasn't about to move any time soon, so Lorelai moved to Luke's side and ran her fingers down his arm slowly. Luke side-glanced at her with a cocky grin on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Just giving you a preview of what's to come," she replied nonchalantly as her hand moved to his thigh and rested there.

"Well don't," he said as he moved her hand away. "Wait till we're at the hotel." Lorelai grinned then looked at him questioningly, suddenly realising something.

"Don't we need to find somewhere to stay first?" she asked. As far as she knew, they hadn't booked in anywhere.

"It's all taken care of," he said. "All you have to do is relax."

"Among other things," she added with a grin. She glanced out of the window at the bustling city surrounding them. "So, how exactly are we able to afford all this, I mean, with the diner and everything?" Luke shrugged; acting like it wasn't a big deal.

"It's taken care of," he told her. "You don't have to worry about it." Lorelai mulled over that answer for a few moments before accepting it and sitting back in her seat. She just wanted the traffic to disappear so they could get to the hotel.

XXX

"This is it," he announced, twenty minutes later when they pulled up outside their accommodation. It was a small building on a quiet side street, not anything fancy, but just a place to sleep at night...and do other things.

"What are we waiting for? Let's check in," she said excitedly as Luke got out of the truck. He opened Lorelai's door for her and smiled when she deliberately brushed up against him as she climbed out.

"Tease," he murmured, causing her to smile widely. He retrieved their case from the truck bed, then made their way into the quaint hotel.

"Well, hello there," greeted a somewhat elderly woman standing at the reception desk. "My name is Doreen, have you booked?"

"Uh yeah," answered Luke, a little taken aback by the high pitch of the woman's voice. It was a tad creepy actually. "It's Luke Danes."

"Let me just check that for you." She flicked through the reservations book; which was in fact a small notepad with a floral pattern on the front. "Ah yes, Mr Danes, two nights," she read aloud.

"That's right."

"Ok well I've checked you in," she said. "I'll get Frederick to show you to your room." Lorelai and Luke exchanged amused glances.

"Frederick?" she mouthed to him. Doreen began ringing a metal bell, trying to summon her employee over. The teens were having a hard time holding their laughter in, and Luke had to push his lips together to keep from making a sound.

"Frederick!" she called, wondering where he'd gotten to. It was obvious that he wasn't going to make an appearance any time soon, so Doreen rounded the desk and reached for their case. "I will show you to your room," she told them.

"Uh, I can take that for you," offered Luke, gesturing towards the suitcase.

"No it's ok," she replied stubbornly. "You're guests; guests shouldn't have to carry their own luggage up to their rooms."

"I really don't mind," he stressed. The truth was, he was worried that this woman was gonna keel over at any moment, she was breathing really heavily.

"No Mr Danes, it's all part of the service," she told him, the struggle she was having was evident in her voice. He glanced at Lorelai, who was watching Doreen with the same concern, but there was a bit of amusement mixed in there too. They ascended the staircase slowly, at Doreen's speed of course, and she led them down a narrow corridor. They stopped outside a room that had the number four on the door, and she put the key in the lock, pushing it open.

"Here is your room," she exclaimed. She stepped in first, followed closely by Luke and Lorelai. It was a small room; there was a small bathroom off to the side, with a toilet, sink and shower, a small window looked out onto the alleyway they'd parked in, there was a set of drawers to put their clothes in, and, to both teenagers' horror, two single beds. Luke called her up on that immediately.

"Uh...I booked a double room," he said awkwardly. "Maybe you brought us to the wrong room."

"No," Doreen replied surely. "This is a double room."

"But, a double room has a double bed," interrupted Lorelai, speaking for the first time since they entered the place, which was unusual for her. "Whereas this is a twin."

"Oh, well we don't have double beds here, we don't tolerate two people of the opposite sex sleeping in the same bed," she said seriously. "And intercourse is completely against the rules," she informed them. Lorelai nearly burst out into fits of giggles. Was this all one big joke? Luke on the other hand, was blushing furiously, probably at the mention of intercourse.

"Well we don't have intercourse," replied Lorelai, matching Doreen's serious tone. "In fact, we frown upon it." This time, Luke nearly burst into laughter. Trust Lorelai to come out with something like that.

"Well good, some teenagers nowadays," she said with a disapproving shake of her head. "They're out of control, having intercourse with any old person, drinking, smoking, then ending up pregnant while they're still in school." Lorelai stiffened visibly, and Luke noticed. Obviously Doreen had hit a nerve. "It's good to know you're not like that, really, girls your age should not be mothers." Lorelai nodded, although she looked to be distant. "Anyway, I'll let you get settled," she said. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything." She left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Wow," said Luke, watching as Lorelai walked over and sat on the bed closest to the door. It creaked loudly under her weight, and she let out a giggle over how ridiculous this hotel was. That's if you could call it a hotel, it was more like a hostel.

"Where did you find this place?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at his choice.

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I knew I should have just booked at the Holiday Inn."

"No this is fine," she replied. "It's not _that _bad." Luke eyed her sceptically.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" he asked incredulously.

"Ok so it's terrible, but it's just a place to rest our heads for the night, and do...other things." She whispered the last part in case Doreen had a glass up against the other side of the door and she was listening to their conversation.

"But intercourse is banned," he told her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Please, the whole point of this weekend was that we get to reconnect in that way," she said pointedly. "Who cares if there's a sex ban? I'm getting my Luke fix." Luke grinned devilishly.

"What if we get caught?" he asked, inching closer towards the bed. Lorelai caught on to what he was doing and sat back on the bed.

"What is she gonna do, call the sex police?" she asked. Then a sudden thought dawned on her. "Oh my god, what if they have secret cameras somewhere in here?"

"I don't think they can afford stuff like that," he told her, although he looked around the room.

"I guess they're pretty hard to come by," she agreed. "Plus it'd be black and white film anyway so it wouldn't be that clear." Luke nodded, as he finally crawled onto the bed and slid up to her. He caught her lips in his and let his hands find their way down to her hips, grasping them firmly. They moved slightly, causing the bed to let out a series of squeaky creaks.

"This is ridiculous," he groaned, tearing his lips away from hers.

"Try the other bed," she suggested. They moved over to the second bed of the room and got back into their previous position, finding this one to be considerably quieter. It was still slightly creaky though. "What if Doreen can hear the bed springs downstairs?" she asked teasingly as he moved to her neck.

"Then we may get kicked out of this hotel," he answered distractedly. Lorelai giggled.

"Not much of a loss, huh?"

"Nope." She felt kinda bad, cause Luke had paid for their accommodation, especially as they were struggling with money at the moment. Lorelai focussed on the ceiling as Luke lavished her neck, sending waves of anticipation shooting through her. Her eyes caught sight of something on the wall, and she narrowed them suspiciously. She realised it was a framed portrait, surrounded by floral wallpaper.

"Luke?" she asked breathlessly.

"Hmm?" he replied, his mouth never leaving her skin.

"Is that who I think it is?" Luke pulled away and looked at her.

"What?" She pointed to the picture, and Luke rolled his eyes. "Yup," he managed to get out.

"Oh my god, who has a portrait of Jesus in a hotel room?" she asked incredulously.

"Lorelai, can we carry on please?" his voice was strangled, and she could tell he needed the release. But that image had just put a dampener on everything.

"Um...I can't have sex while Jesus is staring at us," she said, finding her own comment funny.

"Lorelai," he groaned. "Just pretend it isn't there."

"But...I can't," she whined. "I'm sorry, it's just...this place is totally creeping me out. With the pensioners downstairs, the Jesus paintings, the flowery wallpaper, and of course, the no sex rule." Luke looked at her strangely for a few moments, as if it really was just sinking in how weird these people were. He finally shrugged.

"So what do you wanna do?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "All I can tell you is that there is no way I can sleep in a creaky single bed all weekend." Luke nodded, taking it all in.

"Wanna see if the Holiday Inn has anything available?" Lorelai smiled up at him and grabbed his chin with her fingers, pulling him down to her for a kiss.

"That would be perfect," she said gratefully. Luke nodded and climbed off of his girlfriend. She moved off the bed too, and they worked on straightening the sheets out, before Luke grabbed their case.

"Hey," he said, stopping her in her tracks.

"Yeah?"

"What Doreen said earlier, about teenage parents," he said. Lorelai ducked her head and stared at the floor. "Don't listen to her, she doesn't know what she's talking about." She smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his waist as they left their room. The entered the lobby and Doreen looked at them confusedly.

"Is your room ok?" she asked, eyeing their suitcase warily.

"Yeah uh...we just decided to go back home," answered Luke nervously. He knew this hotel was awful, but he had no intention of telling the owner that. He hated it when he hurt people's feelings.

"Oh, any particular reason?" she queried.

"Well we miss our daughter," replied Lorelai, not hesitating to wait for Doreen's reaction to that piece of news. "And no offense, but your beds are really hard to have 'intercourse' in. With the creakiness and the Jesus painting watching, so not cool. And it was a little on the small side." She finished happily then turned and left the hotel, leaving both Luke and the hotel owner stunned.

"You can keep the money," Luke stuttered before quickly slipping out of the front door, more than a little red in the face. Doreen shook her head disapprovingly and sighed. Teenagers these days. "What the hell was that?" he asked when he met up with her outside.

"I wanted to have a bit of fun," she shrugged.

"You told her we tried to sleep together up there," he said quietly. "Why in god's name would you do that?"

"Hey, don't say the Lord's name in vein," she warned jokingly, pointing a finger at him. He batted the finger away and glared at her. "Oh come on, we're on vacation," she prodded. "Lighten up."

"You nearly gave the poor woman a heart attack," he mumbled, sending Lorelai into giggles.

"It was fun though, especially the part about Rory." He nodded distractedly as he held the passenger door open for her.

"Come on, let's find this Holiday Inn." Lorelai climbed into the truck and grinned at him as he did the same at his side.

"At least we had a funny experience, in a loony bin," she giggled as they pulled away from the building, both hoping they never came across anywhere like it ever again.

XXX

"Richard, where are you?" Emily called up the stairs. It was the second time since Rory had arrived that the two of them had disappeared together. It was now seven thirty; very close to Rory's bedtime, and Emily was hoping to get her in the tub.

"In the nursery," he replied. Emily furrowed her eyebrows.

"What are you doing up there?" she asked curiously. Richard hardly ever went into Rory's room at the house; he was either in his study or in the dining room.

"Rory needed her diaper changing," he informed her. Emily's eyes widened in realisation that he may have already thrown the soiled item away.

"Oh my god," she muttered as she started up the stairs, as fast as her legs would carry her. "Richard, don't throw that diaper away!" she struggled to get out, her lack of athleticism becoming apparent. She raced into the nursery and watched as Richard began folding the dirty diaper. "Stop!" she shouted, causing her husband to jump in surprise.

"What?" he asked incredulously. Emily took the dirty diaper from his grasp and settled it on the changing table next to Rory. She opened it, grimaced a little, then grabbed the nearest object she could find, beginning to shovel her way through it. Richard watched it all in complete and utter confusion, and also a bit of disgust. "What on earth is going on?" he asked, refusing to believe that his wife, a member of society, was plucking her way through a soiled diaper. Emily looked up at him, realising that she was probably freaking him out a lot right now and she should probably explain herself.

"When Lorelai took me into the kitchen earlier, she asked me to do something," she began. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Yesterday, Rory swallowed something she shouldn't have when Lorelai wasn't looking and she had to take her to the emergency room." Richard's expression changed to one of shock.

"Why didn't she tell us about this, it's a serious matter," he bellowed. "What did she swallow?"

"A ring," she replied. Richard's eyes widened again. "It was Luke's mother's engagement ring, and Rory must have found it in one of the drawers at home."

"Did she choke on it?"

"No," she replied, trying to ease his nerves. "It got lodged in her throat but she wasn't in any immediate danger. Lorelai said the doctor had to loosen it with some kind of tool, and that it should pass through her system within twenty four hours."

"Oh."

"But Lorelai isn't supposed to know about this ring," she continued. "Well, Luke didn't tell her about it so she doesn't want him to know she's found it. That's why she's so intent on getting it back to where she found it."

"You don't think he's going to propose do you?" he asked, hoping the answer was no. As much as he liked Luke, his daughter was way too young to marry. Yes she should have married Christopher when she was sixteen, but that was out of obligation. There was no reason for her to be married this time.

"Don't be preposterous Richard, they haven't known each other long enough to get engaged," she snorted, but quickly rethought that. "Although, they have moved awfully fast since they met; I mean, Luke adopted Rory after just a few months of knowing her, and now they're living together."

"Temporarily," he added.

"Yes of course." They moved into silence for a moment or two, before Emily decided it couldn't be true. "No, they're too young," she decided. "Luke would know better than to ask now, plus, how many nineteen year old boys do you know that want to get married?" Richard sighed, obviously fed up with the conversation. He'd already come to the conclusion that it wasn't going to happen.

"So you think it's in there," he pointed to the diaper that she was still searching through, scrunching his nose up in disgust.

"There's a very good chance," she told him. "My goodness Rory, what do you eat?" Emily asked her granddaughter, referring to the unpleasant smell coming from the diaper in question.

"Banana," the little girl replied, taking the question seriously and not rhetorically like it was meant as.

"Yes I know you eat bananas," she cooed. "But I can tell you, bananas don't smell like this." Richard finished cleaning Rory up and redressed her, then took his attention to the task Emily was focussing on.

"Yucky," said Rory as she watched Emily do the same thing her mother had earlier that day.

"I know sweetheart, just be glad you don't have to do it." Rory watched with interest for a while, before spotting something quite familiar to her.

"Ring!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger at the object in question.

"Where?" asked Emily.

"There." Rory lunged forward and reached a hand towards the diaper. Richard was quick to react, and held her back before a mess was made.

"Ah, I see it now," said Emily in realisation. She grabbed a baby wipe and used it to protect her fingers as she fished the ring out. Once she had a good hold on it, she wiped it clean and looked down at it, still resting on the wipe. "Oh my," she gasped. "What a beautiful ring, it looks like Luke's father had good taste," she commented.

"Why yes," he agreed. "It doesn't look cheap." Both grandparents stared at the ring, which had been on an unexpected journey through their granddaughter's body.

"Anyway," said Emily after a few minutes. "I'm going to get Larissa to disinfect this," she announced, as she exited the nursery. "Can you draw a bath for Rory?" she called after her. Richard sighed, but took his granddaughter to the bathroom. He was just happy to spend some time alone with her, he never usually got to give her this much attention.

XXX

After an hour or driving around the city, and asking sixteen different people for directions, the young couple found the Holiday Inn. It looked quite modern (for the 80s) and it was definitely a lot more inviting than the previous place they'd attempted to stay at. Luke found the parking lot out back, then he once again lugged their suitcase into the lobby with Lorelai leading the way.

"Welcome to the Holiday Inn," greeted the young man behind the desk. He was a lot more normal than Doreen. "Are you checking in?"

"Uh...we don't actually have a room booked," said Luke awkwardly. "We were wondering if you had any available." The man regarded them for a few moments before nodding and looking down at his reservation book.

"We have a number of twin rooms available," he told them. Luke and Lorelai shared a knowing look; neither of them could stand to look at another single bed.

"Do you uh...have any double rooms?" Luke asked.

"Erm...oh yes, we have one left," he informed them, causing both teens to smile and Lorelai jumped on the spot a little. "Shall I book you in?"

"Absolutely," replied Lorelai. She grinned at Luke and linked her arm through his.

"Ok, how many nights will that be for?"

"Two," said Luke.

"Right, I'll just have to take some details." Luke nodded, and after he'd been asked the basics, the subject of the payment came up. "So that comes to $120," he announced. Luke's jaw dropped momentarily, but he quickly saved himself and fished in his pocket for his wallet. Lorelai looked worriedly at Luke as he handed over two fifties and a twenty, still wondering how he was managing to pay for all this with all the money he'd spent on the diner. And it wasn't even near finished yet. "Ok, it's room twenty seven on the second floor," he told them as he handed them the key.

"Quick question," said Lorelai as Luke grabbed their luggage. "You don't have a no sex rule here, do you?" The concierge looked at her strangely for a while before shaking his head slowly.

"Um...no," he replied awkwardly.

"Lorelai," growled Luke. He pulled her by the arm towards the elevator, wishing they could get out of the weird situation she'd put them in. Once they were safely inside the elevator, alone, Luke went into scolding mode. "Why did you just ask him that?" he asked incredulously. Lorelai shrugged.

"I was just making sure," she told him. "He didn't mind anyway, they're here to answer any questions the guests may have." Luke rolled his eyes, she always found a way to embarrass him, no matter what the situation was that they were in.

"Well this is a lot better," said Lorelai as they entered the room. She immediately dove for the king sized bed and rolled over, giggling the whole time.

"It didn't creak," said Luke, a small smile sitting on his lips. Lorelai grinned then relaxed back into the pillows.

"God this is comfortable," she gushed. "Come and lay with me." She held her arms out in front of her and Luke made his way over to the bed, collapsing next to her. She snuggled into his side and closed her eyes, but Luke tapping her face made her open them again. "What?" she asked.

"Don't go to sleep," he told her.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to," he answered before their lips connected. Lorelai pulled back after a few moments, and smiled dazedly at him.

"I'm hungry," she said, hearing her stomach grumbling at her.

"Well it is way past dinner time," he said. "It's almost eight."

"Really? Oh I wanna call mom and ask her if..." She stopped herself before she finished that sentence. What was she thinking, telling Luke about the ring incident?

"Ask her what?" She wracked her brain for a simple answer to his question, but she was finding it hard to think of an excuse at this moment in time. "Lorelai?" he questioned.

"Um...ask her if...if Rory's ok," she finally managed to scramble. Luke eyed her strangely for a few moments before nodding his head.

"She'll be fine," he assured her. "I bet she's tucked up in bed already, or she's begging your parents to read her another bedtime story."

"Hmm," she chuckled. "I miss her already." He looked down at her and brushed a stray curl away from her eyes.

"Me too," he admitted. "Now what do you say we go find some food?"

"I think that's the best idea you've had all day, Mr Danes," she replied formally. He stood up and helped her up from the bed, before going into their case and slipping a coat around her shoulders. She'd only complain she was cold if he didn't. They left the hotel and walked down the street, hand in hand, admiring the little shops and businesses along the way. "Look!" Lorelai exclaimed as she pointed to a small diner across the street.

"What?" asked Luke.

"That diner's called Luke's," she told him. "We totally have to go there and check out the coffee." Luke felt a bit sentimental seeing this diner in perfect form before him. It made him wish that his diner was still up and running, and he began feeling a tad envious of the owner of this establishment. "Can we?" she pleaded, cutting through his thoughts. "I can compare the burgers to yours." Luke nodded slowly.

"Sure," he answered. She dragged him across the street and they entered the small, but busy diner. There were even little bells above the door, just like Luke's used to have. It was too much of a coincidence for Luke. He followed Lorelai to a table and sat down opposite her.

"This is a Luke's where I actually have to check the menu," she chuckled as she opened it to a small selection of meals. "I'm having cheeseburger and fries," she told him. "What about you?" Luke had been in a daze as he looked around the lively diner. People were chatting on their tables, every different group keeping to themselves, and not addressing anyone around them. He supposed that's how his diner and this one differed, everyone knew each other in Stars Hollow and he kinda liked it that way. "Luke?" she asked, trying to get his attention. It was obvious to her that he'd zoned out, but she was intent on getting the attention she wanted.

"Huh?" he asked, seemingly startled. Lorelai glanced at him strangely.

"I asked what you wanted to eat," she repeated. Luke picked up a menu and glanced at it before putting it back on the table.

"Turkey burger," he said. "And a baked potato."

"That's not real food," she told him.

"Better than junk," he shrugged. "I hate diner food."

"Yet you own a diner." He was about to reply when a waiter approached their table and took out an order pad from his jeans pocket.

"What do you want to order?" he asked, in the same gruffness Luke showed while he was at work. It was harmless banter when Luke acted like that, everyone knew he was a grump but that there was a soft squishy side underneath. But with this guy, it sounded plain unfriendly.

"Cheeseburger and fries please," said Lorelai.

"Turkey burger and baked potato," repeated Luke.

"Ok and to drink?"

"Water's fine." The waiter turned to Lorelai expectantly, waiting for her to put her drink order in. She almost forgot to answer at first; every time she went into a diner called Luke's, her beverage preference was known and she didn't even have to ask for it. This new 'Luke's' was throwing her off a bit.

"Coffee, extra strong," she told him.

"Milk?" Lorelai shook her head. "Sugar?"

"No, thank you."

"Ok I'll bring your drinks over and your food should be ready soon." He scurried off behind the counter to prepare their drinks, leaving Lorelai to speculate on how much she hated this establishment. She couldn't remember the last time somebody had asked her if she wanted milk and sugar in her coffee, her preferences were known by almost everyone in Stars Hollow. This was going to take some getting used to. "Here we go, coffee black, and water." He set the drinks down and disappeared again.

"So, that's the first time I've had to ask for coffee in a Luke's this year," she said thoughtfully.

"Not everyone knows you're a coffee junkie," said Luke. She took a tentative sip of the hot drink, and immediately grimaced.

"That's not half as good as your coffee," she complained. "Man I miss your coffee."

"You have a coffee maker at your place," he said. "I can make you it there."

"You can? But my coffee maker sucks," she pouted. "It's nothing like the one you had at the diner."

"I can still make coffee in it," he told her, rolling his eyes.

"Ok, as soon as we get back to Stars Hollow, you're making me a cup of coffee. No offence to Sookie, but your coffee is so much better than the one she makes at the inn." Luke smiled. They shared a nice meal together, although it was filled with a lot of comparing and complaining from Lorelai. Finally, Luke paid their bill and the teenagers made their way back to their hotel room, both looking forward to what the evening would hold for them. It was well after ten thirty when they made it back to their room, they had been talking in the diner for longer than they thought.

"You tired?" Luke asked as she removed her coat and draped it over a nearby chair. Lorelai shook her head insistently.

"Not yet," she said seductively. "I'm just gonna freshen up." The room was warm, and Luke knew it was about to get even hotter than it already was. Lorelai fumbled through their case for her nightwear, then disappeared into the small bathroom joined to their room. Luke removed his jacket and got comfortable on the oversized bed. They'd probably only use half of it, if that. He fumbled around with the pillows till they were how he wanted them, then laid down and closed his eyes for a moment or two. When Lorelai emerged, she saw him sprawled out on the bed, clad in jeans and flannel, with his eyes closed. She frowned then crept over to the bed, crawling onto it slowly. "Luke?" she whispered.

"Hmm," he grunted.

"Wake up." Another grunt. She rolled her eyes, was he really gonna sleep right now? After all the anticipation had built up to it's peak, he had fallen asleep. She sighed, there was no way she was going straight to sleep tonight. She slung her leg over his body and hiked herself up so her body was covering his. She ran her hand down his chest, undoing the buttons on his shirt as she went, before raining soft kisses along his jaw line.

"Lorelai?" he asked sleepily as he let out a big yawn. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she replied. "I've been waiting ages for this Luke, but no more." Luke rubbed his eyes tiredly then looked down to where she had opened all the buttons on his flannel. He knew he couldn't wait any longer either, so the simple answer was, that they wouldn't. Before long, both teens were worked up to a point where they couldn't hold out any longer. Every item of clothing they were wearing had been shed, and the only thing covering them was the duvet cover, but even that was becoming dangerously close to slipping off the side of the bed.

"We need protection," said Luke as he resisted the urge to drive into her. It wasn't easy, but he managed it. Lorelai groaned.

"Please, please tell me you brought some," she begged. "I don't think I can stop now."

"In the suitcase," he told her. "I'll get it." He moved off of her and slipped off the edge of the bed. Lorelai watched him in all his naked glory as he walked across the room, stopping to crouch down by the case with his back to her.

"You know, I have a really good view from here," she said dreamily as she eyed his butt. Luke looked back at her over his shoulder and smiled shyly, a blush rising in his cheeks again. He searched through the suitcase clumsily, sighing in frustration when he couldn't find what he was looking for. He'd bought two boxes of the damned things, and he definitely remembered putting them in there. "What's taking so long?" Lorelai whined. "We only need one, you know."

"I can't find them," he muttered as he began throwing clothes out of the case in a desperate need to find condoms.

"You packed them right?" she asked worriedly. They had worked up to this too much to let it go all of a sudden.

"I swear I did," he promised her. Lorelai groaned again.

"Did you check all the pockets?" she asked. "They might be in the front one." Luke frantically unzipped the front pocket, revealing two boxes of Trojans. He knew he'd packed them.

"Got 'em," he revealed as he tried to pry the box open. His fingers were like jelly, and he was having great difficulty.

"Bring them over here," she told him. He passed her the box and watched as she quickly ripped it open and chose one from the selection. In record time, the glove was on and they were experiencing that amazing make up sex that every boasts about so often.

Afterwards, Lorelai snuggled under the covers as Luke relieved himself of the latex. He joined her in the huge bed and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her into him.

"I really missed that," she said, her chin resting on his bare chest.

"Same here," he murmured into her hair. "I'm never gonna leave you behind again."

"Glad to hear it." Lorelai glanced up at him in the dark room. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow, are you?"

"Definitely," he replied. Little did she know that she had more than just a baseball game to look forward to. In less than twenty four hours time, she would be less than fifty feet away from the Bangles themselves. He couldn't wait to see her reaction. "Love you," he said as he closed his eyes slowly.

"Hmm love you too," she replied. She slept better that night than she had since Christmas, and she knew the reason why; Luke was back with her in every way possible, and she had no doubt that this weekend was going to be amazing.

**I was thinking about reducing my chapter length to 6000 words, so that it doesn't take so long for me to write each one, but every time I try to reduce it, I can't stop writing haha. So we'll see what goes on, 6000 is still a long chapter compared to some other stories **

**Pleaaase review :D I think you know by now how much I love them, I tell you enough times. See you soon!**

**Emily.**


	52. Red Sox vs The Mets

**Hello, hello, hello **** I can't actually remember when I last updated this...was it like last week or something? Anyway, I'm here (again) with a new addition. This chapter includes baseball, which I have no idea about by the way, but I did a little research and I hope I didn't mess anything up :P And if you're a New York Mets fan, sorry if I offend you, but Luke does like the Red Sox so...**

**Thanks for the reviews, there are less people reviewing, but I won't complain. I'm just thankful that there are actually reviewers in the first place. Thank you! And enjoy the chapter.**

"Hmm," Lorelai hummed when Luke shifted in the bed the next morning.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered close to her ear before he began to climb out of bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked sleepily, her eyes never opening.

"I'm gonna take a shower," he replied. "Go back to sleep." He secured one foot on the floor and was about to fully stand up, when Lorelai grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to the bed. "Hey," he exclaimed as he hit the mattress. "What are you doing?"

"Let's sleep in," she mumbled as she pulled the covers back over Luke and snuggled closer to him. "We don't need to be up for hours yet." Luke sighed. As much as he wanted to take a shower, lying in bed next to his girlfriend was a lot more appealing to him at the moment. He rolled onto his side and pulled her body flush against his, causing her to giggle into his t shirt. "Mr Danes," she gasped as she brought her hand up to rest on his shoulder. Surprisingly, her eyes were still closed.

"Hey, look at me," he told her, nudging her side lightly. Lorelai made some incoherent sound, and buried her head further into his chest. "Lorelai," he cajoled.

"Sleepy," she muttered as her nose nuzzled his top. Luke tightened his arms around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head, as he let sleep overtake him once again.

XXXX

"Rory," Emily whispered that same morning as she leaned over the crib. It was nine now, and Rory was supposed to wake up an hour ago, that was her usual time.

"Ahh," came the peaceful sound from the still sleeping toddler. Emily watched her roll onto her back and fling her arms out around her, she looked adorable, she thought.

"Rory," she said a little louder as she gave her granddaughter a soft shake.

"Seepy," she mumbled, just the way her mother does.

"You can't be sleepy, it's nine o clock, you should be awake by now." Rory opened one eye and looked up at Emily's soft expression. When the elder woman smiled, the little girl opened the other eye and grinned widely. "You're a monkey, aren't you?" she cooed as she lifted Rory from the crib. "You're not sleepy at all." Rory nodded.

"Yes, Rory seepy," she exclaimed as she sat on her grandmother's hip.

"It sounds like it too," Emily replied sarcastically. "Now what do you say about getting some breakfast?"

"Breakfassss!" she said excitedly.

"Ok then, let's go see what you can have." They made their way towards the stairs, and Emily put Rory on her feet at the top, before taking both her hands. "Now, you're going to have to learn to walk down a staircase sweetheart, so do you want to try now?" Rory looked down the first set of stairs uncertainly, but stuck a foot out anyway, finding that she landed on her bottom straight away.

"No," said Rory while she shook her head.

"Why don't you try it backwards?" she suggested. "Like this." Emily gathered her skirt in one hand, then kneeled down and began descending the staircase backwards. Rory watched with interest, and also a little amusement at her grandmother's behaviour. "Come on Rory, try it," she pushed.

"Emily, what on earth are you doing?" asked Richard incredulously, as he stopped at the foot of the stairs, newspaper in hand. Emily sprung to her feet and fixed her dishevelled skirt, before looking up at him in alarm and meeting his questioning stare.

"I was teaching Rory how to walk down the stairs," she told him.

"Backwards?"

"Well we tried it forwards but she fell over," she retorted. "I was just thinking of the best way for her." Richard let out a hearty chuckle as Rory watched them curiously, standing at the top of the stairs in her pink sleeper. She giggled when she saw both her grandparents looking at her. "Do you find this funny?" Emily asked.

"Yes," answered Rory cheekily. Emily gasped fakely.

"We can't have that can we?" she asked herself. She scooped her granddaughter up and tickled her sides, causing Rory to laugh loudly in response.

"Granma stop!" she managed to get out between giggles. Both Emily and Richard chuckled at her as she squirmed uncontrollably. Finally, Emily relented and put Rory back on her feet, allowing her to explore the downstairs area until her breakfast was ready. Emily went to the kitchen, while Rory wandered through the living room, and towards Richard's study.

"Book," she said to herself as his bookcase came into view. She stood in front of it, staring up at the variety of books, before picking one randomly from the bottom of a pile. A bunch of books went tumbling to the floor, one knocking Rory on the head and sending her down with them. "Uh oh," she mumbled, as she realised that she was messing up her grandpa's book shelves. She clutched the side of her head as she watched the last few books drop, scrunching her nose up at the pain shooting through her head.

"Richard, did you hear that?" Emily called from the kitchen. She rushed out quickly, to find Richard with his nose deep in the paper, oblivious to everything happening around him. "Where's Rory?" she asked. The series of loud bangs she just heard and the misplacement of her granddaughter immediately added up to something bad in her head.

"She went into the living room," he replied, pointing his finger in the direction distractedly as he read from the finance section. Emily hurried into the room, finding it empty, then went around to the study, where the door was wide open.

"Rory," she gasped when she saw all the books on the floor, surrounding the wincing toddler, who was still clutching the side of her head. "What happened?" she asked as she scooped the girl into her arms and rocked her from side to side.

"Book fall," she answered.

"Are you ok? What hurts?" she asked frantically. She hoped to god nothing was wrong with her. Rory patted her head and whimpered quietly, sending Emily into panic mode. "Your head," she murmured. "Ok sweetheart, don't worry," she said softly. "We'll get that checked out." She headed for the door and went back into the dining room. "Richard," she said angrily, causing her husband to glance up at her in surprise.

"What is the matter, Emily?"

"You left the door to your study wide open," she scolded him. "I just found Rory surrounded by your books on the floor, and she says her head hurts." Richard shot out of his seat and stroked his hand over Rory's head.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked, the same way Emily had just moments ago.

"She says here," she replied as she pointed to the area Rory had been holding. Richard examined it, smoothing Rory's light brown hair out of the way.

"It's very red," he told her. "And there's a bump forming there, she needs to go to the emergency room," he predicted. Emily looked down at her granddaughter worriedly, hoping that she would be ok. "She'll be fine, Emily," soothed Richard, sensing his wife's worry. "She may have a concussion, and the doctors can determine that." Emily nodded and robotically made her way towards the stairs so she could dress Rory quickly and get her to the hospital.

XXXX

"Lorelai," Luke whispered, as ten o clock arrived. They'd fallen back to sleep easily after their early morning wake up, and had slept for another four hours.

"Early," she mumbled.

"It's ten," he told her. "We have to get to the game in a couple of hours." Lorelai opened her eyes slowly and took in her surroundings, smiling at the room they were in.

"Beats Doreen's place," she muttered as she rolled over and snuggled up to Luke. "What time should we get to the game for?" she asked, stretching as she did so.

"Gates open at twelve," he told her. "So around then." Lorelai nodded against his chest, before they went into a comfortable silence.

"Last night was good," she broke through the silence, a wide smile taking over her face.

"Just good?" he asked, feigning hurt.

"I can probably think of a better word to describe it," she said huskily.

"Care to venture one?" Lorelai thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"I think you've got a pretty good idea," she replied as she patted his cheek. Luke pressed lazy kisses to her dark curls, while she toyed with the small dusting of hair on his chest. "You know," she said a few minutes later, once again breaking the silence they'd fallen into. "We should shower together, saves time," she suggested logically. Luke shrugged and untangled his arms from around her.

"Sounds good to me," he agreed. He watched Lorelai crawl out of bed, and grab his shirt from the day before, before making her way into the bathroom, giving Luke a nice view as she sauntered away. He heard the water running, and smiled as a wave of anticipation washed over him.

"You coming?" she called.

"Try and stop me," he replied as he scrambled out of bed, completely naked, and rushed into the bathroom. Lorelai grinned when he entered the room, sans clothes, and pulled him into the small shower cubicle, drawing the curtain across so they were concealed in the small space.

After a very exhilarating shower, and a lot more rubbing dry than necessary, Lorelai emerged from the bathroom in Luke's shirt, Luke following close behind with a towel wrapped around his hips.

"I'm gonna call mom," said Lorelai as she dropped onto the bed and picked up the phone the hotel provided from the nightstand. She dialled the all too familiar number, and listened as it rung off onto voicemail. "Hmm, strange," she muttered.

"What?" Luke asked as he used the towel that was around his waist, to part dry his hair.

"They must be out," she said. "It's only ten thirty."

"They probably went for a walk or something," he assured her, trying to shift the worried frown from her face. "Why don't you try again just before we go out?"

"Ok," she murmured as she fell back onto the bed so she was lying on it.

"Hey, don't lie down now," he ordered as he pulled his jeans up over his boxers. "You'll never get ready if you do." Lorelai huffed and remained in the same place. Luke watched her, then walked over and pulled her up from the bed by her arms, eliciting a groan from her. "Rory will be fine," he said firmly. "Now get your ass into gear, there's no way in hell I'm missing this game." Lorelai smiled as she watched Luke grin like a kid in a candy store. That was all the motivation she needed to prepare herself for the day.

XXXX

After waiting two hours to actually see the doctor, Emily and Richard were made to wait a further thirty minutes while they carried out tests on Rory.

"We take any bump to the head very seriously," he had explained to them, which actually made them feel better about the situation. At least their granddaughter was in good hands. So after the tests had been carried out, Rory had been taken to the children's ward, where she had been dressed in a small gown and had had her blood pressure taken, which she didn't take kindly to.

"She has a minor concussion," he told the anxious pair. "I want to keep her in for a few hours, just to monitor her for any abnormalities, but from the look of things, she'll be fine."

"Thank you doctor," said Richard gratefully. The doctor tickled Rory under the chin, before heading off to check on his other patients. Emily sighed heavily as she watched Rory mess around with the bed sheets. "You've had a lucky escape sweetheart," said Richard, smiling softly at her. They sat in silence for a few minutes, as Richard played with Rory, trying to keep her entertained.

"Do you think I should call Lorelai?" Emily asked, completely out of the blue. Richard took his attention to his wife and frowned slightly.

"Does she need to know?" he asked. "Rory's fine."

"I know, but if something like this happened to Lorelai as a child, I would want to know about it," she argued. "She's her mother; she has a right to be informed about this."

"But if you call her, she'll want to come home to be with Rory," he said softly. "Do you really want to interrupt their weekend?" Emily shook her head slowly.

"Of course I don't, but she needs to know," she said firmly. "I'm going to call her right now, will you stay with Rory?" Richard nodded and watched his wife stride away from him through the children's ward. Emily reached a payphone, and slotted some money into it. That's when she realised that she'd left the contact number, that Luke had given them, at home. She sighed heavily and pushed the return button to get her money back, before trudging back to Rory's bedside.

"Any luck?" Richard asked. Emily shook her head sadly. Richard smiled softly and pulled his wife down into his lap, brushing her hair away from her face. "Call her when we get home," he said. "They'll probably be on their way to that baseball game anyway." Emily nodded.

"I hope she doesn't blame us for this," she said, in a close whisper. "I don't want to lose them."

"You won't lose them," he assured her. "These things happen. Like when Rory swallowed that ring just the other day, Lorelai had taken her eyes off her for two minutes and look what happened. Sometimes these things can't be helped." Emily leaned into him as she looked at Rory, who was watching them curiously.

"Thank you Richard," she said gratefully. She would definitely call Lorelai after Rory had been discharged from the hospital; she just hoped that Lorelai would see things their way.

XXXX

"No answer, again," said Lorelai as she listened to the voicemail message. "Hi mom, it's me, I was just calling to see how Rory's doing," she said into the receiver. "I tried to call earlier but you were out, and it looks like you're still not home, so could you call me when you get this? We're about to go to the game now, but we'll be back at five-ish. Anyway, bye." She ended the call and sighed heavily. Luke emerged from the bathroom and looked at her quizzically.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"They're still not home," she replied. "I wonder where they've gone."

"They've probably taken Rory out for the day." She nodded, obviously unsure of whether it was true or not. "Come on, we need to get going." He handed her jacket to her as he spoke.

"Have you got your giant foam hand?" she asked excitedly, remembering that she'd bought him that for Christmas, along with the tickets.

"It's in my back pocket," he deadpanned, looking at her pointedly.

"Ha ha," she said, not amused by his comment. "You need to bring it along with you, I didn't buy for you for the sake of it." Luke rolled his eyes.

"I'll look stupid with that thing on my hand," he complained. "Do you want me to make a fool of myself at this game?" Lorelai shrugged.

"I'll need something to entertain me, and I'm pretty sure the game's not gonna do that." Luke eyed her suspiciously for a few moments, narrowing his eyes as he did so.

"Fine, we'll take it with us," he allowed. "But you're wearing it." Lorelai shrugged.

"Ok by me," she grinned. Luke grabbed the foam hand from their suitcase and tossed it towards her.

"Time to go," he told her as she slipped into her jacket. The young couple finally made their way out of the door, and Luke hailed a cab to take them to their destination; Shea Stadium in Queens. They stopped outside the stadium not long after that, and Lorelai stared up at the giant building before them, as Luke paid the cab driver.

"Wow," she whispered.

"I can't believe we're here," said Luke as he came to stand next to her. "I've always wanted to see the Red Sox play."

"The Red Sox?" Lorelai asked, turning to look at him with confusion written across her face.

"You've never heard of Boston Red Sox?" he asked, not believing it. Lorelai shook her head. "So you bought the tickets but had no idea which teams were playing?"

"Bootsie got them for me, I just told him that I wanted us to go to a baseball game," she shrugged. "Lucky that he knew which team you liked."

"It's the Red Sox versus the Mets," he told her. "It's the first game these two teams have played together in the 1986 season," he explained. "It's a big game."

"Sounds like it," she said, trying to scrounge up some enthusiasm. Luke seemed to be enjoying himself already, and they hadn't even made it into the stadium yet. They joined the long queue to get in, and Lorelai observed all the baseball fans around her. She found herself wondering what the big deal was; it was just a bunch of guys running around a field, right? It obviously meant a lot more to the people here today.

Luke removed his jacket, and Lorelai took a moment to notice that he wasn't wearing his usual flannel. Instead, he was wearing a white jersey, which read 'Boston' across the front. She thought it suited him; it was baggy, but clung to his upper arms and chest, the contours of his muscles visible through the material. Luke caught her staring at him, and felt his cheeks flush.

"What?" he asked, feeling a little self conscious. Lorelai shook her head to clear it, before smiling at him seductively.

"You look really great in that jersey," she told him quietly. Luke blushed furiously, what the hell was wrong with him?

"Oh yeah?" he asked, at the same volume she had. Lorelai nodded and inched a little closer to him.

"As much as I love the plaid, sometimes it's nice to have a bit of a change." She ran her fingers down his chest, smiling when she noticed him looking around nervously.

"Stop it," he whispered huskily. The line began moving forwards quickly, and Luke grabbed the hand that was currently travelling over his stomach, entwining his fingers through hers. Lorelai pouted at him and tried to get her hand free of his grasp. "Behave," he said close to her ear.

"But...it's boring standing in this line," she whined. Luke rolled his eyes.

"We'll be in there soon," he assured her. "Can't you hold on for a little while?"

"Fine," she pouted further.

"You're impossible," he told her.

"You like me that way," she said knowingly. Luke eyed her for a moment before finding that they were at the front of the queue. He showed their tickets, before they were let into the huge stadium through the massive double doors.

XXXX

"I love baseball," said Lorelai as they settled in their seats. Along the way, they had stopped at all the food stands, and Lorelai had picked up a variety of things to keep her occupied.

"The game hasn't even started yet," mumbled Luke. Lorelai simply ignored his comment.

"You hungry?" she asked. "To my right, there are hot dogs, cotton candy, twizzlers and Hershey's. To my left, there's popcorn, milk duds, fries and coke. And here in my lap, there are nachos with chilli and cheese." She looked at all the food dreamily, not quite sure what to eat first.

"That's disgusting," said Luke, not even daring to look at the food. "I'd never eat any of that stuff in a million years."

"Ooh wait, I got these for you," she said as she reached into her purse. She pulled out a clear container, filled with prepared fresh fruit.

"Where from?" he asked warily.

"The hotel," she replied. "I went to the dining area while you were in the bathroom and picked up some of the leftover fruit."

"Thanks," he said gratefully. He leaned forward to kiss her and she gladly complied, accepting his gratitude.

"Wow," she said as they pulled away. "I'm gonna give you fruit more often." Luke chuckled and put the container next to his bottle of water. Lorelai watched his eyes scan the stadium, and noticed the smirk as it made it's way across his lips. "You having a good time?" she asked, he looked happy.

"Yeah, thanks for the tickets," he replied.

"You can thank me later," she told him, "When we're alone." Luke's smirk grew wider as he turned his attention to the stadium. The commentator's voice could be heard over the speaker and the crowd begun cheering as the players ran out onto the field. The Red Sox were the second team to make their appearances, seeing as they were the away team.

As soon as the first player made it onto the playing field, Luke jumped to his feet and began cheering, taking Lorelai by surprise. The game began a while after that, and the crowd settled down so they could get into the swing of things, no pun intended. Luke reclaimed his seat as the teams got into their positions, and Lorelai leaned towards him as she threw a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"You totally went for it then, huh?" she asked, still surprised by his lively behaviour. She'd never known him be so loud.

"That's the Red Sox," he said incredulously. "In person." Lorelai could hear the excitement in his voice. "I can't believe it."

"You'd better believe it babe, cause it's happening." She took her attention to the field, and watched as a few of the players stretched. "Man I'm going to enjoy this," she muttered, revelling in the eye candy before her.

XXXX

"Lorelai called," said Emily as she checked the answering machine. She listened to her daughter's voice through the receiver, and frowned as she put the phone back on it's cradle. "She said she's called a few times today, and we haven't been in for any of them," she said worriedly.

"It's ok, Emily," soothed Richard. "Why don't you call her back?"

"She's at that baseball game with Luke," she told him. "She said they'll be back in the hotel at five, so I'll call back then." Richard nodded in agreement as he balanced a sleepy Rory on his hip. "I'm going to go put Rory to bed, she's exhausted from all those tests they did." She took Rory from her husband, then made her way towards the staircase. Richard watched after them, before going into his study to tidy up the mess Rory had made earlier in the day.

Emily reached the nursery and changed Rory into a sleeper, before settling her in the crook of her arm, and sitting in the rocking chair. She stroked Rory's soft cheek with the back of her index finger as the little girl gazed up at her, her eyes drooping as she fought the losing battle with sleep.

"You've had quite a week sweetie, haven't you?" she asked softly. "First you swallow a diamond ring, and have to get it dislodged from your throat, then your mommy and daddy go away for the weekend, and to top it all off, a heavy book hits you on the side of your head and you get a concussion." She found herself chuckling softly, but she didn't know why.

"Rory ok," said the toddler, snuggling further into her grandmother's top.

"Yes, Rory's ok," she agreed as she dropped a kiss onto Rory's forehead. "Are you tired?" Rory replied by yawning. "Do you want to get some sleep?"

"Sweep," said Rory as her eyes drooped again. She closed the fully this time, and Emily watched as she gave herself over to sleep.

"Sweet dreams, my Angel," she whispered as she gave Rory another kiss. She watched her granddaughter sleep in her arms for a while; she wasn't really sure of how long she was sitting there, she was just enjoying the peace and quiet, and the fact that she was bonding with Rory alone. Before long, Emily had fallen asleep as well, as both grandmother and granddaughter slept together in the wooden rocking chair.

XXXX

"So are we winning so far?" Lorelai asked when the interval rolled around. People had begun to get out of their seats and head towards the restrooms and food stalls, but Luke and Lorelai stayed put.

"Nah," he answered. "It's 3-4 to the Mets." Lorelai frowned.

"Do you think we will win?" she asked. Luke shrugged.

"I can't really say," he said. "I hope so."

"Me too," she agreed enthusiastically as she finished the last of her cotton candy. Luke widened his eyes when he realised that she'd finished every last ounce of food they'd purchased at the beginning of the game."

"When you're thirty, you're gonna weigh five hundred pounds," he told her. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders.

"But you'll still love me anyway," she pointed out knowingly. Luke chewed his tongue thoughtfully, gaining a slap on the arm from Lorelai. "Hey, stop being mean," she whined.

"I'm not," he replied innocently. "Of course I'll still love you when you're all big and fat; I'd love you at any size or shape." Lorelai pouted.

"Why are you so certain that I'm gonna get fat?" she asked teasingly.

"Well the amount of food you eat is a pretty good indicator," he chuckled.

"But what if my metabolism stays this way forever?"

"Then it'd be freakish," he chuckled. "Anyway, I think there's another way you'll gain weight sometime in the future, that doesn't involve food," he said quietly, close to her ear. Lorelai gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment or two, before she caught on to what he was saying. Was he thinking about having a baby with her? No, she thought, teenage boys don't think about things like that, they think about baseball, and sex.

Her eyes had widened considerably when she'd realised what he was referring to, and Luke noticed immediately. He internally began to panic; what if he'd just messed up and freaked her out? He didn't mean that he wanted a baby with her now, he meant way, way in the future. He'd already thought about marriage, not in much detail, but he'd pictured his mother's engagement ring on Lorelai's finger, and how well it would suit her. He brought himself out of his imagination, and suddenly realised how awkward the air had turned around them.

"Um...I didn't mean...I mean..." he stumbled on how to word it right. Lorelai looked up at him, hanging on his every word. But when he opened his mouth to speak again, no words came tumbling out like they were supposed to.

"You didn't mean now?" she asked, finishing the sentence for him. Luke nodded. "I know," she whispered.

"Sorry if I freaked you out," he apologised. "I've hardly even thought about it." This time Lorelai nodded and smiled slightly at him.

"You didn't freak me out," she returned, as groups of people began piling around them again. The chatters of the people surrounding them drowned out their own voices, so they decided just to sit in silence until the game started.

The commentator's voice could be heard again, but instead of the players appearing, the giant screens situated around the field began playing animations. The famous 'kiss me' frame came on, showing a young couple in their early twenties. The guy pulled his girlfriend in for a kiss, and the two pulled apart with wide grins on their faces. Lorelai smiled to herself.

"That's so cool," she said in awe. "I wanna be on there!" Luke looked at her, his eyes wide with scepticism.

"You're kidding right?" he asked. Lorelai shook her head. "There's no way I'd kiss you while fifty thousand people were watching."

"Seriously though, it's so cool," she gushed.

"Hey lady, you got your wish," said the guy in front of them as he pointed to the screen. The couple looked up and found that they were in the frame, and Lorelai grinned happily.

"You totally have to kiss me," she said to Luke.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered, covering his face with his hands.

"Luuuke," she whined. "You're gonna look like such a coward if you don't kiss me right now," she teased. He turned to face her and she puckered her lips jokingly, as the crowd surrounding them chanted 'kiss her' over and over. He quickly leaned in, pecked a light kiss to her lips, then went to move back. But as he pulled away, Lorelai grasped the back of his neck and pulled him back towards her, gaining a happy cheer from the crowd. They were still sharing that kiss when the screen had switched to the players coming onto the pitch, and Lorelai finally pulled away from him when she noticed that people were getting to their feet.

"I can't believe you made me do that," he murmured, his cheeks turning red.

"You enjoyed it though, right?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Luke shrugged his shoulders.

"It was ok, I guess," he chuckled. Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him before standing up and pulling him to his feet.

"Game's starting again," she told him as they turned their attention back to the field, their hands twining together as Lorelai waved the giant foam finger around with her free hand. She was actually enjoying herself.

XXXX

"Did we win, did we win?" asked Lorelai eagerly as people began screaming and jumping up and down around them.

"Like hell we did," replied Luke happily as he lifted Lorelai off her feet and swung her around. She tilted her head forward and kissed him, before pulling away and grinning widely.

"I knew our team would win," she boasted. "They were obviously better than the other team, what were they called, the Moths?" she asked, not really caring.

"The Mets," he corrected. "And they didn't play that good this time."

"Of course they didn't, cause they suck," she said triumphantly.

"Hey, pipe down," said Luke. "There are Mets fans here, you know, we're in New York after all." Lorelai nodded.

"Wouldn't wanna get beaten up, would we?" she chuckled. They fought their way out of the stadium, picking up a coke for Lorelai along with way, then caught the shuttle bus back into Manhattan. Once they were in the hotel room, the phone started to ring, so Lorelai answered it quickly.

"Oh hi mom," greeted Lorelai enthusiastically as she fell onto the bed, bringing the corded phone with her.

"Lorelai, are you having a nice time?" Emily asked, feeling anxious about her impending news.

"Yeah, it's great here," she replied. "And Luke's team won the baseball game."

"Well that's wonderful," she said, trying to muster up some enthusiasm.

"So, I tried to call you this morning, twice actually," she said. "Did you go out or something?" Emily shut her eyes tightly before letting the next words tumble from her mouth.

"Well, we went to the hospital," she informed her. Lorelai immediately sat upright on the bed.

"The hospital?" she asked quickly. "Like, to visit a friend of yours or something?" It was wishful thinking, but she was hoping to god that it wasn't something else.

"No, um, Rory..."

"Rory?" she asked, feeling the panic rise inside of her. "What's the matter with Rory?" Luke heard her voice rising from the bathroom and quickly came out to see what was wrong.

"She's fine now," she assured her daughter, not wanting to worry her over nothing. Lorelai was already in full on panic mode though, so those words didn't really mean anything to her.

"What happened?" she asked frantically.

"I was preparing her breakfast, and your father was reading the paper, so Rory wandered off to his study. She found the books, and she must have tried to get one of them off, but a whole load of them came barrelling off the shelf and one hit her on the head," she explained.

"Oh my god, on the head?" she asked. She hoped there was nothing wrong with her.

"Yes, we took her to the emergency room, and the doctors did some tests," she said.

"Mom, is she ok?" Lorelai asked loudly, trying to speak over her mother's play by play of events.

"She's fine," she told her. "She had a minor concussion, nothing major or life threatening." Lorelai let out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding, and put her hand to her heart.

"Thank god," she breathed. "Where is she now?"

"She's in the living room playing with her toys," she said. "Would you like me to put her on?"

"Yes please." While Emily went off to retrieve Rory, Lorelai put her hand over the mouthpiece so she could tell Luke what had happened. By the way she was speaking, he was sure to be terrified too. "Rory hit her head, and she has a concussion," she told him, trying to stay calm.

"Is she ok?" Lorelai nodded.

"Mom says the doctor told them it's minor, and they're at home now." Luke let out a big puff of air and ran his right hand through his hair. Emily sat Rory in the chair by the phone, and gave her the receiver.

"It's mommy," she told her granddaughter. Rory's face lit up and pressed the receiver to her ear.

"Mama!" she exclaimed.

"Hi baby," she cooed. "Are you ok?" she asked worriedly.

"Rory ok," she informed her.

"Well that's good; mommy was worried about you sweets."

"Sticker," said Rory.

"What's that?" she asked, wondering where the random word came from.

"The doctor gave her a sticker," Emily clarified as she briefly took the phone from Rory.

"Wow, what sticker did you get Ror?" Lorelai asked.

"Ee or," replied the toddler.

"Eeyore?" she asked. "From Winnie the Pooh?"

"Yes," she answered happily. Lorelai smiled into the phone.

"So are you sure you're ok?" she asked.

"Me ok," she said again.

"Well good, hey Ror can you put grandma back on?"

"Granma," she said, passing the phone over to Emily.

"It's me again," said Emily.

"Oh, could you just put Rory back on a sec? I wanna say goodbye."

"Very well." Emily placed the phone back against Rory's ear, and held it there.

"Bye hon," she said. "I miss you loads."

"Miss mama too," she murmured.

"You miss me as well, aww thanks baby."

"Dada too."

"And you miss daddy?" Rory nodded, even though Lorelai couldn't see her. Lorelai held the phone out to Luke, gesturing for him to take it. "Rory says she misses you," she whispered as he put the phone to his ear.

"Hi Ror," he greeted. "You miss me?"

"Yes," she replied with a small giggle.

"We'll be back tomorrow," he told her. "So I'll see you when we get home ok? Love you."

"Wove you dada," she mumbled. Luke chuckled at the other end.

"Bye sweetie." He handed the phone back to Lorelai.

"You still there Ror?"

"Yes."

"You know I love you too right?"

"Wove you," she replied.

"Bye Rory," she said sadly.

"Bye mama." Emily took the phone back from Rory at that moment and pressed it back to her ear.

"Lorelai, are you still there?" she asked.

"Yeah, still here," she answered. "Do you think we should come home, I mean, Rory needs us."

"She's absolutely fine, Lorelai," said Emily.

"But..."

"No, you are not cutting your weekend short," she said stubbornly. "Rory is ok, she had a bump on the head but she's fine. It would be a waste of a weekend if you came back now." Lorelai sighed.

"Ok," she agreed. "But take care of her for me."

"Don't worry, I am doing," she assured her. "Enjoy the rest of your weekend." She didn't know what they had planned for the rest of their time in New York, but she hoped they enjoyed whatever they did do. The mother and daughter said their goodbyes, before they hung up. Luke shuffled closer to her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"She sounded fine on the phone," he said reassuringly.

"I know," she sighed. "I'm just worried about her."

"That's what moms do though, right? Worry?"

"Yeah I guess." He noticed her sadness and moved even closer to her, if that were possible. Lorelai noticed his close proximity and glanced up at him, a small smile curving her lips. "Lucas, are you trying to get in my pants?" she asked with a giggle. Luke groaned.

"Could you be any more obvious about it?" he asked with a smirk. He pushed on her shoulders until she was lying down, and moved to cover her body with his. "Did you enjoy yourself today?" he asked as he laced his fingers through hers.

"You wanna talk about baseball right now?" she asked as she arched an eyebrow.

"No, I wanna know if you had a good time," he corrected. Lorelai shrugged.

"Yeah, it was good," she replied. "The kissing part was by far the highlight of the day."

"Oh yeah?" Lorelai nodded.

"Definitely."

"I think I've forgotten what it was like," he said teasingly.

"Let me refresh your memory," she murmured, before pressing her lips to his. They moved into a comfortable rhythm as they kissed and shed clothes at the same time, the contact never being broken. They spent the next hour or so in bed, simply relaxing, among other things. It was the perfect day to Lorelai, but little did she know, that it was about to go up to a whole other level for her. For in less than two hours, she'd be walking like an Egyptian.

**I will include the Bangles concert in the next chapter **** this is already getting too long to include it in this one, plus I really want to post this like now! Please review, I love reviews :D And I will see you very soon, cause I plan to update this again sometime this week.**

**Emily.**


	53. Walking Like an Egyptian

**First of all, I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but I only updated yesterday, what more do you want from me? **

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed, I'm glad you all liked the baseball **** I really enjoyed writing this chapter, I love the Bangles, and it was great to write about them in the story. A couple of the songs like 'Walk Like an Egyptian', didn't actually come out until December 1986, and it's only April in the story, but I wanted to include it cause it's one of the most popular. And another that I mentioned didn't come out till '87, but I have the power to change history :P **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it isn't the usual length. **

"You know, it's really hard for a girl to get ready to go out, if she doesn't know where she's going," Lorelai pointed out once she'd emptied all her clothes from the suitcase. All Luke had told her was that they were going out, she had no idea where to.

"Just wear something nice," he shrugged.

"But what kind of nice?" she questioned.

"There are different types?"

"Well yeah, there's like Cyndi Lauper nice, or Olivia Newton John nice," she explained. "You see Olivia has the whole perfect, clean image with all the elegance, but Cyndi's a little crazier with more adventurous outfits." Luke methodically nodded his head, but he had actually zoned out as soon as the first person was mentioned. He had no idea who these people were. "So which one?" she asked when he didn't respond.

"Uh...just wear what you would to a concert," he said quickly, hoping he hadn't just given it away.

"Like an Aerosmith concert or more like the Bangles? Or Abba?" she chuckled. "Should I wear a jumpsuit with platform boots?" Luke rolled his eyes.

"The second one," he mumbled.

"Ok, so Bangles concert." She mulled over her choices, before picking up a black miniskirt with a skimpy vest top. "What do you think?" she asked as she reappeared from the bathroom. Her hair was down and flowing over her shoulders, her makeup was subtle with smokey eyes, and she was wearing the outfit she'd chosen with some pumps.

"You look great," he replied from his place on the bed. He'd been waiting patiently for her to prepare herself, trying to picture her reaction when she saw what they were doing.

"Not too trashy?" she asked. Luke smiled slightly.

"Just the right amount of trashy," he told her.

"Good." She walked over to him and nudged his legs apart with her knee, so she could stand between them. She put her arms around his neck and grinned when he looked up at her, his hand poised at her waist. "Tell me where we're going," she demanded.

"Not a chance," he refused. "Wait and see."

"When are we leaving?"

"As soon as you're ready."

"I'm ready now." Luke nodded and got to his feet, so he was standing dangerously close to her. He dared to look down at her, and found her smiling up at him. He left a light kiss on her lips, before pulling away and picking up her jacket from the back of the chair. "Luuuke? Where are we going?" she asked teasingly as they left their hotel room.

"You're not gonna break me," he said gruffly, but he was smirking slightly.

"How long have I got?"

"About ten minutes."

"Easy," she boasted. They stopped on the side of the street and Luke hailed a cab, just telling the driver the street name rather than the name of the arena. Just so Lorelai wouldn't find out until they got there. She continued to bug him throughout the whole journey, but he successfully kept quiet about their destination. The cab stopped as per Luke's request and he paid the driver, before escorting Lorelai out of the car.

"So where are we exactly?" she asked as she took in her surroundings. The street they were currently standing on was small, and there were a few stores and restaurants along each side. All they had to do was walk down a small side street and their night would be revealed. Luke checked his watch, finding that there was still another hour until the show started, they had time to get snacks.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her across the street.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, beginning to get fed up with the suspense. She just wanted to know already.

"Pipe down," he complained, but he wasn't really annoyed. He wanted her to stop asking him, she would find out in good time. He led her into a grocery store and picked up a basket, slinging it over his free arm as he clutched her hand in his.

"The grocery store?" she asked. "I had to dress like we were going to a Bangles concert for the grocery store?" She furrowed her brows, and looked completely disappointed.

"This is just a pit-stop," he said. "We need fuel." A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"So this isn't your big surprise?"

"Definitely a bit bigger than the grocery store," he said with a nod.

"I'm intrigued."

"Well you can stay that way cause I'm not giving it away just yet." Lorelai pouted as she followed him through the aisles. He'd already picked up a banana and an apple, as well as two sandwiches for dinner. He'd planned to take her out to dinner beforehand, but they'd spent too long in bed and didn't have enough time to get a meal. "Which do you want?" he asked as he gestured to the selection of junk food.

"Ooh, can I Cheetos?" Luke nodded. "And a Three Musketeers bar?" He nodded again. "And...

"Pick whatever you want," he sighed, knowing that she'd carry on bugging him if he didn't. Lorelai made an incoherent sound of glee, before practically diving into the display. When they walked over to check out, their basket was full of marshmallows, gummy worms, Pringles, cookies and other typical Lorelai foods, and Luke frowned at it. There were only three items in there that could be associated with the word healthy.

As they walked down the street again, Lorelai turned to Luke as she polished off half of her sandwich.

"This night's shaping up to be a good one already," she said happily. Luke smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"It's about to get a whole lot better," he told her, before turning up the side street to get to their destination. Lorelai got even more confused as they walked down the secluded, dark street.

"I hope you don't think we're having sex up here, Lucas," she tutted. Luke cast her a sidelong glance as he carried on walking. "This isn't the surprise is it, sex in public?"

"Lorelai, you'll find out what the surprise is in a minute, will you be patient?" Lorelai grinned in anticipation as they continued to stroll through the darkened alleyway.

"When can I open my gummy worms?" she asked.

"When we get there," he replied.

"When's that?" Luke held his arm out and pointed towards the building. Lorelai followed his gaze and watched as people in groups mulled around on the sidewalk, some entering the building.

"What is this?" she asked, feeling the excitement rise in her stomach. She felt like a bunch of butterflies were fluttering around inside of her, and she didn't quite know how to calm the feeling. They crossed the street, still hand in hand, and walked closer to the groups of people. That's when Lorelai noticed the signs above and around the entrance reading; The Bangles, tonight only. She gasped loudly and her eyes flew to Luke.

"Do you like it?" he asked hopefully, although he already had a pretty good inkling that she did.

"Oh my god," she exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck. "I can't believe this, you got Bangles tickets?" Luke nodded. "But...how? I didn't even know they were here tonight."

"Sookie told me about it, and suggested that we go this weekend," he said. "I thought it'd be a good idea."

"It was a great idea," she said excitedly. She tightened her arms around him, pulling herself closer to him, and gave him a kiss filled with passion and gratitude.

"I heard you really like the Bangles," he said as they pulled away from one another.

"Hell yeah," she confirmed. "They're the best girl group around." She grinned as she looked at the crowds of people surrounding them. "I can't believe we're here."

"I think I said the same thing when we got to the baseball game earlier," he chuckled.

"Now I know how you felt." Luke took her hand again and pulled her towards the entrance and over to a ticket booth that had just opened up. After giving them some information, they found his reservation and handed the tickets over, in exchange for seventy dollars. "I know we're on vacation, and we're having a good time and all, but how exactly are we affording everything?" asked Lorelai once they'd strayed away from the ticket booth.

"It's covered," he assured her.

"You keep telling me that, and I keep believing you, but now I'm having a hard time thinking if it's actually true."

"You don't need to worry," he told her.

"But I do worry," she continued. "Cause the diner's not even half finished yet, and there's still a hell of a lot to pay for. You said yourself that you don't think you'll have enough money to cover everything, so how are we being able to afford tickets to see the Bangles and large amounts of junk food?" Luke hung his head, trying to avoid having to answer her question.

"This isn't the time for this, Lorelai," he warned. He definitely didn't want to discuss this while they were surrounded by thousands of people.

"When will be the time? When you're broke and can't afford a new stove for the diner?"

"Why are you arguing with me about this now?" he asked, raising his voice a little. Nobody was paying attention to them; they were too caught up in the buzz of being at a Bangles concert to notice.

"Because I'm worried, Luke," she said, softening her voice. "I love that you're doing all these nice things for me, but I'm worried about you and your situation. You worry about me, so why aren't I allowed to do the same for you?" Luke sighed, he knew she only had good intentions, but they weren't always clear to him. He focussed on a spot on the floor, before opening his mouth to let the words tumble out.

"Buddy's helping me out," he admitted. "He dropped by the diner about a week ago, and we went through everything I'd need to get it back up and running. We worked out prices, wages for Tom's people, and labour costs. I can afford the materials, and a few appliances, but Buddy's helping with the rest." He felt ashamed to admit that he'd asked somebody for help, he wanted to prove to her and everyone else that he could do it himself, obviously he was incapable.

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" she asked. She felt like he was always keeping something from her, something that changes the situation they're in. Luke shrugged.

"I wanted you to think that I did it all myself," he said. "I didn't want you to know that I'm failing."

"Luke," she said sadly. "I don't want you to think you have to impress me all the time, cause you don't. I don't care if you're paying for the work on the diner or if someone else is, it doesn't matter to me. As long as you're ok and you're happy, then I'm fine with whatever happens." She looked directly at him. "I would have been more than happy to just stay at the hotel tonight; you didn't have to go out of your way to impress me."

"Did you want to go back?" he asked. "Cause I can get the tickets refunded..." Lorelai held her hand up to stop him from going any further.

"We're here now," she mumbled with a wide smile. "Might as well stay." Luke grinned.

"I thought so," he chuckled. "What do you say we go find our seats?"

"I say that's a pretty good idea." They shared a smile and Luke rested his hand at the small of her back to guide her through the crowd. Luke asked an usher where their seats were, and they were shown through an archway onto a large balcony.

"Front row," the usher said before walking away. Lorelai turned to Luke and grinned widely.

"Front row," she exclaimed. "We can look right down onto the stage!" Luke smiled at her excitement, and led her to their seats. "These are great seats," she commented. "How did you score these?"

"I went to Sookie and asked her for advice on something to do this weekend that you'd enjoy."

"You went to Sookie for advice?" she asked, cutting him off. He nodded in reply. "Wow, I totally can't picture that," she muttered.

"Anyway, she told me about this concert and how she was gonna ask you to go a couple of months ago, but it turned out that it was on the same day as the baseball game. So she called the ticket office and pulled a few strings, and here we are."

"Remind me to thank Sookie the next time I see her," she said thoughtfully. She looked down onto the stage and sighed happily.

"You like it?" he asked. Lorelai nodded eagerly.

"I can't actually believe that the Bangles are gonna be right in front of us," she said excitedly. "It's something I never thought would happen; well not since I got pregnant."

"Yeah, I heard about your little fantasy of following them on their tour," he teased, prodding her side lightly.

"Sookie told you?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Luke nodded. "I was totally obsessed with them before I had Rory, I was gonna call her Susanna."

"Susanna?" he asked confusedly.

"She's the lead singer," she explained. "And she plays the guitar." Luke looked down at the stage thoughtfully for a few moments.

"I can't imagine Rory as a Susanna," he said. Lorelai shook her head in agreement.

"I think that's why I decided against it in the end; she just looked like a Lorelai." Luke chuckled.

"Probably cause she looked like you," he pointed out.

"Probably," she muttered. "It's weird, I don't think you can really choose a name for your kid before it's born, you just have to wait and see what suits." Luke didn't agree with that one bit.

"You're talking crap," he told her. "People choose names for their kids before they're born all the time. And the truth is, if you weren't high on Demerol when it came to naming Rory, she probably would be called Susanna right now." Lorelai twisted her mouth thoughtfully, mulling over his comment.

"You know, you're right," she agreed. "Man, I totally should have called her Lorelai Susanna, that would have worked."

"This epiphany you're having is a bit far behind," he chuckled. "She's only one and a half." Lorelai lightly slapped his arm, unable to hide her amusement.

"Shut up, people can change their names you know."

"You are not changing Rory's name," he disallowed. "She's Lorelai Leigh and that's what she's gonna stay."

"Can't she be, Lorelai Leigh Susanna?" she asked. "Or Lorelai Susanna Leigh?" Luke arched an eyebrow at her.

"You're not serious," he said incredulously.

"I am," she told him.

"You sure you haven't been on the Demerol again?" Lorelai flashed him a smile.

"No, I'm pretty sure I haven't had an epidural in the last few hours," she giggled.

"I think the hype of being at a Bangles concert's overwhelmed you," he concluded. "Cause at the moment you're talking crazy."

"Whoa dude, when have you ever known me to talk crazy?" she asked jokingly. Luke scoffed loudly, gaining a few looks from the people surrounding them. Lorelai noticed that there was a large number of people on the balcony around them and bounced a little in her seat. "It must be starting soon, what time is it?" she asked impatiently.

"Seven twenty five," said Luke as he checked his watch. "Five more minutes."

"Eeeeeee," she squealed. "I'm so excited; I can't remember the last time I felt like this."

"Why do I feel like a spare part?" he asked, feigning hurt.

"Seriously babe, my heart is beating so fast right now, I'm scared it's gonna jump out of my chest." Luke chuckled.

"Way to exaggerate." Lorelai grabbed his hand and put it on her chest so he could feel her hammering heart.

"See."

"Um," he cleared his throat. "It's probably not a good idea for me to be touching that part of you right now," he said, blushing slightly. Lorelai looked down at his hand and smiled brightly.

"You embarrassed?" she chuckled.

"Just give me my hand back," he ordered as he tugged it away from her. "Stay away from me until the concert's over." Lorelai grinned devilishly, before the lights dimmed and an enthusiastic voice boomed over the speaker, introducing the band itself. Lorelai got to her feet, as did almost everyone else in the room, except Luke of course, and began cheering and jumping up and down.

"Luke, get up," Lorelai ordered as she tugged on his hand. He complied and kept a hold of her hand as they watched the first band member walk out onto the stage, followed by the other three. The crowd erupted into cheers and screams again, including Lorelai, who was deafening Luke.

"Do you have to scream so loud?" he complained, although he was glad she was enjoying herself already.

"Luke that's the Bangles!" she exclaimed, pointing to the stage. "Right in front of us." She seemed to be in utter amazement as she watched the band take their places and get comfortable with their respective instruments. Just the look on her face made his heart swell, he was glad he could make her happy after she'd been so miserable the last couple of months. "Look, that's Debbi," she said in awe. "And Vicki, and Micki," she listed.

"What's with all the rhyming names?" he asked. "Are you making them up as you go along?" Lorelai ignored him.

"And there's Susanna," she finished.

"Ah the infamous Susanna," he sighed. He was actually getting pretty bored already, but Lorelai was enjoying herself so who was he to complain? The band had officially set up by now, under the watchful eyes of the amazed crowd, and were about to break into their first song.

"Ooh I wonder what they're gonna play first," said Lorelai thoughtfully. "I hope it's Manic Monday." The band began playing 'Walking Down Your Street' and the crowd burst into another round of applause. "I love this song," she gushed as she began swaying from side to side. "The music video is totally awesome, they're like hitting each other with pillows at the beginning, then they go on this big road trip and there're cows and this really weird guy in an orange truck." Luke listened, pretending to be taking an interest.

"Sounds delightful," he said, less than enthusiastically. Lorelai chose to ignore him again and began singing, all the while dancing wildly. She fit in with the rest of the crowd, whereas Luke looked a bit out of place just sitting there doing nothing. At least their minor disagreement from before was long forgotten, now they could just enjoy themselves, well, Lorelai could.

XXXX

"Where mama?" Rory asked her grandmother as she was sitting in the bathtub, Emily shampooing her hair.

"She went to New York," replied Emily. Rory looked at her confusedly, obviously not understanding what that meant.

"Where dada?" she asked.

"He went to New York too," she told her. Rory looked down at her rubber duck as it floated on the surface of the water and frowned.

"Miss mama dada," she murmured. Emily smiled softly down at her granddaughter.

"I know you do sweetheart," she said. "They'll be back tomorrow."

"Torro?" she questioned.

"That's right." Emily tapped Rory's nose with a soapy finger, leaving a dollop of foam there. Rory giggled and stuck her tongue out, trying to lick it off, that made Emily chuckle. "Silly Rory," she cooed. "You can't lick your nose, it's impossible."

"Rory nose," she said, tipping her head back as she tried to get her tongue up high enough.

"Richard?" Emily called. "Bring the camera." Richard appeared a couple of minutes later with the film camera in his hand.

"What do you want this for?" he asked.

"Look, Rory's trying to lick her nose, I thought it was cute," she shrugged. Richard chuckled at his granddaughter's silliness.

"Rory, look at me," said Richard as he crouched down next to the tub. Rory looked up at him, her tongue stuck out and pointing upwards, with the dollop of soap still on the end of her nose. He looked through the lens, snapped the photo and smiled triumphantly.

"Make sure to get a copy of that for Lorelai," Emily said as she took her place next to the tub again. "She'll like that." Richard nodded.

"I'll go to the photo store tomorrow, Emily," he said before exiting the bathroom.

"You do some silly things don't you darling?" she asked, beginning to wash the shampoo from Rory's hair.

"Siwy," agreed Rory.

"Are you ready to come out yet?" Rory shook her head.

"No," she protested as she lunged for her rubber duck and hugged it close to her.

"Ok you can stay in the tub a little longer, but when you start to get pruney, you're coming out." Rory examined her hand then held it up to Emily.

"No pune," she said before busying herself in the water. She pulled a selection of bath toys from the side of the tub and dropped them in the water, all the while making noises to emphasise their landing. She picked one up and flew it around in the air as she made plane noises. Emily watched in amusement while her granddaughter entertained herself. She adored looking after Rory, especially on overnight visits. The girl was such a joy to take care of, she was low maintenance and well behaved, that's all she could ask for really.

When it was time to get out of the tub, Rory pouted dramatically, staring after the water longingly as it swished down the plughole. Emily chuckled as she towel-dried her, Rory was exactly like Lorelai, in fact they were so alike it was scary, Emily thought. She carried her through to the nursery, still wrapped in a towel, and laid her on the changing table. After she was dressed for bed, Emily soon realised that her granddaughter wasn't quite ready to go to sleep yet, she was much too hyper.

"Richard, where did you put that game?" Emily asked when they made it down the stairs.

"What game?" he questioned, like he had no idea what his wife was talking about.

"The thing with the mat and the multi-coloured circles," she explained. "The one we played the last time Rory stayed the weekend." Richard entered the room holding a white box.

"You mean Twister," he told her. "Were you wanting to play it?"

"Yes, Rory's too excited to sleep at the moment, and with it being the last night she's staying with us this weekend, I thought it'd be nice to let her stay up a little later than usual."

"I'll set it up," he said with a nod. After a quick recap of the instructions, and getting Rory familiar with it again, they began the game with Emily spinning the pointer.

"Richard, right foot red," she ordered. He placed his foot where he was told then waited for Rory to take her turn, obviously being told which was left and which was right. In the end, Rory had two feet on yellow and two hands on blue, and Richard was stretched over her with his arms and legs all over the place. When he had to move his leg over the top of Rory to reach the next dot, he stumbled and fell to the floor, gaining a giggle from Rory.

"Granpa wose!" she called excitedly.

"Yes I lost," said Richard, pretending to be sad. Rory patted his shoulder comfortingly before climbing on top of him as he still lay on the floor. She moved so she was face to face with him and looked down at him cheekily.

"Rory win," she exclaimed.

"I know munchkin," he chuckled as he lifted her up and held her above him. Rory began making airplane noises and Richard moved her back and forth so it looked like she was flying.

"Are you getting tired yet sweetheart?" asked Emily once Richard had put her down.

"No," she replied as she began putting her hands on the colours of the twister mat. The elder Gilmores sighed; it was going to be a long night.

XXXX

"Walk like an Egyptian!" the crowd sang as Susanna pointed the microphone towards the audience. Lorelai had been singing her heart out since the show began, and even Luke had started to get into it a little. He didn't sing though. So as the band sang their final number, everyone was on their feet dancing and clapping along, most of them singing too. It had been a great show, and Lorelai had had the best night out she'd ever experienced.

The crowd burst through the double doors at the end of the concert. The members of the band had said their final goodbyes and were probably winding down after one of their best concerts. Luke and Lorelai followed the other fans out to the main area of the arena, where stalls selling merchandise had been set up.

"Oh Luke, I totally have to get a t-shirt," she said as she looked at the selection. She chose a fitted black one with a variety of colours on the front making up the Bangles logo. She reached into her purse to get some money, but Luke stopped her.

"I'll get it for you," he told her, already reaching into his pocket for his wallet.

"No, it's ok," she protested. "You already paid for the hotel room, the food, the concert tickets," she listed. "I can buy this."

"You sure?" She nodded. There was no way she was gonna let him pay for everything this weekend, he was in financial trouble after all. She pulled the shirt over her head and adjusted it so it fit nicely over her vest top.

"How do I look?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Like I told you before, you look good in anything," he said. Lorelai grinned at him and stepped a little closer to him as they walked, while he took her hand into his and twined their fingers together.

"So you like?"

"It doesn't really matter," he said nonchalantly. "I'll be taking it off you soon." Lorelai fake-gasped at his comment, he was really coming out of his shell this weekend.

"Aren't you Mr Confident?" she teased. "What makes you think we're having sex tonight?"

"Oh there'll be sex," he said surely. "And lots of it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Cause you just can't resist the guy who buys you tickets to see the Bangles," he said close to her ear.

"True," she murmured. "You'd better not rip the t-shirt though; you're buying me another if you do."

"I can't promise anything," he chuckled. They left the arena and joined the queue for taxis. "So did you have a good time?" he asked, already knowing that she did.

"I had the best time," she told him. "Seriously, I still can't believe that the Bangles were only a few feet away from us."

"It was a pretty good concert," he agreed. The music kinda grew on him after the fourth song, it was just so catchy and easy to remember.

"Did Luke Danes just admit that he enjoyed a Bangles concert?" she asked in mock-disbelief. "I thought I'd never see the day."

"I can enjoy things," he argued.

"Well the way you sat there through most of it kinda made it look like you were bored." Luke shrugged.

"I don't dance," he stated. Lorelai raised her eyebrows.

"I have proof that tells otherwise," she said with a feline smile.

"Oh yeah?" he challenged.

"You danced with me at the Halloween party last year," she pointed out.

"And?"

"And I bet someone has pictures of that," she giggled. "Seriously though, you're quite a good dancer and nobody knew you in there so what's the worst that could happen?" Luke shrugged.

"I had a good time ok? I wasn't bored, or moody, I was having fun," he assured her. "I just didn't feel much like dancing, nothing wrong with that."

"It was a really great concert," she said.

"And I enjoyed watching you dance around like a maniac," he chuckled. "It was good to see you enjoying yourself."

"I did more than enjoy myself," she exclaimed. "That was epic, the Bangles totally rock."

"Ok, calm down a little," he warned. "People are staring." Lorelai looked up at him through her mascara covered lashes and smiled contentedly.

"Thank you so much," she murmured before reaching up and kissing him on the lips. "You know, this gesture has made me love you even more." Luke smirked.

"It's not possible for me to love you any more than I already do," he returned, leaving another kiss on her lips.

"Softie," she cooed, squeezing his cheek between her fingers.

"Wish this cab would hurry up," he mumbled. "I can't wait to get back to the room and rip that t-shirt off of you." Lorelai glanced up at him with a devilish smile.

"No ripping," she warned.

"Don't worry, it's under full warranty and guaranteed for replacement."

"Good," she said. "This is a great t-shirt." They shared yet another idiotic smile, and a few more kisses, before it was their turn to get in the cab. Lorelai seated herself dangerously close to Luke, not worrying about putting on a safety belt; she just wanted to be as close as possible to her man. As they drove through the bustling streets of New York on a Saturday night, they both sat in silence, stealing glances at each other now and again, and the odd touch here and there. There was one thing both teenagers knew for sure; the night was not over yet.

**I only cut this short cause I've had a glass of raspberry cider or two, and I'm a little happy :D but I'm kinda tired too, and my eyes keep drooping which isn't good when you're staring at a computer screen. I think I did pretty well to write this when I only posted yesterday.**

**So you know the drill, I ask you to review, you click on the little button at the bottom of the page and leave a nice comment. If you don't usually do that, just let me know you're enjoying the story, even if you only write one or two words! I am actually curious because I have like 160 people who have put this on alert, and I'm not sure if some of you are still reading...anyway, review, if you are so kind **** see you soon.**

**Emily.**


	54. I Heart New York

**Sorry about the wait, I couldn't get the motivation to write this chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I loved reading every single one of your comments, and it was nice to hear from some on my alerts list. I hope I hear from you all again :D I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'll let you get down to reading now.**

"I'm gonna take a shower," said Luke the next morning. It was six thirty, and surprisingly, Lorelai was awake and alert.

"Ooh let me come with?" she asked as she grabbed a towel from the back of the chair.

"Is it gonna be like the last shower we took together? Cause I was kinda wanting to get clean, not even dirtier than I already am." Lorelai giggled.

"We'll just get clean, I promise," she smiled. Luke narrowed his eyes at her and tilted his head at an angle.

"You telling the truth?" Lorelai nodded eagerly as she walked towards the bathroom.

"Seriously babe, I just wanna take a shower, no funny business," she winked. Luke broke out into a grin and followed her into the tiny bathroom, removing his shirt as he went. "So what's on the agenda for today?" she asked as she turned the water on and got it to the right temperature, before removing her own clothes.

"I dunno, what do you wanna do?" he asked. Lorelai shrugged.

"I'll be happy with anything," she answered.

"We could go shopping," he suggested, causing Lorelai's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Luke Danes, are you actually suggesting that we go shopping?" she asked in mock-surprise.

"Well, we're in New York," he told her. "You're supposed to go shopping while you're here; it's like a woman's paradise." Lorelai smiled as she unhooked her bra.

"There are some amazing stores here," she said thoughtfully. "But..." she cut herself off as she stepped into the small shower cubicle. Luke followed, squashing himself in there with her and leaning back against the wall.

"But what?" he asked.

"Well...we shouldn't really be shopping," she said logically. "We should be saving as much money as we can right now." Luke rolled his eyes.

"We can go shopping," he said pointedly. "It's not like we're gonna buy out the whole damn city." Lorelai chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully for a few moments, before nodding hesitantly and smiling at him.

"Ok," she agreed. "But we're not buying much." Luke nodded in agreement, before ducking his head and smiling. "What?" she asked as she prodded his chest with her index finger.

"I thought I'd never hear those words come out of your mouth," he chuckled, grasping her hips with his strong hands and pulling her closer to him. He positioned her under the spray and watched as the water cascaded down her body.

"Somebody has to think sensibly, Luke," she grinned. "Cause you sure as hell aren't." She moved her hands down to cover his on her hips, fitting her fingers in the gaps between his. "Wash my hair for me?" she asked, looking up at him innocently. A smile tugged at the corners of Luke's lips and he nodded slowly, before looking around for her shampoo bottle. "Oh, I left it by the sink," she said in remembrance of the previous day. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Coulda remembered that before we got in the damn shower," he mumbled as he pushed the curtain aside and reached towards the sink. The bathroom was very small so he didn't have to stretch too far, and he returned to the shower within seconds.

"Conditioner too," she grinned, noticing that he'd only picked the shampoo up. Luke rolled his eyes, but reached back out to get the requested item anyway. He put the bottle of conditioner on the shelf, before taking the shampoo from her grasp and squirting some onto his hand. He slowly rubbed his hands together, watching as she turned away from him so he could get to her dark hair. He lathered the soap up in her locks, massaging her scalp as he washed the top of it. She moaned a couple of times, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the attention he was lavishing her with.

"Move back," he ordered, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and pulling her backwards. Lorelai giggled when they nearly stumbled and fell to the shower floor, but Luke managed to save them before they went.

"You're a really good shampooer," she complimented as he massaged his fingers through her wet hair, washing the soap from it.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, you could be a hairdresser." Luke snorted.

"I don't think so," he protested. He finished washing the soap from her hair, then proceeded to apply conditioner and wash that out too.

"Can I do yours now?" she asked hopefully, eyeing his short hair longingly.

"Sure," he replied, it didn't take much washing anyway. Lorelai let out a small excited squeal before grabbing her shampoo bottle from the shelf. "Ah, ah," he stopped her, shaking his head.

"What?"

"You're not using your girly shampoo on my hair," he protested.

"But it smells good," she said enticingly.

"No, I don't wanna smell like strawberries," he said, scrunching his nose up.

"Raspberries," she corrected.

"Same difference," he muttered.

"Fine, where's your manly shampoo then?" she chuckled. Luke looked at her pointedly for a moment or two before reaching his arm over her shoulder and picking up the small bottle from the shelf behind her. She took it wordlessly and deposited a dollop of it onto her hand, taking a sniff of it as she did. "This doesn't even smell of anything," she said. "What's the point in that?"

"It does the job," Luke replied, pulling her hands up to his hair so she'd get on with it. Lorelai began massaging it into his short hair, messing around by sticking it up so it was spiky. "So, did you enjoy yourself last night?" he asked, already knowing that the answer was yes.

"It was the second greatest night of my life," she grinned.

"Oh yeah? What's the first?" he asked curiously.

"October eighth, of course," she replied dumbly.

"Of course," he said with a nod. Lorelai smiled as she continued to run her hands through his hair. "I'm glad you had a good time, I knew you'd like it."

"It was amazing," she gushed.

"I'm just trying to make it up to you," he shrugged. Lorelai smiled sheepishly as she pushed him back to stand under the water.

"You don't have to," she told him.

"I do," he said firmly. "I know I haven't treated you well since the fire, I'm sorry." Lorelai ducked her head to avoid having to look into his pained eyes.

"It's ok," she replied softly. "I already told you it's ok." She finished washing the soap from his hair then wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to her.

"I just..." Lorelai shook her head and put her hand over his mouth, trapping the words before they could escape.

"It's fine, really," she stressed. "I understand why you were acting the way you were. I was hurt at the time, yes, but you were hurting even more." She dropped her eyes from his for a moment, before returning to his intense gaze that was locked on her. "Now can we stop talking about this, please?" Luke nodded, and Lorelai removed her hand from covering his mouth.

"Ok," he agreed. "Wanna stop talking altogether?" Lorelai grinned at him devilishly, as he pushed her back against the shower wall. She pushed on his shoulders, giggling the whole time.

"Luke," she gasped. "Don't get too into it, you have to go out there and get a glove," she giggled. Luke groaned against her shoulder, but pulled away from her and exited the small cubicle.

"Be right back," he muttered.

"I'll be waiting." He smiled at her before closing the curtain after him and hurrying into their room, while Lorelai waited eagerly in the shower for him. They were both about to get dirty again, but neither really cared.

XXXX

"Don't you just love New York?" asked Lorelai as they drove further and further away from the city. Luke shrugged.

"Smells funny," he mumbled.

"I think we've had this conversation before," she said thoughtfully. Luke glanced over at her briefly, before taking his eyes back to the quiet road ahead of them.

"I like New York when you're there with me," he admitted. Lorelai put her hand to her heart.

"Really Luke?" she asked, half-mockingly. He knew what was coming next and gave her a stern glare.

"Don't mock me," he growled.

"I wasn't, I think it's sweet," she cooed. He gave her an annoyed glare so she grinned at him and reached over to touch his arm. "Hey, don't you think I'm totally rocking this shirt?" she asked, referring to the 'I heart New York' t-shirt she was wearing that she'd purchased earlier that day on their shopping trip.

"You rock every shirt you wear," he replied, keeping his attention ahead of him.

"My, my, you're just full of sweet little comments this evening aren't you?" Luke reached over and gave her a nudge in the arm. "What? It's true!" she exclaimed.

"Sit there and shut up," he ordered. Lorelai pouted and slumped back in her seat, before proceeding to entertain herself with the radio for twenty five miles. "Will you stop messing with that thing?" Luke complained. "You've been changing stations for ages, just choose one." Lorelai flicked through a few more stations before settling on one playing a Bon Jovi song.

"I'm hungry," she sighed after a few minutes. Luke rolled his eyes, not this again.

"I guess we could stop for a late afternoon snack," he allowed, causing Lorelai to jump in her seat a little.

"Yay! Can we go somewhere that has hot dogs? I could really eat a hot dog right now."

"I'm sick of seeing them," he grumbled. "There's a damn hot dog stand on every street corner in that city."

"I know, isn't it great?" She stared out of the window, keeping an eye open for a place to get something to eat.

"There's a diner a little further along this road," he told her, noticing what she was looking for. "We'll stop when we come to it."

"Ok," she agreed. They went into a comfortable silence, both of them running away with their own thoughts. "I can't wait to see Rory," she said, cutting into the silence. Luke smiled over at her as he nodded in agreement.

"Me too," he said. "I wonder how she's doing."

"She's probably wondering where we are," she chuckled. She immediately began to wonder about the ring, had Emily found it? She hoped she had, she was gonna be in a bit of a sticky situation if she hadn't. She bit on her bottom lip unconsciously as she worried about what might happen if the ring remained unfound.

"You ok?" Luke asked as he noticed she looked worried.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine," she answered nervously. "I was just thinking about...things."

"Things?" he asked.

"Yeah um...you know, like Christopher and Rachel," she finished. She cursed herself silently for her choice of excuse; she didn't want to get into a conversation about each of their exes right now. She heard Luke inhale, before letting the breath out slowly.

"There's still a chance they'll find them," he told her. "We just have to sit tight and keep waiting." Lorelai nodded, hoping that that was the end of the conversation. When Luke didn't say anything else, she relaxed her shoulders and slumped back into her seat, waiting for the diner Luke mentioned to come into view.

XXXX

"Did you get the pictures, Richard?" asked Emily as her husband entered the house that afternoon.

"Yes, I got them all developed," he assured her. "I had to wait a while so I wondered around the mall a little bit."

"Did you get the ring cleaned?" she asked eagerly. Richard presented the burned, tattered box from the inside pocket of his suit jacket, holding it out to his wife.

"As good as new," he said. Emily opened the box, revealing the shining diamond ring.

"Oh it's beautiful," she crooned. "You don't think it's too shiny do you? We don't know what it looked like before," she said worriedly. Richard rolled his eyes.

"It'll be fine Emily, I'm sure Luke won't notice." She looked up at him and nodded hesitantly, before turning around and walking into the living room with Richard hot on her heels. "Hello darling," he greeted his granddaughter.

"Granpa," she said happily as she got to her feet and toddled over to him. She hugged his leg and grinned up at him, before her eyes fell on the object in her grandmother's hand. "Ring!" she exclaimed, reaching up for it longingly.

"No," Emily refused. "You're not going anywhere near this ring again, not after what happened." Rory pouted up at her.

"Pwease?" she asked, trying to use her cuteness to get what she wanted.

"Absolutely not," she said firmly. Richard bent down and scooped Rory up, bringing her over to the couch, next to where a pile of books were sitting on the side table.

"What are these then?" he asked as he chose the first book off the pile. Rory's eyes lit up when he opened it and she settled herself so she was comfortable on his lap.

"Book," she exclaimed as she turned the pages till the first page of large writing appeared.

"Where are these from, Emily?" Richard asked as he admired the pile of books. He'd certainly never seen them before.

"Lorelai packed them in Rory's luggage," she replied. "I think Luke bought them for her."

"Ah, you're already building a book collection sweetheart," he said. "That's good." Rory smiled up at him before pointing to the page.

"Read," she demanded. Richard chuckled heartily at his granddaughter's bossiness, it reminded him very much of his daughter's behaviour.

"Ok, once upon a time..."

XXXX

Luke pulled into the Gilmore's driveway a couple of hours later, with a very giddy Lorelai. She was so excited to see her daughter again after a whole weekend away from her, Luke found it quite sweet actually. He had almost pulled to a stop when she flung the door open and exited the green vehicle, although it was still moving a tad.

"Lorelai," he called as he put the truck in park and applied the handbrake. He pushed his door open and hurried over to the front door, where Lorelai was eagerly waiting for someone to open the door. "Next time you wanna get out of the truck, wait till it's stationary," he warned. Lorelai simply grinned at him as she tapped on the door again.

"Ok, Lorelai no need to pound the door down," scolded Emily as she answered the door. It was typical for Emily to skip the traditional greetings.

"Hi mom," she said excitedly as she threw herself into her mother's arms. The two shared a welcoming hug before pulling away and smiling at each other. "Where's my girl?" she asked.

"In the living room with your father," she replied. Lorelai was halfway across the lobby after the words 'living room' had been muttered.

"Hello Luke," Emily greeted him as she watched him close the front door after him.

"Emily," he returned with a curt nod.

"Did you have an enjoyable weekend?" she asked as they both began to walk to the living room, retracing Lorelai's steps.

"It's was great, thanks," he replied.

"Rory!" Lorelai exclaimed as she stole the little girl from her grandfather.

"Mama," said Rory, a huge grin taking over her features. She lunged forward and rubbed her chubby cheek against her mother's.

"I missed you so much, sweets," she said. "Mwah," she left a smacking kiss on her daughter's cheek.

"Mwah," repeated Rory, kissing Lorelai in the same place. Lorelai laughed and held Rory closer to her, inhaling the sweet baby smell that she'd missed so much in the last two days. "Miss you," she said as she pointed to her mother.

"Aww baby I missed you too," she said softly. "You have no idea." Rory's eyes lit up further when she noticed Luke enter the room.

"Dada," she shouted, struggling to get free of Lorelai's tight grasp. Lorelai reluctantly set her on the floor, allowing Rory to run over to him and tug on the leg of his jeans.

"Hi Ror," he said as he picked her up.

"Miss dada," she told him.

"Well I missed you too," he replied. "Did you do anything nice this weekend?"

"Ring," she said, patting her tummy as she did. Lorelai, Richard and Emily's eyes all widened at the toddler's exclamation, all three trying to act as normal as possible.

"Ring?" he asked, wondering what she was trying to tell him. Lorelai glanced questioningly at her mother, silently asking her if she found the object in question. When Emily nodded as confirmation, Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief, feeling some weight lift off her shoulders.

"Yes we um...we played the game with the rings again," said Emily quickly, trying to recover from the setback. "Well the circles," she corrected. "And they're all different colours."

"Twister," said Richard, wondering why Emily found it so hard to remember the name of it.

"Yes that's it," she agreed, grateful for the assistance. "Rory loved it." Lorelai grinned from ear to ear, reminded of the image she had in her head of her parents playing Twister.

"Can we play now?" Lorelai asked hopefully. "I really have to see this; it's on my list of things to do before I turn thirty." Emily rolled her eyes, she knew Lorelai would mock them for this; it was just exactly the same as the last time the couple went away for the weekend.

"Later," said Emily, trying to dismiss Lorelai's amusement at the idea. "Right now I want to hear about your trip." Lorelai jumped at the chance to tell her mother about her experiences in New York, and hurried over to the couch, soon followed by Luke who sat down next to her and settled Rory in his lap. She was studying his stubbly cheek and jaw, running her fingers over it and scrunching her face up at the prickly texture of it. "So, how was it?" Emily asked, prompting Lorelai to launch into a recollection of their weekend.

"It was amazing," she gushed. "First we ended up in this really bad hotel, with this psycho women and portraits of Jesus in the rooms," she shuddered. "So we left there and found a Holiday Inn, it was a lot better." Richard and Emily nodded along; both interested to find out what the two got up to. "The baseball game was ok, very good food," she said with a smile.

"Did you win?" Richard asked curiously.

"Yeah of course," replied Luke. "The Red Sox are too good to lose." Richard chuckled.

"That's good news," he said. "Who were they playing?"

"The Moles," answered Lorelai. Luke rolled his eyes, while Richard looked confused.

"I don't think I've heard of them," he said thoughtfully.

"She means the Mets," Luke corrected. "She's not so good with baseball."

"Hey, I had a good time," she said pointedly. "It doesn't matter if I don't know the name of the team, they're losers anyway." The men shared a knowing smile while Emily looked plain bored.

"So, besides the baseball game, what else did you do?" Lorelai grinned over at Luke, before looking back to her parents.

"Well, Luke bought me tickets to see the Bangles," she revealed. "So that's where we went on Saturday night."

"The Bangles?" asked Emily. "What is that?"

"It's a band mom, I used to have posters in my room of them, they're my favourite girl group." Emily nodded with only a small amount of realisation.

"Oh yes," she said. "So you had a good time?"

"It was the best," she exclaimed. "We were right on the front row of the balcony, and the band was just...they were better than ever." She still couldn't believe that she'd actually seen the Bangles, live.

"I remember the Bangles," said Richard. "You once said something to me about naming your daughter Susanna," he said thoughtfully. Lorelai's eyes lit up, merely over the fact that one of her parents had taken some notice of her while she was pregnant.

"Yeah, I was gonna name Rory Susanna instead," she told them. "Cause Susanna's the lead singer of the Bangles."

"There was actually talk of changing Rory's name during the concert," said Luke, raising his eyebrows but a smile sat on his lips.

"Don't be ridiculous, you can't change her name to Susanna," said Emily in a scolding sort of way.

"Not change it," Lorelai justified. "She'll always be Rory. Just add it in somewhere."

"That's preposterous," she said in exasperation.

"I was only joking at the time mom," she said. "I'm not actually gonna change her name."

"Well good," was all Emily could come out with.

"I see you bought a trademark New York t-shirt, Lorelai," said Richard, gesturing towards her 'I heart New York' top.

"Oh yeah," she said. "I got one for each of you guys too." She reached into the carrier bag Luke had brought in with him and pulled out two white t-shirts, handing them off to her parents. Emily stared at hers in complete astonishment, while Richard smiled.

"You didn't have to get us a gift," he said, his voice soft. Lorelai shrugged.

"I wanted to thank you for taking care of Rory all weekend."

"It was our pleasure." Richard removed his sweater and pulled the t-shirt over his head. "Fits just right," he commented.

"It looks good," said Lorelai, watching as Emily continue to stare down at her own shirt.

"Thank you Lorelai," she said finally, although Lorelai could tell she wasn't really happy with what she had received.

"You're welcome." There was an awkward silence for a few moments, until Emily got up from the couch and laid her shirt over the arm of it.

"I'm going to get Rory's luggage," she announced. She glanced at Lorelai, tilting her head in the direction of the stairs as a gesture for her to follow. After a few questioning glances back, Lorelai caught on and rose from her seat as well.

"I'll help you with it," she offered as she followed her mother up the stairs. "So you got it?" she asked once they were out of earshot.

"Yes, I nearly lost it, but I managed to save it before it got thrown away."

"What do you mean?" Emily entered the nursery, followed closely by Lorelai.

"Richard and Rory kept disappearing all morning, first they were reading the dictionary in his study, then they were up in the nursery, and they even went into the garden. Anyway, I called for them and Richard said he was upstairs changing Rory's diaper, so I ran up the stairs as fast as I could..." She was cut off by Lorelai's giggles. "What is so funny?" she asked.

"You ran?" she asked incredulously. "You ran up the stairs?" When Emily nodded, Lorelai burst into another fit of giggles.

"Lorelai, why is that funny?" she asked. "So what if I ran up the stairs, I don't get why that's so hilarious." Lorelai toned her giggling down and cleared her throat.

"Just can't imagine it, is all," she mumbled, pressing her lips together tightly to avoid another round of uncontrollable laughter. Emily ignored her daughter's amusement, and carried on with the rest of her story.

"So I got there just as he was folding the diaper up to throw away, but I managed to stop him and had to tell him what was going on."

"Why did you have to tell him?" she asked.

"Well I was searching through a dirty diaper with a spoon, Lorelai," she explained. "It's not something that's considered normal, so I had to explain to him that I wasn't crazy."

"Right," she said, trying to keep her laughter under control again. "So where is it?" Emily reached down to Rory's case and unzipped the front pocket, revealing the worse for wear velvet box.

"Here," she said. "I had the maid disinfect it after we found it, and Richard took it to the jewellers to be cleaned earlier today." Lorelai slowly opened the box to find the exact same ring she'd found just last week, in all it's elegance. She stared down at it, trying to picture it on her finger and suddenly having the overwhelming need to try it on.

"It's a beautiful ring isn't it?" she asked in awe, not taking her eyes off of the sparkling diamond.

"Yes, it is," Emily agreed softly. She watched Lorelai admire it, noticing how the corners of her mouth were turned upwards slightly. "It might be yours soon," she whispered. Lorelai's head shot up, her eyes meeting her mother's.

"It's a bit early for that," she said. "Luke and I have only been together for seven months, plus the fact that we're still teenagers." Emily was secretly ecstatic with her daughter's reaction; she didn't want her to marry Luke just yet, not for a while actually.

"It was just a suggestion," she defended herself. "I know it probably won't happen for a while." Lorelai felt a blush rising in her cheeks, mostly from discussing marriage with Luke.

"I know, you just, caught me off guard," she said. She wasn't about to admit to her mother that she'd thought about what it would be like to be married to Luke, or that she'd tried signing her name as Lorelai Danes, then immediately scrunched the paper up afterwards and threw it in the trash. She was just curious; it didn't mean that she wanted it to happen any time soon.

"Anyway," said Emily, now bored with the dead-end conversation. "I guess you should get going, Rory needs to get settled back in Stars Hollow again." Lorelai nodded.

"Yeah, she'll be getting tired soon," she said, noting that it was six thirty already.

"She has been getting tired quicker after the bump on the head she had yesterday, it was probably the concussion." Lorelai suddenly remembered that her daughter had spent most of her time in the hospital the day before, and instantly cursed herself for forgetting something so important.

"Has she been ok?" she asked worriedly. "She's not in any danger is she?"

"The doctor said she's absolutely fine, just that she might be a bit drowsy for a couple of days. It's usually just that she needs to go to bed a half an hour earlier," she assured the worried mom.

"Ok," she sighed. "I don't know what I would've done if something was seriously wrong with her."

"Me either, sweetheart," she agreed, smiling warmly at her.

"So is all her stuff packed up?" she asked, eager to get home. As much as she loved New York, she couldn't wait to get back to her own bed.

"Yes, everything should be in there. If I find anything is left behind, I'll give it to you on Friday night."

"Ok, thanks for taking care of her and everything," she said gratefully. "I really enjoyed this weekend."

"So did I, Lorelai," she said. "Rory is a wonderful child."

"Isn't she though? I missed her so much."

"She missed you too, we heard about it every hour of every day," she smiled. Lorelai beamed proudly. "Oh, and before I forget, I took some photos over the weekend, they're in the top of the case."

"That was nice of you," she said gratefully. "Thanks." Emily nodded.

"We have copies too, there's this one where she's in the bathtub, it's adorable." Lorelai smiled again before picking up Rory's suitcase and making her way back to the first floor, with Emily following.

"Can we borrow this?" Lorelai asked as she noticed the Twister box perched on a table in the corner.

"Of course," allowed Emily. "You can bring it back with you on Friday." The young family left the mansion and climbed into Luke's truck, Lorelai sitting Rory in her lap as he put the luggage in the truck bed.

"You're not sitting like that," he said when he joined them in the cab.

"Why not?" she asked. "I missed her; I wanna hold her while we get back home."

"Absolutely not," he protested. "She's going in the car seat; it's not safe having her in your lap." Lorelai pouted but strapped Rory into her seat anyway, smiling down at Rory's equally pouty face.

"You wanted to ride with me too didn't you Ror?" she asked.

"Mama," she said enthusiastically.

"Did you have a good time this weekend, hon?"

"Yes," she replied.

"What did you do?" Rory looked thoughtful for a few minutes before she replied.

"Read," she exclaimed.

"Rory read?" she asked, knowing her daughter was fibbing.

"Yes."

"You can't read," she said with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, Rory read," she repeating as she nodded her head.

"No you didn't." Rory looked up at her, before ducking her head shyly.

"Granpa read," she mumbled.

"Yes, grandpa read the books," she said, glad she finally got the answer out of the toddler. "Mommy knows you're smart, but you're not quite at the reading stage yet sweets," she chuckled. Rory turned her head to the side, her eyes drooping closed. "Are you going to sleep baby?" she asked as she brushed her growing hair out of her little face.

"Sweepy," she muttered, her eyes fluttering open, before closing firmly again. Lorelai sighed and fell back into her seat.

"She out?" Luke asked, making his presence known in the car. Lorelai turned her head and smiled at him.

"Yeah, mom said she's been getting pretty tired since the accident yesterday." Luke frowned.

"I feel bad that we weren't there with her when she was in the hospital," he said thoughtfully. "She needed us."

"I said we should come home, but you said that she'd be ok," she reminded him.

"I know, I just...I don't know," he said confusedly. "I have this strange feeling inside me, and every time Rory gets hurt, it gets stronger," he explained. "Is that normal." Lorelai grinned over at him.

"Babe, that's called being a parent," she told him. Luke smiled in return, then noticed the sign on the side of the road.

"Wanna call at Sniffy's?" he asked. "We haven't had dinner yet." Lorelai looked down at the sleeping Rory and frowned.

"What about Rory?" she asked.

"Stroller's in the back," he said. "She can sleep in that while we eat."

"Ok," she agreed. "I'd love to see Buddy and Maisy." Luke put his right indicator on and turned onto another road, a shortcut to Sniffy's Tavern.

XXXX

"Lucas!" Maisy exclaimed when she saw him enter the establishment, dragging a stroller through the door. Lorelai appeared after him and Maisy's face lit up even more. "Lorelai."

"Hi Maisy," Luke greeted as he walked around the stroller and gave the elder woman a hug.

"What are you two doing here on a Sunday?" she asked as she led them over to a table.

"We just picked Rory up from my parents house in Hartford and decided to stop for some dinner," said Lorelai as she parked the stroller next to their designated table before sitting down next to Luke in the booth.

"Oh, she looks like she had too much excitement," said Maisy as she peered down at Rory.

"Yeah, my parents said something about Twister." Maisy chuckled before turning towards the kitchen.

"Buddy, Lucas and Lorelai are here!" she called, gaining some attention from other diners in the room.

"Lucas, Lorelai!" he exclaimed as he approached their table. "How nice to see you, and Rory," he said, frowning when he saw she was sleeping.

"Yeah, she's exhausted," said Luke.

"So, how's the diner coming along?" he asked curiously. He was paying for most of it, of course he was going to be interested in it's progress.

"I haven't actually been there this weekend, but it's getting to the making stage now," he told them. "I've started on the counter, but it's not gonna be an easy job."

"Are you doing it yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah, I want it to look right." Buddy nodded.

"Well if you need any help, son, you know where to find me," he said, patting Luke on the back. "Now, who wants champagne?" Luke and Lorelai both shook their heads simultaneously.

"None for me thanks," said Lorelai.

"Yeah, a soda and sparkling water will be fine," agreed Luke. "We shouldn't be drinking with Rory around." Buddy shrugged his shoulders.

"Ok Mr Responsible," said Maisy. "Since when did you turn into an old man?" Luke chuckled.

"Since I became a dad," he replied, causing Maisy's smile to soften. He really had changed since he met Lorelai and Rory.

"So what're we having tonight?" asked Lorelai, knowing full well that they would pick a meal for them both.

"How about the chicken, with the white wine sauce?" Maisy asked. The elder couple turned around and scurried off into the kitchen, leaving Luke and Lorelai to themselves.

"So I'm really glad you enjoyed your weekend," he said as he shuffled slightly closer to her on the seat. Lorelai smiled, reaching her hand across the table to hold his.

"I'm glad you did too," she replied. "You deserved to do something you enjoy, it helps take your mind off things." Luke nodded.

"So uh...back to work and stuff tomorrow," he said.

"It seems like forever ago since I was last at work; we've done so much this weekend.

"Yeah, it's back to reality now." Luke brought his free hand down and began stroking her thigh, grinning at her devilishly.

"Lucas, not here," Lorelai whispered. "This is a family place."

"Don't call me Lucas," he whispered back. "And I'm not doing anything wrong." Lorelai shook her head as she smiled at him. She was happy that they were back into their old song and dance, it felt good to have her Luke back.

XXXX

"Can we stop in at the inn? I wanna see Mia," she said as they pulled up at the Independence. Luke jumped out of the truck and came round to her side to open the door for her, helping her out with Rory.

"You got her?" he asked.

"Yeah, you get the luggage," she told him. Luke nodded and Lorelai waited for him, before they walked up the porch steps together. "Mia," she exclaimed as she bounded into the lobby, trying not to wake Rory up as she went.

"Lorelai, Lucas," she said, rounding the counter. There was an etch of worry on her forehead, and Lorelai noticed it immediately.

"What's wrong?" she asked, hoping the inn owner was ok. Mia sighed, before looking from teen to teen.

"The police called, they've found Christopher."

**Ooh kinda cliffhanger :P It's not really that much of a cliffhanger really lol, but you might think it is. I have been re-watching season seven (I absolutely hate it) and I have built up some anger towards Christopher haha, so the next chapter will make him out to be the bad guy again, but he is anyway so...Aaanyway, please review, I hope I can reach 900 now, can't believe I have almost 900 reviews! And also my chapter length is shorter now...but they may vary so there might still be the odd long one. Please review, see you next time ;D**

**Emily.**


	55. Rory's First Culinary Experiment

**Hmm, it's been like a week...not too bad. And it wasn't really a cliffhanger before, although some of you thought it was!**

**Thanks for reviewing :D I have 900 now :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D I'm very happy about that, as you can probably tell :P I'm sorry if I've been AWOL from FF recently, I've been doing the whole University partying thing, with freshers going on and all...not that I'm a fresher or anything haha. I went to the roller disco last week, it was AWESOME! **

**Oh and before you read, can I just say happy birthday to Rory in 3 days :D I felt like we needed some Luke/Rory bonding, we haven't had much for a while, so indulge yourself... **

Lorelai walked down the narrow corridor, with a line of cells to her right. She tried to keep her head down to avoid the approving stares of inmates, but she glanced up once in a while and winced at all the attention she was receiving. Luke was at the diner getting things started up again after their weekend, and Rory was with Mia, allowing Lorelai some time to herself.

The prison guard tapped her on the shoulder, gestured to one particular cell then walked away. Lorelai muttered a quick thank you, before looking towards the cell nervously. She took a few tentative steps forward then the familiar young man came into view. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her nerves under control, then cleared her throat. His eyes shot up to meet hers, and a small smile crept into his voice.

"Lore," he said in amazement. "You came." He had gotten up from his place on the worn bed and was now standing behind the bars, his hands gripping them loosely. Lorelai regarded him for a few minutes, staring intensely at him as her brain kicked itself into gear, thinking up something to say to him. "You ok?" he asked, noticing how quiet she seemed. That's when her brain went into overdrive.

"Gee, let's think about that for a second," she said, her tone immediately becoming loud. "First you knock me up, then you leave me, then you don't show up for eleven months, you come back and kidnap my baby, I get a restraining order, you come back again and try to take her, then we fight for custody," she listed. "And just when I thought I'd gotten rid of you for good, you set my boyfriend's diner on fire. Hmm, I don't think I'm ok Christopher, do you?" Chris' head was bowed, and he slowly raised it when he thought she'd stopped talking.

"No," he whispered, barely audibly.

"No I'm not," she confirmed. "Why did you do this?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him to tell her the truth. Her voice had softened considerably as she figured that shouting at him probably wasn't the best way to get the information she wanted.

"Rachel came to me, and she told me what'd been going on," he mumbled.

"She was lying," she said pointedly. "Whatever she told you, she was making it all up." Christopher narrowed his eyes at her.

"She said you and the diner man turned on her, and that you hit her," he said. "She said you punched her in the middle of the street and had her on the floor." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Ok, full story," she began. "It was New Years Eve, everyone in Stars Hollow was at a party, so I go looking for Luke cause I hadn't seen him for a while, and I find him and Rachel on the front steps, kissing," she said.

"I told you he's no good for you, Lore," he said triumphantly. "I knew he'd treat you like dirt."

"Oh shut up Christopher," she spat. "Rachel was kissing Luke; she thinks he still wants her. She's delusional."

"No, he was kissing her Lore," he tried to tell her, but Lorelai just shook her head.

"What do you know? You weren't even there." Christopher bowed his head again. "And I didn't hit her, well I did hit her first but only because she was saying things about Rory and I wasn't gonna stand by and listen to her crap. But she hit me back, we got into this massive fight," she said. She wasn't sure why she was telling Christopher all this, she just wanted him to know that setting the diner on fire was a mistake and Rachel had played him.

"So Rachel lied to me," he muttered.

"Looks that way," she sighed. "But why did you do it Christopher?"

"Rachel told me to," he shrugged.

"Seriously, you set the diner on fire because Rachel told you to?" she asked incredulously. When Chris nodded, she shook her head quickly. "So if she told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?"

"No, this was different," he tried to justify.

"Different how?"

"Well..." He paused for a moment while he thought of how to answer. "She was saying all these things about what had been going on, and I snapped. I started to feel so much anger towards that diner guy, a lot more than usual, and I just wanted to hurt him. This seemed like an easy option." Lorelai squeezed her eyes shut tightly; why did Chris have to be such an idiot?

"Did you not think that you would be hurting more than just Luke when you did this?" she asked. "Yes Luke is heartbroken, I'm sure that's what you want to hear, but people loved that diner. They knew it as a hardware store when Luke's dad was alive, they saw him put money and hard work into it to convert it to a diner, and they went there two or three times a day for their meals," she said. "Everyone is town was devastated to see it up in flames, you hurt all those people too." Chris looked ashamed again.

"And what about Rory? She loved going to the diner for breakfast every morning, it was a nice routine we got into. And she loved Luke when he would smile and laugh and play games with her. He hasn't been smiling much lately," she admitted. "In fact he's been depressed, you have no idea how much of his life you've ruined. His apartment went up in flames too, everything he owned was ruined. Pictures of his parents were burned, his clothes turned into rags, and everything else was destroyed. Do you even care?" she asked.

"Not really," he muttered quietly.

"Well do you care that Rory's suffering in all of this?" Chris' head shot up to look at her, silently questioning her to carry on her train of thought. "We were financially stable before," she began. "Rory had money going into a college fund that Luke had set up, we could afford to keep up with buying her clothes cause she's growing out of them so quickly, she could have new books when she wanted them, and we could afford to feed her proper food. But now Luke's got no income, and the money he's saved up so far is all going into work on the diner, we're living on next to nothing. And to top it all off my salary's gone back down." She stared at him, her bright blue eyes boring into his. "Do you care about that?"

"Lore, I didn't mean to hurt you and Rory, I just...I didn't think."

"No you didn't," she agreed. "You never think do you Christopher?"

"Look, I'm gonna go to prison for this for a really long time," he said. "It's bad enough being in custody until the trial, you've gotta help me."

"You know what?" she asked, stepping closer to the bars and leaning forward. She lowered her voice considerably as she said, "I say they should lock you up and throw away the key." Chris reared back and looked at her.

"You don't mean that," he said.

"Oh, I mean it," she assured him. "You've ruined our lives Chris, now you have to pay for it."

"Lore, I can give you money," he said, pleading with her to hear him out. "I can make things easier for you."

"Do you really think I want your money?" she asked, incredulous at the fact he thought she'd even consider it.

"You said things are tight at the moment," he reminded her.

"They are but I'd rather eat leftovers from the inn than accept money from you." Chris reached his arm between one of the bars but Lorelai instinctively stepped back before he could touch her. "Don't even think about it," she warned him.

"Lore..."

"No Christopher, you made your bed and now you have to lie in it. And I'm gonna enjoy every single bit of it." Chris looked genuinely hurt, but Lorelai was unfazed by it. "You know, a year ago I would have done anything to see you again," she said thoughtfully. "But now, well now I can't wait to see the back of you." With that, she turned on her heel and strode away, not even glancing back over her shoulder to see what his reaction was. She was done with Christopher Hayden, that was the last time she ever wanted to speak to him, and it was the last time she would.

XXXX

Lorelai stepped off the bus in Stars Hollow forty minutes later. She stopped on the sidewalk near the gazebo, staring over at the diner. She couldn't see what was going on inside from where she was standing, but she assumed Luke was busy with the counter. She didn't want to tell him about her visit with Christopher, she knew it'd just cause trouble between them and she really didn't need that right now. But she was torn; she'd feel guilty for hiding it from him, he had a right to know. She sighed to herself but as she was about to turn around and go back to the inn, a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Lorelai?" Luke asked as he walked up to her.

"Oh, hey," she greeted, mustering up some enthusiasm so he didn't become suspicious.

"Did you just get off the bus?" he asked, wondering if he was seeing things.

"Yeah, I just um...went out," she replied. "Rory needed some diapers but Doose's didn't have the right ones in stock," she lied. "Anyway, where are you off to?"

"Was just gonna pick up some lunch," he shrugged, finding her abrupt subject change weird. He didn't question it though. "Wanna come with?"

"Sure," she replied. "I don't have to be at work till one thirty, ooh that reminds me, I'm working late tonight," she told him.

"Oh yeah?" Lorelai nodded as they began to walk down the sidewalk together.

"One of the other maids is sick, she works evenings so I offered to fill in," she explained. "That's why Mia gave me the morning off.

"So uh, what time do you get off?"

"Around nine," she said. "Will you and Rory be ok by yourselves?"

"Sure, we'll find something to do," he assured her as his arm slipped around her shoulders. Lorelai leaned into him and smiled as they crossed the street and entered Weston's bakery. They found a table and put in their order with Fran, waiting till they were alone to start up their conversation. "You having a good day so far?" he asked as he brushed his foot up her calf under the table.

"Um...it's ok, I guess," she mumbled in reply, not wanting to admit that her day had been terrible so far. She felt awful for lying to him; especially after they were so distant with each other just a few weeks ago. "How's the construction work going?" she questioned curiously.

"I've got the wood, and the tools," he said. "I've started to assemble the base for the counter but it's gonna take some time for it to all come together."

"Well at least you're making a start," she said as she took a sip of her coffee. "I wish it was a two day job though, I miss your coffee so much." Luke smiled slightly.

"I was hoping this whole diner thing would break your addiction," he admitted. Lorelai looked taken aback for a second.

"Oh Lukey, if you think it's even a teeny bit possible for me to go off coffee, you're living in a dream world." Luke chuckled slightly and shook his head.

"A guy can dream right?" he asked sheepishly.

"If said guy's dreaming about me, then the answer's yes," she answered flirtatiously, reaching across the table to take his hand. Their sandwiches appeared at that moment though and they were forced to part so they could eat their lunch. "Hey, so this morning Rory did something really cute," she began with a mouthful of food.

"Hmm," hummed Luke, telling her that he was listening, but couldn't reply as his mouth was full of turkey.

"So I went into the bathroom to answer a call from nature, and Rory followed me," she said. "So she was watching me curiously while I was you know..." Luke had a perplexed expression on his face. Why the hell was Lorelai telling him this?

"Lorelai..."

"Wait I haven't finished," she stopped him. "Anyway while I was washing my hands she went over to the toilet and started trying to climb onto it, I think she's trying to tell us something," she said thoughtfully.

"What is she telling us exactly?" he asked, still unsure as to why Lorelai had just told him about her trip to the restroom this morning.

"That she's ready to start potty training," she spelled out for him.

"Are you sure she's old enough for that?" he asked. "Jess hasn't started training yet."

"Well, I'm not totally sure, but I'm gonna ask Mia about it and see what she says," she told him. "I'm not really sure how to go about it either," she twisted her mouth thoughtfully.

"Mia will know," he assured her.

"Hey, maybe we could train Rory and Jess together; they might pick it up easier that way."

"Ask Liz about it," he said. "Not that she has a clue about any of this," he muttered.

"We're all first timers here Luke," she said softly, defending his sister. "None of us have a clue about how toilet training and crossing that line from infancy to childhood, we just have to learn as we go along." Luke nodded.

"Yeah I guess," he sighed. "And Liz is doing real good with Jess now."

"Yeah, she is," she agreed. "You should be proud of her."

"I am," he admitted. Lorelai reached across and gave his hand a squeeze.

"You know what I hate about toilet training?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject again. Luke looked up at her, trying to keep up with her speedy chatting.

"What?" he asked.

"How parents always say, 'do you wanna go potty?' to their kids," she complained. "What's with the whole potty thing? Kids shouldn't even be taught the word potty, they should be taught bathroom, or restroom," she ranted. Luke sat listening, amused by her theory.

"So say we get Rory trained in a month or so, do you expect her to go around saying she needs to go to the bathroom?" he asked, incredulous to the fact that she thought Rory would actually be capable of saying something like that at her young age.

"Yeah, she's smart," she said confidently. "There is no way any daughter of mine is gonna walk around saying she needs to go potty." Luke had to laugh now, she sounded ridiculous.

"We'll figure it out when the time comes," he told her. "Now finish your lunch, I need to get back to the diner."

"Can I come and see it?" she asked.

"If you want," he answered. "Looks the same as it did the other day though." Lorelai shrugged.

"I've got some time to kill." Lorelai quickly finished her sandwich then the couple headed over to the diner, where they spent very little time in the dining area. Instead they took up residence in the storage room, canoodling the rest of their time away before Lorelai had to go to work.

XXXX

"What should we get for dinner, Ror?" Luke asked that evening. He had picked Rory up from the inn and they were now hanging out in the potting shed.

"Pitta," she replied.

"As in...bread?" he asked, not really understanding his daughter's request.

"Pitta," she repeated as she toddled over to the kitchen. She reached up to one of the drawers, but she wasn't quite tall enough and proceeding to point to it instead. Luke followed her over and opened the requested drawer, pulling a bunch of take out menus from it. He looked at the one on top of the pile and sure enough, it was for pizza.

"You want pizza?" he asked, now understanding her drift.

"Yes, pitta," she exclaimed, jumping slightly on the spot. Luke shoved the rest of the pamphlets back in the drawer, then examined the pizza menu.

"It's expensive at this place," he muttered. "How did your mom ever afford to eat here?"

"Yummy pitta," said Rory, by way of explanation.

"So you only ate here because it's yummy?" he asked. Rory gave him a toothy smile before reaching for the leaflet in his hand. "Ah, ah," he said, causing Rory to pull her hand away with a pout. She had learned when her parents meant no. "Tell you what, why don't we go to Doose's, buy some ingredients and make our own pizza, huh?" Rory looked at him for a few moments, before nodding, but not really understanding where they were going at all.

Luke slipped Rory's jacket on, then his own, before grabbing his wallet and keys, and heading out of the potting shed into the cool April evening air. He made sure the door was locked before shoving his keys in his pocket and looking down at Rory, who was staring intently at the water of the lake.

"Hey, you wanna ride up here?" he asked as he patted his shoulders. Rory looked at him gleefully before walking over to him and touching said shoulders with her tiny hands.

"Up," she requested, although it was more like a demand. Luke lifted her, and after a minor struggle, Rory was sitting upright on his shoulders, holding onto his baseball cap covered head. He walked slowly up through the gardens of the inn, enjoying the father/daughter bonding they were experiencing at the moment. As much as he liked spending time with Lorelai alone, or Lorelai and Rory together, he liked the alone time with Rory just as much. He felt that he didn't have to worry about being too much of a softie, because nobody was there to mock him about it. He knew Rory wouldn't make fun of him over it, she loved having his attention way too much.

"Should we walk into town?" he asked, tilting his head so he could see her.

"No, car," she objected, obviously preferring the whole driving experience to a nice stroll through the trees.

"As you wish, your majesty." He fumbled around in his pocket for the keys to his truck then unlocked the door, depositing the toddler into her child safety seat.

"No, up," she protested as he began strapping her in.

"You said you wanted to go in the car," he told her. "You can't stay on my shoulders." Rory pouted. "Do you wanna walk then?"

"No," she said, pout still intact. Luke sighed.

"Someone's cranky cause she's hungry," he teased. He tickled under her chin with his fingers, gaining a small grin from her, that she tried her best to hide so she could keep up her bad mood. Luke chuckled at her reaction, before getting into his side of the truck and heading into town for their pizza ingredients.

XXXX

Luke had mixed the ingredients together for the dough, and was about to stick his hands in to knead it.

"Me!" said Rory, who had been watching him from her high chair.

"You wanna do it?" Rory nodded. Luke lifted her from the seat and stood her on a chair, pulling it up to the counter and standing next to her. "Ok, you've gotta do it like this." He took her small hands in his and began helping her knead the dough until it was packed together.

"Rory cook!" she said excitedly as she let her hands run over the new texture. Luke smiled down at her, hoping she would be able to cook just like he could when she was older. Maybe if they spent more time like this, she would pick it up.

"Ok, that's done," he announced. Rory pulled her hands out of the dough, taking his orders very seriously. Luke placed it in the centre of the chopping board and picked up the rolling pin he'd bought at Doose's; he knew Lorelai wouldn't have one. "Put your hands here," he told her. Rory grabbed the rolling pin at either side then looked up at her father expectantly. Luke put his hands over hers, and they began rolling the dough out together, Rory giggling as it became flatter.

"Squash," she said, pointing to the flattened dough. Luke chuckled.

"It's meant to be like that," he assured her. He quickly messed around with it so it was in the shape of a circle, before pushing it aside so they could make another one for when Lorelai arrived home.

With two pizza bases before them, Luke and Rory went about spreading tomato puree over them. Luke would usually make his own tomato sauce to spread over, but Rory was hungry and he didn't have the time to be messing around. Rory reached her spatula towards the bowl of tomato puree, with the help of Luke of course, and they brought it back over to the dough, spreading it across evenly.

"Cheese," said Rory, reaching for the bag of ready grated cheese.

"Ah, ah," Luke stopped her. "We have to put sauce on mommy's pizza too." Rory pouted, staring at the cheese longingly. "Here," he said, handing her the spatula again. "Stop with the pouting thing." Rory gladly took the plastic utensil from him and started running it over the dry pizza base.

"Wook dada," she said proudly, grinning down at her efforts. Luke couldn't help but smile at her as she enjoyed herself doing something he was interested in.

"Wow, you're doing a great job," he praised her. "But you know what would make it even better?" Rory looked up at him questioningly. "If you put some tomato sauce on your spatula and spread it over," he finished. "It's looking a bit plain at the moment."

"That?" she asked, pointing to the red sauce still sitting in the bowl.

"Yeah, that's right," he answered. Rory dipped it in the bowl, but ended up dropping it and watching as it disappeared into the red pool. Rory furrowed her brows, and proceeded to throw both hands into the liquid to fish it out. "No Rory," he scolded, pulling her hands away. She had managed to grab the object in question and there was tomato puree dripping off of it, all over the table. Luke knew a mess would be made at some point, but he was hoping that it would be a little easier to clean.

"I guess this is what you get when you decide to cook with a one and a half year old," he mumbled to himself as he lifted Rory under the arms and held her away from him while he carried her to the sink. "Need to get those hands washed," he told her, turning the tap on and putting her hands under the water.

"Cold," she whined, immediately taking her hands out from under it. Luke rolled his eyes but turned the warm water on instead, waiting for it to warm up.

"Better?" he asked. Rory didn't answer; she just smiled so Luke took it as a yes. He methodically rinsed Rory's hands, then dried them off. "No more sticking your hands in the bowl," he warned as he placed her back on the chair. He quickly rinsed the spatula, dried it, then gave it back to her.

"That agen?" she asked, pointing to the tomato sauce.

"I'll do it," he said. He spooned some sauce onto a spoon and deposited it onto the base, before trying to pry the spatula from between Rory's chubby fingers.

"No," she protested, holding it closer to her.

"I need to spread the sauce," he told her, holding his hand out to the object, waiting for her to give it to him.

"Rory shauce," she reached the utensil forward and began spreading the puree unevenly. Luke put his hands on his hips as he watched her, knowing she was just doing it to annoy him. She looked up at him and grinned toothily, causing him to shake his head and ruffle her hair with his fingers. "Dada shauce."

"You want me to finish?" Rory nodded and held the spatula out to him, unconsciously dripping sauce onto the carpet. "This was a bad idea," he muttered as he watched the sauce absorb into the material. He quickly spread the sauce, placed the spatula and sauce out of reach of the questing toddler and grabbed a damp cloth to place over the carpet. He would have to get some stain remover.

He looked back to the table to find Rory with her hand in the bag of cheese, picking one grated piece at a time and placing it carefully on the pizza. He leaned back against the kitchen counter and watched his little girl as she had her first go at food preparation. He felt an overwhelming sense of pride as he watched her strategically place each single piece of cheese on the pizza, being extra careful not to have any overlapping.

Luke shook his head at her antics, smiling at how much of a perfectionist she was. Although the fact that she knew the cheese went on top of the tomato sauce, and that she was setting it out so perfectly, meant that she had seen way too much pizza in her lifetime. That was completely Lorelai's doing. He grabbed a handful of vegetables and other various toppings he'd bought and placed them on the table next to where Rory was working. He grabbed a knife from the drawer and took a seat next to his daughter, leaving her to put the cheese on while he got to work chopping their toppings.

"Wook dada," she demanded, wanting to show off how well she was doing. "Cheese."

"Yeah, you're making a really great job of it," he told her. Rory beamed proudly.

"Cheese," she repeated, holding a piece out to him. He smiled and leaned forward, using his teeth to take the cheese from her fingers and nibbling her skin playfully as he did. "Ah!" she exclaimed, pulling her hand away quickly. Luke chuckled at her reaction and ruffled her hair again as he chewed the small piece of cheese; it was low fat, obviously, not that he was going to tell Lorelai that.

"Want some pepper, Ror?" he asked, holding a chopped piece of red pepper out to her. She put the bag of cheese down on the table and turned her full attention to him, taking the vegetable from between his fingers. She shoved it in her mouth and chewed appreciatively, before holding her hand out for more.

"More pwease?" she asked politely.

"One more piece," he allowed, handing another one to her. "Finish the cheese," he said. Rory looked back to the pizzas, which were each only half covered.

"Done," she announced. Luke eyed the half finished pizza; obviously she was bored of applying the cheese. He quickly finished chopping the veg then grabbed the bag of cheese, sprinkling it over the tomato covered base quickly. Rory watched him, realising that he was ruining her perfect layout. "No," she protested, trying to take the cheese from him.

"We need more cheese than that," he said. "Mommy likes lots of cheese," he reminded her. Rory fell to her bottom on the chair; she'd been standing before so she could reach, and crossed her arms over her chest sulkily. "Hey, don't sulk," he warned her, tipping her chin up to look at him. "Wanna help put the toppings on?" Rory looked up in interest, watching as he placed a mushroom on top of the cheese. She scrambled to her feet on the chair, picking up a handful of chicken chunks and sprinkling them over.

"That's it," he praised. "Keep sprinkling them like that." Rory was encouraged by his praise and grabbed another handful, this time of onion. Five minutes later, their pizza was in the preheated oven, topped with lots of chicken and vegetables. "Now we have to make mommy's pizza," he told the little girl. She was staring into the lit oven, watching the cheese begin to melt and the crust brown.

"Mama pitta," she said with a nod. She reached for the remaining peppers, but before she could drop them onto Lorelai's pizza, Luke stopped her.

"I don't think your mom wants peppers," he told her. "Try pepperoni instead." He placed a bunch of small circles of pepperoni in front of her and watched as she sniffed them, wondering what the foreign food was.

"What thissss?" she asked.

"Try some," he said, holding a piece out to her. He hoped it wasn't too spicy for her, in fact, he hoped she didn't like it at all, it wasn't good for her at all. Rory curiously took the piece of meat and put it in her mouth, immediately scrunching her nose up at the strong taste.

"Yucky," she said, taking the meat from her mouth and putting it on the table. Luke picked it up and threw it in the trash, before adding the pepperoni to the pizza, spelling out the word 'mommy' with the small circles. He then added salami and chorizo around it, as well as the remaining chicken they had left.

"There, that's something mommy will eat," he said knowingly. Rory looked at it, her face crumpled up as she wondered why anyone would want to eat such a disgusting contraption. She had definitely been hanging around with Luke too much.

XXXX

"Who are you?" asked the person behind the front desk, most probably the night manager. Lorelai had just entered the lobby after turn down, and she wasn't expecting to be questioned.

"I'm Lorelai," she replied cautiously. "I'm one of the maids here during the day, but I'm filling in for Sarah tonight."

"Oh, well, I'm Evan," replied the man, he was probably no older than twenty five, Lorelai guessed.

"Hi," she replied distractedly, she just wanted to get back to the potting shed.

"So uh, how old are you? If you don't mind me asking that is."

"Um, eighteen on Wednesday," she replied. "Is Mia still here?"

"No she went home a little while ago," he told her, watching as she pulled her brown locks out of the pony tail they were in, letting them swish around her shoulders. Lorelai noticed Evan staring at her, and awkwardly looked the other way.

"I should...get home," she said.

"Parents expecting you?" he asked. It was none of his business.

"Oh, I don't live with my parents," she told him, feeling the need to explain her lifestyle to him. Maybe then he would leave her alone.

"No?" he asked in surprise.

"No, I moved out with my daughter last summer," she said. Evan's eyes widened considerably.

"You have a kid?" Lorelai nodded. "Oh, well..."

"She's probably asleep already so I wanna go tuck her in before it gets too late," she excused herself. "Plus, my boyfriend's probably waiting for me." Evan looked taken aback, and immediately started flicking through the reservation book, trying to busy himself. "Have a nice night, Evan," she said jollily as she left the inn and skipped down to the potting shed. She couldn't wait to get home and snuggle with Luke.

"Something smells good in here," she exclaimed as she entered her makeshift house.

"Shh," Luke hushed her, gesturing to Rory who was curled into his side on the couch, fast asleep.

"You tire her out?" she whispered as she made her way over to them and gave him a kiss hello.

"We were watching TV, it was getting late," he shrugged. "I gave her a bath earlier so she's clean." Lorelai smiled affectionately down at her daughter; she looked so cute when she was sleeping.

"So what's cookin'?" she asked, making her way over to the small kitchen area.

"Rory and I made pizza," he informed her. Lorelai cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?"

"I think she enjoyed herself, she had fun putting the cheese on top."

"Smells delicious," she said appreciatively.

"All your favourite toppings," he told her, causing Lorelai to grin at how thoughtful he was. "I guess I should go tuck her up in bed, huh?"

"I'll come with you, I haven't seen her all day," she said regretfully, watching as Luke picked up Rory carefully.

"Oh she was with Mia this morning wasn't she?" he said in realisation. Lorelai nodded, once again being reminded of her trip to the prison this morning. They stopped by the crib, and Lorelai watched as Luke lay Rory down, brushing her hair out of her face. Lorelai reached in and tucked the blankets around her, making sure she was comfortable before leaving a kiss on her forehead.

"Night sweets," she murmured, moving away so Luke could get to her.

"G'night Ror," he said, leaving a kiss in the same place Lorelai had. The parents watched Rory sleep for a few moments, before finally leaving the room, closing the door behind them. Luke went to check on the pizza, while Lorelai removed her maid uniform and changed into her PJs so she was more comfortable. "Pizza's done," he announced as he removed it from the oven and put it on a plate, cutting it into slices for her. He took it over to the couch and put it on the coffee table, waiting for her to join him.

"Oh, that's cute," she gushed when she saw the pizza they had made for her, the word 'mommy' clearly spelled out in the pepperoni. "Luke Danes you big softie," she cooed. Luke simply grunted in response. "I don't wanna eat it, it looks too perfect," she said.

"You'll eat it anyway," he said knowingly. "I can hear your stomach rumbling from here." Lorelai smiled and snuggled into him as she rested the plate on her lap, taking a bite of the first slice.

"Mmm," she hummed. "That's gorgeous. How did you make it taste so nice?" Luke shrugged.

"It's just pizza," he said nonchalantly. "No big deal."

"Seriously, this tastes better than Joe's." She took another few bites, as they went into a comfortable silence, both listening to the TV. During the next ten minutes, Lorelai devoured her dinner as she mulled over her visit with Christopher in her mind, trying to find the courage to tell Luke she went to visit him. But every time she opened her mouth to address him, she chickened out and focussed on the TV again. Finally, she managed to get words out of her mouth. "Luke?" she asked.

"Yeah?" She took a deep breath, silently of course.

"Um...I, I'm really looking forward to my birthday," she finished lamely, immediately cursing herself over her cowardliness. She had to tell him, she'd feel awful is she didn't.

"Good," he said, pulling her closer to him on the couch. "You're gonna have a great time." He turned his head and tilted hers up to look at him, before planting a soft kiss on her lips. "Wait till you see what my gift is." Lorelai smiled up at him, for once not bugging him about what it was. She was content to wait, plus at the moment she had more important things to mull over; like how she was going to tell her boyfriend that she went to see the guy who burned down his diner. He'd certainly wonder why she would dream of seeing him again, and she wasn't quite prepared to break the news to him yet. She also knew that the longer she waited, the harder it'd be. It was a lose-lose situation.

**This took me like four days to write...I couldn't get myself motivated. I hope you all liked it anyway, and I hope it was worth the wait. I know you all love the Luke/Rory stuff in this story so I hope it was satisfactory for you. **

**Please leave a review, I have missed them since I last updated! My goal is 1000 now, obviously not with this chapter, but that's what I'm working towards :D still can't believe it! So help me get there faster, please. **

**See you soon,**

**Emily.**


	56. Lorelai's Birthday Surprise

**Hi! I wrote a new chapter :D **

**So I finished watching season 7 about a week ago, and when 'Bon Voyage' finished, I was pouting like Lorelai...because I was reminded of how we were left wanting more. So I was in kind of a funk, and couldn't find the motivation to write anything. I apologise if any of you were wanting me to update really soon like I do on the odd occasion. At least it's here now!**

**Thanks to all the reviewers from the last chapter, I'm glad you all liked the Rory and Luke pizza making, I loved writing it! Now, it's Lorelai's birthday...I admit it's kinda rushed, (it only took me four hours to write), and I haven't proof read it...I know I'm a bad author :P but I just wanted to get some material out to you guys, I hate making you wait ages!**

**So enjoy the celebration :D**

Luke rolled over and slung his arm over Lorelai's waist, shuffling closer to her as he did. It had just turned midnight on April 25th, and he wanted to be the first to wish his girlfriend a happy birthday.

"Lorelai," he whispered, brushing her hair from her face with his free hand. She hummed something incoherent before smiling and shuffling closer to him. She didn't wake up though. "Lorelai," he repeated, shaking her gently. Still no response. Luke sighed; it was like she'd gone into hibernation. He reared back and shook her harder, trying to elicit a response.

"What's going on?" she asked sleepily. "Is there an earthquake or something?" She opened her eyes to find Luke staring at her, a small smile quirking his lips. "What?" Luke shrugged.

"Just wanted to wish you happy birthday," he said nonchalantly. Lorelai smiled, her face softening as she moved her head forward to kiss him.

"I'm eighteen today," she murmured, mostly to herself. Luke chuckled.

"Well you've been seventeen for a whole year, it's kind of expected that eighteen comes next." She swatted his chest playfully.

"I'm an adult now."

"Except you can't drink legally," he pointed out. Lorelai scoffed.

"I don't need to drink," she told him. "I have Rory, and you, I have everything I need." Luke smiled. "Can I have my gift now?"

"No," he said sternly.

"But it's my birthday, it's against the law to keep gifts from the birthday girl," she pouted. Luke rolled his eyes, though she couldn't see it in the darkness.

"Wait till Rory wakes up," he told her. "She has a gift for you too."

"Ooh, she didn't get me anything last year, she owes me two gifts," she said thoughtfully.

"Last year she was six months old, do you wonder why she didn't get you one?" he asked sarcastically. Lorelai narrowed her eyes.

"When she's older and has her own money, I'm gonna hold this against her," she said. "She'll have to buy me something then." She grinned devilishly.

"You're evil," he countered. "Leave Rory alone, she didn't know any better."

"So what has she got me this year? Is it good enough to make up for two years worth of birthdays?"

"You'll find out in the morning," he told her. "Go back to sleep."

"Err...you were the one who woke me up," she reminded him. "I was happily dreaming about a certain someone..."

"Oh yeah?" he asked coyly.

"Hmm...god George Clooney looks good in boxers," she said dreamily. Luke swatted her shoulder before shuffling away from her and rolling over. "Luke I was just kidding," she giggled. He didn't budge, so she pushed herself up and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Go to sleep," he urged her.

"No."

"Lorelai," he growled.

"Turn over," she ordered, pushing on his hip to get him to face her. Luke rolled over slowly onto his back, craning his head to look at her.

"You got insomnia or something?"

"No, I was just woken up by a very handsome man," she teased, trailing her fingers down his t-shirt covered chest.

"Go back to sleep then," he told her, attempting to turn over again.

"No," she said forcefully, moving so her body covered his, pinning him to the bed.

"What are you doing?" he asked, smirking slightly.

"It's my birthday," she said. "I wanna get lucky." And so she did.

XXXX

Lorelai bounded into Rory's room five hours later, intent on letting her daughter in on her excitement; even though it was five o clock in the morning.

"Rory," she exclaimed excitedly as she hastily reached into the crib and lifted the girl out. Rory's eyes popped open at the unexpected movement and she stared at Lorelai as she rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Bed," she said, reaching back towards her crib. It looked so warm and cosy to her and she had been rudely taken from it. Just when she was dreaming about the cake her father had promised she'd get today.

"It's mommy's birthday," said Lorelai, bouncing her daughter a little to get her to liven up a bit. Instead Rory pouted and just looked at her. Lorelai sighed and took Rory into the main room of the shed, where Luke was just waking up after realising Lorelai was missing.

"What's going on?" he asked, mimicking her words from earlier.

"It's my birthday," she reminded him, grinning like a small child. Luke looked up and noticed Rory sitting on her hip.

"You woke Rory up?" he asked, eyeing his unhappy daughter, whose head was drooping with exhaustion.

"She's excited for me too," she told him, although Rory's expression told a different story. She looked up and reached her arms out to Luke; it was as if she was just noticing that he was there.

"Dada," she sighed tiredly, but there was a pleading look in her eyes, begging him to take her from her crazy mother. Lorelai sat Rory on the bed and watched as the toddler crawled over to her father and snuggled up next to him, immediately closing her eyes.

"Rory," Lorelai scolded, making a beeline for the bed.

"Sweepy," she mumbled, already halfway to dreamland.

"No sleepy, you've gotta wake up and celebrate with mommy." Luke rolled his eyes and slung his arm over Rory's small body, closing his eyes also. "Luke!" she exclaimed, her hands flying to her hips.

"Go back to sleep Lorelai, it's still dark out." Lorelai glanced over at the window, noticing that the sky was still dark through the gap between the curtains.

"I can't sleep," she whined dramatically. Luke didn't reply, and his breathing had evened out again. Lorelai huffed and picked up her pillow, preparing to throw it at him but stopped when she saw just how cute Luke and Rory looked curled up fast asleep together. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she carefully placed her pillow back in it's place before traipsing over to the TV to find something to entertain her until they woke up.

XXXX

And that's where Luke found her three hours later, sprawled out on the couch, dead to the world. The TV was on quietly, now showing Good Morning America, which he was sure had started after Lorelai had fallen asleep. He switched the TV off, then grabbed the throw from the back of the couch and placed it over her, making sure she was tucked in nice and snug.

"Mama sweepy?" Rory asked quietly, almost in a whisper from the bed.

"Yeah sweetie, she's asleep," he told her, in an equally hushed voice.

"Presents," she whispered.

"Come on, we'll get them out." He lifted her from the bed and put her on the floor, watching as she ran over to the kitchen area. She grabbed the oven mitts that hung from the stove and held them out to him, pointing to the oven where the presents were hidden. He knew Lorelai would never look there. He pulled the door open and pulled out two perfectly wrapped gifts, each with a bow tied around them.

"Hot," said Rory in alarm, her expression turning to one of shock. Luke had to laugh.

"Don't worry Ror, the oven isn't turned on," he told her. "Here, feel." Luke held her gift towards her and Rory slowly moved her hands closer to it, being cautious not to get burned. When she found it was room temperature, she smiled and took the gift from Luke, hugging it close to her as she rushed over to the coffee table.

"Presents," she said as she set it on the table in front of where Lorelai was sleeping on the couch. She made sure it was perfectly arranged before glancing up at her mother, cocking her head to the side. "Bawooooooons," she said suddenly, looking around for any decorations.

"We don't have balloons," he told her, coming to crouch down next to her.

"Birfday bawoons," she said.

"There'll be balloons at the party later," he told her. "Don't tell mommy, it's a secret remember."

"Pardy!" she exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands together. Lorelai moved in her sleep, stirring at the loud volume of Rory's voice.

"I told you to be quiet," Luke scolded, pointing an accusatory finger at the young girl. Lorelai's eyes popped open and she took in her surroundings.

"Why am I on the couch?" she asked drowsily.

"Because you woke up at the crack of dawn and wouldn't go back to sleep," he explained. "So you must have decided to watch TV for a while."

"Huh," she said, trying to remember.

"Presents mama!" Lorelai looked down at Rory, to see her touching the wrapped gift sitting on the coffee table.

"Ooh is that for me?" she asked, greedily reaching for the gift, tossing the comforter aside.

"Yes," Rory replied as she picked up the item in question and brought it to her mother, while Luke held his safely behind his back so he didn't steal Rory's gift giving moment. Lorelai carefully took the present from her daughter and untied the bow, being careful not to rip it.

"This is really great wrapping sweets," she praised. "Did you do this?"

"Dada," she answered while shaking her head. Lorelai looked up at Luke and smiled; she seemed to learn something new about him every day. "Mama present," said Rory, trying to coax her mother to open her gift instead of making googly eyes at her boyfriend. Lorelai finally took her attention back to her present and removed the remaining paper, holding it up for inspection.

It was a picture frame, with many different shaped small windows within it to place various pictures. Only a couple of windows had been filled at the moment, two to be exact. Both photos were of Rory, at two completely different stages in her lifetime, and each had a small caption stuck below them. One read, 'Brand New', and the window held a picture of a tiny, pink, newborn Rory, while the other read, 'First Birthday', with a picture taken at Rory's birthday party the previous October. Lorelai gazed down at it, then back up at Rory.

"Thanks sweets," she said gratefully, pulling her daughter into her lap, setting the frame on the couch beside her.

"That me," she said, pointing to the photographs in the frame.

"I know," she replied proudly. "In all your prettiness." Rory grinned.

"I figured we could add a new photo after every birthday she has," said Luke, joining the conversation. "There're eighteen windows so..."

"I love it," she told him with a dazzling smile. "I'm gonna find a place it hang it up." Luke smiled back, before revealing the small wrapped gift he had been hiding. Lorelai's smile grew. She kissed Rory's head, then put her back on the floor so she could open Luke's gift.

"It's just a little something," he shrugged, feeling a little uneasy about giving her gifts. He was never sure if she'd like them or not.

"You know, you really didn't have to get me anything," she began.

"You've been begging me to give you your gift since the day started," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but...it's just that you kinda already got me a gift," she said. "I mean, you paid for our hotel in New York, and you even bought me tickets to see the Bangles. It just feels like too much."

"Just enjoy it," he told her simply, watching as she admired her gift uneasily. She looked back up at him and nodded in agreement, before once again untying the ribbon and ripping the paper off. A small jewellery box sat inside the perfect wrapping paper, and Lorelai smiled happily.

"Jewellery?" she asked. "How can you afford this?" Unless, no, it couldn't be. She suddenly had a feeling that he might have replaced the box holding his mother's engagement ring, and that it could possibly be sitting in this box right now. The box was a little bigger than a ring box, and that made Lorelai think that maybe it was something else.

"Open it," he urged, wondering why she was simply staring down at the blue box. Lorelai snapped out of her daze and took a deep breath, before slowly lifting the lid off. It would be an understatement to say she was relieved when she found that it was a charm bracelet, and not an engagement ring. She only planned on telling him the story of the ring's little adventure when he gave it to her, so when he proposed, which she hoped would be a long time from now.

"Luke," she gasped, surprised at, not the value of it because it really wasn't that expensive, but at the thought he put into it. A charm bracelet was personal, only holding things that relate to the person wearing it.

"Do you like it?" he asked, wincing slightly as he waited for her full reaction. He watched her remove the bracelet from the box and admire the silver chain, which had four charms hanging from it. She noticed there was an 'L', which probably stood for 'Lorelai', an 'R', which stood for Rory, a heart with an 'L' in the middle, meaning her love for Luke, as well as a pink pacifier and a small broom.

"It's great," she murmured. "You must have put a lot of thought into this." Luke shrugged modestly.

"Spent a lot of time in different jewellery stores," he admitted. He crouched down in front of her and rested his hands on her knees.

"What's the broom for?" she asked, referring to the small silver charm.

"You're a maid," he told her. "It's to commemorate your first job, and when you get promoted to manager, I'll get you a different one." Lorelai smiled shyly.

"I don't think I'll be manager," she said humbly. "It'd be pretty amazing if I started as a maid and ended up running the place."

"You are amazing," he told her shyly. "You can do anything." Lorelai looked down at the bracelet again, wiping a stray tear that happened to roll down her cheek at that moment.

"I love you," she whispered, before leaning forward and planting one on him. Rory scrunched her nose up as she watched her parents kiss; it wasn't something she wanted to see.

"Yucky," she complained, causing the adults to laugh, that's right, they're both adults now. Luke attached the bracelet around Lorelai's wrist, then got to his feet.

"Who wants a special breakfast?" he asked as he made his way to the stove, Rory following to see if she could help with anything.

XXXX

"Where are we going?" Lorelai asked that evening.

"I thought we could go out to dinner someplace," he shrugged, not letting on about the surprise party the town had planned for her. He couldn't believe he'd actually agreed to take part in a town event, but the fact that the whole thing was for Lorelai persuaded him.

"Like where?"

"Dunno," he replied, becoming more annoyed with her constant questioning. "Hurry up and get ready and we'll drive till we find a place."

"It has to be kid friendly," she reminded him.

"I know, I'm not gonna forget about Rory am I?"

"Never know," she muttered before pulling a dress from her closet, one that she'd worn many times. She didn't have the money to be buying a new dress for every event. "How's this one?" she asked, holding it up against her.

"Perfect," he assured her. "Put that one on and I'll go get Rory ready." Luke walked towards Rory's room, while Lorelai began primping for her birthday surprise. Yes she knew there was a surprise of some sort, probably a party. Where? She didn't know.

"Come on," said Luke as he made it into his daughters small bedroom. He found her sitting on the floor in the clothes she'd been wearing all day, as she messed around with some toy he'd never seen before. "You need to get ready for mommy's party," he told her. He went to her dresser and pulled out the outfit he'd chosen for her earlier; the dress she'd worn on New Year's.

He quickly dressed her, then found a cardigan to keep her warm, before making his way back out to the main room. Lorelai was in the bathroom when he came out, and the door was closed.

"Ok Ror, when we get to the party, everyone's gonna shout surprise," he explained. "I know it sounds completely stupid but that's what will happen."

"Supise!" she said excitedly, quickly catching onto the new word.

"Shh," he hushed. "Don't let mommy hear you, wait till we're at the party," he told her.

"Shh," she repeated in understanding, as she put her index finger to her mouth. Luke nodded, before looking towards the bathroom.

"Lorelai, you almost ready?" he called.

"Yeah," came the muffled reply. She was currently applying foundation like there was no tomorrow, wanting her skin to look flawless. To everyone else, it already did, but only she could see her tiny imperfections and the small blackheads that came with being a teenager.

She finally stepped out of the bathroom, twenty minutes later, to see Luke and Rory lounging on the couch.

"Done," she told them as she gathered her shawl and wrapped it around her back and arms.

"Finally," he said. He had told her to get ready an hour before the actual party began, and it had paid off because they still had another ten minutes until everyone was due to shout 'surprise'.

"Figured out where we're going yet?" she asked.

"Thought we'd stop by Miss Patty's and see if she knows any good places," he said, putting the plan he and the town had made into motion. There had been a secret town meeting while Lorelai was at work, and everyone had gotten together to work out the details, Sookie was even baking a cake.

"Sounds good," she said with a nod. "If anyone knows any good places to eat in the area, it'll be Patty, she knows all." She winked at him then picked up Rory, who was raring to go.

"Supise," she said excitedly as she looked at her mother. Lorelai looked over at Luke, who simply shook his head.

"What's that sweets?" she asked, trying to get more info from her. Rory simply looked at Luke, realising she'd said something wrong, and went completely silent. "Huh, guess you were just playing the random word game," she chuckled as she opened the door and stepped outside. Luke sighed quietly with relief, glad that the plan hadn't been ruined. Maybe he shouldn't have let Rory in on the secret plans at all, she wasn't all that subtle after all.

XXXX

Luke parked up outside the diner and looked towards Miss Patty's dance studio. The lights were turned off, which meant they were expecting the guest of honour at any moment. He walked around the truck and opened Lorelai's door, taking Rory from her and putting her on her feet, before taking Lorelai's hand and helping her out of the truck.

"Always a gentleman," she cooed, giving his hand a squeeze. She giggled as he locked the truck, then the trio began to walk to Patty's across the square. "Looks like there's no one here," she said disappointedly. She stopped on the sidewalk, and Luke tugged on her hand to get her to walk further.

"Let's check inside," he suggested. "She might be doing that weird oohing and aahing thing where you sit on the floor."

"Meditating," she filled in for him. Luke nodded and pulled her up the stairs.

"Mama, up!" Rory exclaimed as she stood at the bottom of the steps. She didn't like the thought of walking up them. Lorelai went back to retrieve Rory, and sat her on her hip before they made their way into the studio.

Everyone had heard Rory's exclamation, and had immediately stopped their quiet whispering. They had party poppers and streamers ready for when the birthday girl arrived inside, to punctuate their surprise.

The door slid open and Luke flicked the light switch on.

"SURPRISE!" the entire town shouted, including Luke. Lorelai's eyes widened at the vast amount of people, and at the shock of it all.

"Supise!" Rory exclaimed, a little later than expected. Everyone awed at her and chuckled, before applauding their much awaited guest.

"Lorelai darling," said Patty. "Happy birthday sweetheart." She kissed Lorelai's cheek and gave her a bright smile.

"Thanks Patty, I can't believe you all did this."

"It was all Luke," she brushed off. "He put all this together, I just offered the venue." And she sauntered off. Lorelai looked around at the decor, noticing the banners, balloons and various other decorations around the room. Music started up, courtesy of Kirk who was dj-ing, and various townies began dancing to the bouncy eighties pop hits.

"Hey," said Luke as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "You like the surprise?" She turned in his arms and smiled at him, snaking her arms around his neck.

"I love it," she told him, leaning in to kiss him. They were interrupted by Luke's sister, wanting to wish Lorelai a happy birthday.

"Hey Lorelai!" she exclaimed, wrapping her brother's girlfriend up in a hug. "Happy eighteenth."

"Thanks, did you get the gift I sent you for yours?" she asked. "I know it was a couple of months ago now, but I hope it got to you ok."

"Yeah, Luke brought it round," she confirmed. "So, where's Rory?" she asked. "Jess has been asking about her all day...is Rory gonna be at the party etc, etc."

"She's at the food table with Sookie," Luke told his sister.

"Where is Jess?" Lorelai asked curiously glancing around the room.

"Flirting with Mia," she replied with a grin. "I think he wants something from her."

"I'll get him," said Luke, walking away from the girls to find the two infants. They would need supervising anyway, there were so many people here that they could easily get lost.

"So," said Liz excitedly after Luke was out of earshot.

"So, what?" she asked, wondering what Liz was thinking about.

"New York," she exclaimed. "Was it amazing?" Lorelai blushed.

"Yeah," she admitted. "Best trip I've ever been on."

"Did you guys make up properly? You seem to be closer now."

"Yeah, we did a lot of making up," she emphasised.

"So the make up sex was great?" she asked, knowing she was right. Lorelai nodded shyly, feeling weird for discussing this with Luke's sister. "What did he get you for your birthday?"

"Well...he bought me Bangles tickets while we were in New York," she answered, smiling smugly at the fact she got to see one of the greatest girl groups live.

"Seriously? You went to see the Bangles?"

"Yup, it was awesome," she gushed. "Even Luke enjoyed it."

"Oh my god, no way! I'm so gonna mock him about that." The girls giggled, as a few more women joined their conversation including Patty, Babette, Gypsy and Sookie. "Did he get you anything else?"

"This bracelet," she told them, holding her right wrist out to show them. They all awed over the charms, and how much they represented the important things in Lorelai's life.

"Luke has really good taste," admired Sookie when it was just the two of them. The others had gone off to dance and whatnot.

"Doesn't he?" she agreed.

"You're so lucky," she sighed.

"Jackson's great too," she assured her friend.

"Yeah," said Sookie, less than enthusiastically.

"What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing," she tried to brush off.

"Sook."

"Can we talk about this tomorrow? Today's your day and I don't wanna steal your thunder." Lorelai smiled softly.

"I'll drop by before my shift starts," she told her best friend. Sookie nodded before looking towards the dance floor, where Rory and Jess were holding hands and dancing stupidly among the crowd.

"Look at how adorable they are," she awed, touching a hand to her heart at the sweetness of it all. Lorelai followed Sookie's gaze and smiled at Rory and Jess' display.

"We've gotta watch those two," she said. "I think there's something going on there."

"They're just babies, Lorelai," Sookie reminded her.

"But it might turn into something else as they get older."

"Just think," she began. "If you and Luke get married, which I'm sure you will someday, they'll be cousins. Do you really think they're gonna date with that knowledge?" Lorelai scrunched her nose up.

"I guess you're right," she agreed. "They'll just have to be best friends."

"Wait till Rory gets to the 'boys are stupid' part of childhood, then she'll wanna get as far away from Jess as she can. Lorelai chuckled as she watched the toddlers trip over each other's feet and land in a heap on the floor, both laughing uncontrollably. Luke came to their aid and pulled each one to their feet before someone stepped on them.

"What are you two like?" he asked, glancing down at them both. They grinned up at him idiotically before Rory stepped onto Luke's food and held onto his leg tightly.

"Dass," she demanded, jumping slightly to get him to move his foot.

"I don't dance," he reminded her, trying to get her off of him.

"No, dada dass," she told him. Luke sighed when Jess copied his best friend and stepped onto Luke's right foot.

"Not you too," he grumbled.

"Uncle Luke dance," he ordered. Luke rolled his eyes and walked towards Lorelai, the two toddlers clinging onto his legs as he stepped, laughing each time they moved.

"They won't let go," he complained as he stood in front of her. Lorelai giggled down at Rory and Jess, who were smiling up at her cheekily.

"I think they want you to dance," she observed.

"I don't dance," he mumbled.

"I beg to differ." She got to her feet and led him back to where everyone was dancing, creating excited squeals from the kids attached to Luke's calves. She placed her hands on his shoulders and began leading him slowly, making sure he picked his feet up. "See, this is fun, right?"

"You don't have two toddlers attached to you," he told her. Lorelai shrugged.

"They must like you," she said.

"Oh don't you all look adorable together?" Patty gushed as she danced with her new boyfriend, Roberto, the man her husband found her in bed with just a month and a half ago. The divorce was in progress.

"We try," she replied smugly.

"Oh to be eighteen again," she sighed. "You need a birthday drink," she said decisively. "I'll get you some punch."

"I don't think so," said Luke sternly. "She's not going anywhere near that stuff."

"You can't tell her what to do," retorted Patty. She never let men overpower her.

"It's ok Patty," she assured. "I don't want any, thanks." Patty rolled her eyes.

"Don't let him walk all over you dear, you can't give 'em too much power, it goes to their heads." Lorelai nodded to appease the older woman, then watched as she walked away.

"No punch," he warned her as they continued to move around.

"I wasn't planning on having any," she told him. "I think you got Miss Patty mad though," she giggled.

"She'll deal with it." Suddenly the music cut off, and everyone turned to the podium to see Kirk test the microphone.

"May I have everyone's attention please?" he asked, acting like he was president of the United States.

"What is it Kirk?" asked Babette in her scratchy voice. "Some of us wanna dance over here."

"Yeah," agreed a few more people.

"As you know, we're celebrating the eighteenth birthday of one of the newest members of the town, Lorelai Gilmore!" Everyone paid attention, clapping, whistling, congratulating, all at the same time. All the attention was making her blush, and she wasn't usually one to be shy, as you all know.

"SPEECH!" somebody from the crowd called. Others followed, and soon, everyone was urging Lorelai to go up to the podium to make a speech. She tried to protest, but the townies were so damn insistent, that she found herself standing on the raised platform with a microphone in front of her.

"Um...ok well..."

"Say something!" Gypsy called. Lorelai scowled at her jokingly.

"I was getting to it," she justified. "My daughter and I moved here eight months ago," she began. "I didn't know what to expect when I saw the Welcome to Stars Hollow sign as we came in on the bus, but it was a nice surprise to find a place so warm and loving. Somewhere that actually feels like home." She took a deep breath.

"I never thought I'd get a job, or a place to live so easily. I didn't even think I'd meet anyone new, much less, all of you guys. You've made these past eight months really great, and I don't know where I'd be now if I'd never met you." She was looking directly at Luke now, and he was staring back intensely. Some members of the crowd noticed and whispered among themselves at how well the teenagers fit together.

"Wow, this has gotten a bit heavy," she giggled, fighting back the happy tears so she didn't cry in front of the whole town. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is that, I didn't think my eighteenth birthday would be like this when I first moved here. I thought I'd never have a party like this, never ever. So thanks to everyone who helped plan it, I'm having a really great time." She took a deep breath again. "Now go get tipsy, dance and have fun!" she ordered jumping down from the podium and rushing into the crowd.

"Nice speech," said Luke, as he brushed her wild curls out of her face. The music was playing again, and everyone was dancing happily, all having a good time.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna go outside for a bit?" Lorelai nodded eagerly, then remembered the two small children whom had glued themselves to her boyfriend.

"Hey guys, can I have my Luke back?" she asked as she crouched down to their level.

"No," they replied simultaneously, clinging on tighter.

After Lorelai had bribed Rory and Jess to let go of her boyfriend with candy, she left them with Mia and quickly grabbed Luke's hand, dragging him outside before anyone could stop them.

"So are you having a good time?" he asked as they walked hand in hand towards the gazebo. The streets were dead, as everyone was inside enjoying the party. The music carried into the square, and the young couple could hear the excitement buzzing from the dance studio. Lorelai sat on the bench in the gazebo and pulled Luke down next to her, grinning at him like an idiot.

"This past week's been really nice," she murmured. "You know...since you...came back." She was staring intently down at their joined hands, playing with his fingers nervously.

"I never went away," he whispered. Lorelai looked out over the darkened square, unsure of what to say next. It didn't matter because Luke beat her to the punch. "You know I love you, right?" Lorelai inclined her head to look him in the eye, seeing all the emotion swimming in those blue pools.

"I know," she whispered, leaning towards him slightly. Luke let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. It wasn't long until their mouths found each other and they were enjoying a make out session on the bench in the gazebo. What would Taylor say? Just as things got heated, Luke pulled away and held her a safe distance away from him, fearing that he wouldn't be able to control himself if she was any closer.

"We're not doing this in the gazebo," he told her, that stern expression on his face. Lorelai smiled coyly. Luke rose up from the bench slightly and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a white envelope that hadn't been sealed yet.

"What's that?" Lorelai asked as he held it out to her.

"Look," he simply said. Lorelai suspiciously took the envelope from him and pulled out the pieces of paper that had been stapled together.

"What are these?" she asked, referring to the forms in her hand, which all the fields had already been filled in for her.

"Well, if you sign and date here," he began. "We can take it to be authorised so you can get your learner's permit." Lorelai's mouth dropped open at the revelation.

"A leaner's permit?" she asked, just to clarify. Luke nodded for confirmation and wrapped his arm around her again.

"Then I'm gonna teach you how to drive." Lorelai's eyes lit up.

"In your truck?" she asked excitedly. Luke shook his head insistently.

"No way, you don't know how to drive a stick," he said sternly.

"You can teach me," she pouted.

"No," he repeated firmly.

"Then what am I gonna learn in?"

"Mia's car," he answered. "She's gonna add you to her insurance policy, and I'm gonna pay for the extra it puts on it," he explained. "Then when you have your license, she said you can borrow her car when I'm not available to drive you places." Lorelai was lost for words.

"Seriously?" she asked. "I can't believe this." Luke shrugged.

"You had to get your license sometime," he said logically. "Why not now?" Lorelai squealed excitedly and leaned in to kiss her boyfriend again, she would never get tired of the feel of his lips on hers.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you recently?" she asked between kisses.

"I think it came up," he muttered as they continued to neck on the bench, out in the open. This was definitely a birthday Lorelai thought she wouldn't experience eight months ago, and she couldn't put into words how happy she was at this moment in time.

**FIIINNNNAAALLLYYYYY :P **

**Nah, it really didn't take all that long to write, and I hope the ending wasn't too abrupt. I just wanna get into bed and snuggle up with a book...I'm reading Sophie Kinsella's 'Mini Shopaholic', don't know if anyone's read that series of books. She's a really great author though and all her books are hilarious...**

**ANYway, please review, it's funny cause I got a review from Kali as I was writing this, almost ready to post. Thanks by the way! 1000 remember guys...that would like make my LIFE! Well, maybe not that far, but I will be very happy :D So before you go click on the little review button and make a job deprived little girl very happy...although I'm not that little anymore :P **

**Goodbye for now!**

**Emily.**


	57. Old Friends and Apple Tarts

**Hi, how are you all? **

**I tried to update yesterday, well I wanted to, but my mother took over my laptop and was playing solitaire, and she got addicted so I couldn't get her off it. So I have finished this now, while she's at work :P **

**Thank you for the reviews, I really, really love your opinions :D And I'm glad you're enjoying the story. This chapter is quite long, I just had a lot I wanted to include...enjoy.**

"So, are you gonna tell me what's going on?" Lorelai asked as she filled up her coffee cup, watching her friend from the corner of her eye. Sookie was hunched over the stove, stirring a pot of soup with the least amount of enthusiasm she had ever shown. "Sookie?" she asked when she received no answer.

"Huh?" asked Sookie as she continued to stare into the green soup.

"What's up with you?" she asked softly. "You're quiet, and you're not dropping things," she pointed out. "Something major's going on." Sookie sighed, continuing to avoid Lorelai's questioning eyes.

"Jackson asked me to move in with him," she replied glumly. Lorelai's eyes widened momentarily, before she jumped up and down on the spot.

"Sookie, that's awesome!" she exclaimed, bounding towards her best friend. Sookie shook her head insistently, stirring the soup more aggressively.

"No, it's not," she protested. Lorelai's expression changed to one of confusion.

"It's not?" she asked.

"No! We're young, we've been together for two minutes," she said exasperatedly. "I can't move in with him."

"Why not?" Lorelai questioned.

"I just told you why not," she retorted. Lorelai smiled and placed her hands on Sookie's shoulders, urging her to face her.

"Sookie," she began. "Jackson loves you, you love him, you've been together for like six months," she listed. "I know it isn't a long time really, but from personal experience, living with a guy isn't all that bad." Sookie frowned.

"I can't move in with Jackson," she said, freaking out just a little bit. "What would my mom say? Or my dad, oh god my dad would freak out. My parents don't even know that Jackson and I have slept together, in fact, I don't even think they've met Jackson!"

"They've met Jackson," she told her friend, who had gone a little senile.

"Right, right," she agreed, breathing heavily.

"Sook, you need to calm down ok? Your parents like Jackson, your dad buys produce from him," she reminded her friend. "Now tell me, are you just using your parents as an excuse to get out of this?" Sookie slumped visibly.

"I can't move in with him," she said firmly.

"Why not?"

"It'd be weird, we'd argue all the time and we'd get sick of each other."

"Luke and I live together," she said. "We've been living together for three months now, and I'm not sick of him." Sookie shrugged her shoulders. "Look, I know it seems daunting and you feel like you're too young to live with a guy, but living with Luke has been really great," she gushed. "If anything, it brings you closer together, cause you have so much privacy." Sookie looked thoughtful.

"Do you really think I can move in with him?" she asked.

"Absolutely, if you're sure it's what you want." Sookie sighed. "Hey, what inspired the whole moving in thing anyway?" she asked curiously.

"Jackson's family is moving away, but he didn't wanna leave his crops," she informed. "So he decided to lease an apartment and asked if I wanted to move in with him."

"This could be a really great thing," she said excitedly. "We could have a housewarming for you guys, where we can watch movies and eat all your fabulous food."

"But, I'd be living with my boyfriend," she pointed out.

"That's the idea," Lorelai mumbled.

"I'd be the woman of the house," she said in realisation, completely ignoring Lorelai's comment. "I'd have to cook, and clean, and do laundry. I'd have to clean up Jackson's mess, and wash his underwear!" She seemed completely freaked by the idea.

"Hey, I live with my boyfriend and I don't do much cleaning," she told her. "I have a kid to take care of too."

"But Rory doesn't make any mess, she basically takes care of herself," she said. "Jackson's messy, and his feet smell." Lorelai scrunched her nose up.

"I really needed to know that." Lorelai rolled her eyes at Sookie's dramatics. "Look, laundry's not that bad, you can always guilt trip Jackson into washing his own underwear, and you love to cook anyway right? Imagine going home from work every evening and cooking a lovely dinner for your beau, doesn't that sound appealing?" Sookie nodded slowly. "Then after dinner you throw washing up bubbles at each other, take a bath together and then go to bed," she listed. Sookie furrowed her brows.

"You're not reliving a night you spent with Luke are you?" she asked, hoping she hadn't just heard a reencounter of one of the couple's romantic evenings. Lorelai simply shrugged her shoulders and blushed a little. "I've never taken a bath with Jackson," said Sookie thoughtfully.

"Why not?"

"Well we're either at my house with my parents, Jackson's house with his crazy family showing up all the time, or out to dinner and a movie," she said. "The opportunity's never come up before."

"Well there you go," she said in triumph. "If you move in with Jackson you could take a bath with him every night," she enticed. "Personally, I prefer taking a shower with Luke, but bath's still good." Sookie giggled a little.

"So you think I should say yes?" she asked unsurely.

"If you wanna have more privacy, and be more independent, then I think you should say yes," she confirmed. "But don't rush into anything you don't wanna do; you'll only regret it later." Sookie nodded, and was about to say something else when the back door swung open and Jackson entered carrying a box full of mushrooms.

"Where do you want these?" he asked. Sookie pointed to an empty place on the counter before turning around and jumping into his now free arms, wrapping hers around his neck. "What's that for?" he asked, surprised by the gesture.

"I'll move in with you," she told him, grinning excitedly. Jackson's smile warmed and he leaned down to kiss his girlfriend. Lorelai smiled triumphantly to herself, before turning towards the door.

"No canoodling near the food!" she called over her shoulder as she left the kitchen, chuckling at her best friend and her boyfriend. They were really cute together.

XXXX

"Hi Mia," Lorelai greeted as she knocked on the door to her boss' office. She was on her lunch break and wanted to quickly ask for Mia's advice.

"Hello Lorelai," she replied happily. She hadn't really had a chance to catch up with her young employee and surrogate daughter since they got back from their trip and was happy to see her. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanna talk to you about Rory," she said as she took a seat at the desk.

"Is she alright?"

"Oh, yeah she's fine," she replied. "I was just wondering about toilet training, I was gonna ask you if you thought Rory was ready for that yet."

"Well, she's almost nineteen months old, I'd certainly say she's old enough," she answered. "But it's hard to tell if they're ready or not."

"She seemed really curious about the toilet the other day," she told her. "She even tried to climb onto it."

"Hmm, well you could definitely try to get her trained, but if she doesn't respond to it then try again in a few months." Lorelai nodded.

"How do we go about training her exactly?" she asked, feeling a bit like a bad parent for not knowing the answers for this one.

"It can be tricky," she said with a nod. "You can try all sorts of different techniques, the best thing you can do is get a book from the library and try some things from there."

"Ok," she agreed. She never believed in parenting by the book, but this was something she had no clue about and she needed some guidance. "Hey, where is Rory anyway? I left her with you."

"She is baking cookies with Sookie," she informed the young mother. "I tried to stop them but you know how persuasive my head chef can be." Lorelai grinned and walked around the desk to hug Mia.

"Thanks for the advice," she said gratefully.

"Anytime dear, all you need to do is ask." Lorelai nodded before leaving the office and making her way to the kitchen.

"Hi Sook," she said as she approached them.

"Mama wook!" announced Rory as she held up the cookie cutter she was holding. It was in the shape of a house and Rory was helping Sookie cut the dough out.

"Oh wow," she said for Rory's benefit. "You're making them into the shape of a house?"

"Sookie ouse," she corrected.

"It's Sookie's house, huh?" she cooed, looking at her friend coyly. "You mean the love nest?"

"We're getting an apartment, not a house," she said shyly, blushing furiously.

"My mistake," she muttered. She was so excited for her friend, she was sure that she'd love living with a member of the opposite sex.

"Rory what have I told you about eating the cookie dough?" Sookie scolded. It was obvious it wasn't the first time she'd told her either. Rory stopped mid-chew, and pulled her hand away from the rolled dough.

"Are you misbehaving missy?" asked Lorelai, tickling under her daughter's chin to make her giggle.

"No she's just following in her mother's footsteps," butted in Sookie, chuckling at Lorelai.

"So she should," she said decisively. "Except the getting pregnant part."

"So what's up anyway?" she asked. "Did you want something?"

"Yeah, Rory actually," she said. "I'm going down to the bookstore and thought I'd take her with me."

"Oh sure," she agreed. "She loves it there, right?"

"Yeah, I can't get her anything though," she said doubtfully. "I might have to bribe her with candy."

"Luke would love that."

"She deserves a treat, she always eats the green stuff he feeds her," she shuddered.

"He gives her it cause he cares," she pointed out. Lorelai nodded as she lifted Rory onto her hip.

"Cookies," said Rory, reaching out towards the unfinished dough.

"You can finish them when we get back from lunch," said Lorelai, brushing her daughter's hair aside.

"No, now," she demanded, looking longingly towards the half cut sheet.

"Tell you what, my little sweet pea," said Sookie softly. "Let's finish cutting this out real quick, then when you get back from lunch they'll be ready to decorate." Rory's face lit up, and Lorelai sighed.

"I swear Luke's been influencing this whole cooking streak she has. They made pizza for me the other night."

"Aww that's so cute!" she gushed as she helped Rory place the cutter over the dough and told her to push it down. Rory smiled when she pulled it away and the house shaped dough dropped out. It wasn't long until they were done, and Lorelai and Rory were walking into town.

"Hey, after we've been to the bookstore we can go see daddy," said Lorelai excitedly, looking forward to the prospect of seeing Luke. She had been building herself up to tell him about the visit with Christopher she had, and she was planning on telling him that evening after dinner with her parents.

"Dada bizzie," said Rory while shaking her head.

"He's got time for us," she assured her. Rory let go of Lorelai's hand and ran over to the grass that ran alongside them. She picked out a small daisy from the ground then brought it over to her mother. "Is that for me?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Aww thanks babe," she said softly. She crouched down and kissed Rory's forehead then slipped the flower behind her ear.

"Pretty," said Rory, smiling widely at her.

"And I think you're pretty too." She stood back up straight and grasped her daughter's hand again. "Come on, we've got some stuff to do."

XXXX

Lorelai perused the parenting section of the bookstore carefully, but only coming up with pregnancy books. She pulled one out named 'Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby' and began flipping through it, only to find it was another one about pregnancy and birth.

"Hello Lorelai," said a voice over her shoulder. Lorelai jumped momentarily and turned around to find Patty looking at her suspiciously.

"God, make a noise or something," she grumbled.

"You're cranky," she observed. "Must be your hormones." She was still smiling weirdly at her, and Lorelai realised she was still holding the open book, and it was turned to a page about sonograms. Lorelai sighed at how perceptive the town were, especially THE gossip queen.

"I'm looking for a toilet training book," she said, putting a dampener on Patty's suspicions.

"Oh, so you're not pregnant?" she asked disappointedly.

"No Patty," she confirmed. She glanced around the shelving unit and saw Rory was still occupied with admiring the children's section.

"What a great shame," she sighed. "Oh well, I guess the time will come." With that she walked away. Lorelai shook her head at the town's antics, and went back to scanning the selection. She finally found what she was looking for on the bottom shelf, behind a book about conception.

"Rory," she called. "Time to go, honey." Rory turned around and with a book held close to her chest, smiling at her mom. "Hey, put the book down," she said. "We have to get going."

"Book," she said.

"I know," she sighed. "But you have to put it back." Lorelai tried to pry the book from Rory's fingers, but the child wasn't giving in.

"No mama," she protested, holding onto it tighter. It had been so long since Rory had been given a new book, and Lorelai felt bad for her, but she just couldn't afford it at the moment.

"Rory," she said, softly and quietly. "Mommy can't buy you this today, I'll get you one soon though," she promised. Rory pouted and her eyes filled with tears. She was getting some disapproving glances from other parents who were supervising their own children as they looked through the books. All of them were older than Rory of course. Lorelai knew they were judging her, probably because of her age and the fact that Rory was about to cry because she couldn't have a new book.

"Hey," she whispered. "Let's put this back and go see daddy, ok?" Rory looked at her, still pouting.

"Dada?" she asked.

"Yeah, and you can tell him all about the cookies you made," she enticed. Rory sniffled, then hesitantly put the book back on the shelf in the place she found it. "Good girl, come on." Lorelai held her hand out and Rory eagerly grabbed onto it, as the other parents watched the young mother and daughter walk away.

After loaning her toilet training book out, she headed over to Doose's and led Rory to the candy aisle. Rory stared up at the selection in awe, while looking up to her mother for permission.

"You can have one," she said, holding up a single finger. Rory's grin was wider than her face, and she pointed up to a small bag of foam bananas.

"Banana!" she exclaimed. Lorelai held a bag out to Rory and watched as she eagerly grasped it between her fingers. "Now?" she asked.

"Not yet, wait till we've checked out." Lorelai picked up two readymade sandwiches on her way to check out, then quickly paid for them, before exiting the market and opening Rory's candy for her. "To the diner," she called, pointing in the direction of Luke's. She could see him across the square, tinkering with some wood just inside the diner.

"Dada!" Rory said happily once she spotted him. She rushed the rest of the way down the sidewalk and entered the diner, with Lorelai running after her so she could prevent her from getting hurt.

"Rory," said Luke, surprised to see her there, and also worrying that she was currently in a dangerous area. He abandoned his wood and escorted her onto the sidewalk outside, as Lorelai came jogging up to him, completely out of breath.

"Where did that girl learn to run like that?" she asked, panting uncontrollably.

"No idea," he said. "She shouldn't just come hurtling into the diner like that though, she could have gotten hurt in there."

"I know, I called after her but she'd already seen you," she shrugged. "There was no stopping her." Luke smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips, aware of any townies that may be watching them right now.

"Stay with your mom in future," he warned his daughter, just noticing the candy bag she was clutching. "What's that?" he asked.

"Banana," replied Rory, holding one out to her father.

"With ten times more sugar in than a regular banana," he mumbled.

"Rory chose them," she shrugged. "I just paid." Luke shook his head.

"I knew you'd turn out like your mom," he said. Rory giggled and looked at Lorelai.

"Brought you a sandwich," she said, pulling it out of the grocery bag she held. "It's turkey club."

"Thanks," he said. "Wanna go eat somewhere?"

"The gazebo," she said decisively. "Brings back some nice memories from last night." She winked at him and he blushed, remembering their little rendezvous in one of the town's most famous landmarks.

"What did you get?" he asked, leaning over to take a look at her sandwich.

"BLT," she replied, her cheeks already stuffed with food. "I don't wanna eat too much now in case my parents are planning a big dinner for us."

"I'm glad they weren't that mad about missing your actual birthday," he said. "They thought I was taking you on a romantic night out," he chuckled.

"Heh, I enjoyed myself last night," she said, shuffling closer to him on the bench.

"Fiddish," Rory announced, holding her empty candy bag out to Lorelai.

"Go put it in the trash," she coached, pointing to the bin at the bottom of the steps. Rory cautiously approached the staircase, not used to having to climb up and down steps, and went down them one by one. Luke and Lorelai watched her until she was safely back up the steps and toddling around in front of them. "Mom said she's gonna get the cook to make apple tarts tonight," she said excitedly. "I can't wait."

"Is there gonna be something that I'll eat?" he asked.

"Oh sure," she brushed off. "I'm sure we're having salad as the starter."

"Cause that'll fill me," he muttered.

"I don't see what's so horrible about apple tarts," she said. "They have apples in, apple's a fruit."

"A fruit that's been stewed with half a bag of sugar," he corrected.

"Don't over exaggerate," she told him.

"There's still sugar in it."

"One's not gonna kill you."

"Tell you what, if you eat a full salad, I'll have an apple tart," he reasoned.

"That's not fair," she scoffed. "Then I'll be eating more than you."

"Isn't that usually the case?" he joked. Lorelai playfully slapped his arm. "Ok," he said. "I'll eat an apple tart AND a piece of cake." Lorelai looked to be thinking it over.

"Deal," she agreed, holding her hand out to seal it. Luke leaned forward and pecked her lips again.

"Always seal the deal with a kiss," he muttered as he pulled away. Lorelai grinned and leaned in closer to him.

"Luke Danes you big, squishy romantic." Luke simply rolled his eyes.

XXXX

"Ah Lorelai," exclaimed Emily when she noticed them enter the living room. They had been let in by the maid, and had been surprised when they saw all the cars surrounding the Gilmore's home. "Hello Luke," she greeted her daughter's boyfriend. "Oh Rory, don't you look gorgeous?" she cooed.

"Granma pretty," replied Rory.

"Why thank you, sweetheart."

"What's going on, mom?" Lorelai asked, cutting through the conversation. "I thought we were having dinner for my birthday."

"Well surprise," she said. "I decided to invite some close friends of ours, and some of your old school friends, after all, it's not every day your only daughter turns eighteen is it?" Lorelai shook her head while smiling uneasily. "Happy birthday," she wished before moving onto the next guests that had entered the mansion. Lorelai looked over at Luke.

"I should have seen this one coming," she said. "My mother is the master of party planning."

"Does this mean the apple tart deal is off?" he asked hopefully as they walked further into the room. Luke held Rory's hand as she stood at his side, glancing around at all the smart people nervously.

"Oh no mister, you're not gonna get out of it that easily." Luke rolled his eyes and watched as Lorelai noticed a few teenagers sneaking champagne in the corner of the room.

"That used to be me," she told him.

"If you were gonna sneak booze, at least make it beer," he joked. Lorelai turned to him and smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Lorelai," said Emily's voice as she walked by. "You see the boy every day, can you keep your hands off of him for one night and mingle with your guests?" Lorelai rolled her eyes; that comment resembled something her mother said to her before she got pregnant, when she was still dating Christopher. Thinking of that reminded her of when she went to visit Chris just a few days ago, and the guilt she was racking up over not telling Luke about it.

"Yes, mother," she returned, smiling fakely. Emily nodded before walking off to greet a middle aged couple who had just walked through the door.

"What's up with your mom?" Luke asked after the woman in question had walked away. Lorelai simply shrugged her shoulders.

"She gets like this when she's holding an event, only cause she wants to impress people."

"So we have to act proper?" he asked, smirking slightly at the thought of himself acting like a rich kid.

"Nah, we just have to mingle, thank people for coming, and then we can go up to my old room and make out," she said, smiling up at him. Luke cleared his throat.

"Where's Rory?" he asked worriedly, suddenly realising their little girl had disappeared from their sides.

"She's probably being swallowed by Hartford society as we speak." Luke looked nervously around the room, obviously concerned about Rory's whereabouts. "Come on, we'll go find her." Lorelai grabbed his hand and began guiding him around the crowded ground floor of her former house.

XXXX

"Aren't you just the sweetest thing?" cooed one of the DAR ladies. A group of them had seen Rory arrive and seized the opportunity to lavish her with attention. Rory looked around the group of women surrounding her, her eyes moving between each one. While she had met these ladies before, she wasn't exactly familiar with them and she was beginning to feel a bit nervous.

"Look at those blue eyes," someone else said.

"And that brown hair."

"Plump, rosy cheeks." Rory furrowed her brows, wondering what these strange women were saying to her. She wanted her mommy and daddy.

"Where mama?" she asked, speaking over the ladies' conversation.

"Oh don't worry about that, sweetheart, we'll take care of you."

"Where dada?" she asked. She wanted at least one of them, at the moment she didn't care which.

"Did you hear about Christopher?" one of the ladies whispered loudly.

"In prison at eighteen," another shook her head.

"What happened?"

"Apparently, he set fire to a restaurant," one speculated.

"But he didn't work alone."

"Who helped him?"

"Rachel somebody, I've never heard of her before. I don't think she was from Hartford." The ladies nodded in agreement.

"I heard she was from the town Lorelai lives in, Stars Morrow I think it's called."

"Never heard of that either."

"I just can't believe little Christopher Hayden would do such a thing," said one of the women in disbelief.

"He was always a well behaved boy."

"Until he started dating Lorelai."

"She turned him into a rebellious teen, just like she was."

"Mama," said Rory, recognising that they were talking about her mother.

"Now, now ladies," said Tilly, the woman whom Emily had spoken to at the first DAR meeting she brought Rory to. "Lorelai's obviously grown up a lot since she was with Christopher, and she's doing a wonderful job raising her daughter." A couple of the women shrugged, but before anyone could say anything further, Lorelai's voice could be heard.

"Rory, there you are," she exclaimed, making her way over to the group of gossiping DAR biddies.

"Mama!" said Rory excitedly, squirming in the strange woman's arms to get to her mother. Lorelai stopped short when she realised that the women were Emily's DAR friends, and she hadn't seen them since she was the size of an elephant.

"Hi...ladies," she said hesitantly. Luckily, Luke had gone to grab some drinks, so she didn't have to explain their situation. It was nothing to do with these women anyway.

"Lorelai," they said simultaneously.

"So I see you've met Rory," she said dumbly, although she knew that Emily often took her granddaughter to meetings with her and that Rory had probably already met these women.

"Yes, she's a treasure," one gushed.

"Yeah, she is." Lorelai smiled proudly at her baby, but realised the girl in question was looking very unhappy as she gazed at her pleadingly. "Can I just...steal her away?" she asked, unsure of why she was asking if she could take her own kid.

"Absolutely." The ladies watched closely as Lorelai took Rory from the woman's lap and sat her on her hip.

"Miss mama," the little girl mumbled as she buried her face in her mother's neck to hide from the questing glances of the strange ladies.

"I was only gone a few minutes, sweets," she replied. "Hey, are you hungry?"

"Yes," Rory answered, bringing her head up so she could look at her mom, grinning happily.

"Let's go get apple tarts," she said excitedly, causing Rory to clap her hands together. The toddler didn't even know what apple tarts were. "Bye ladies," Lorelai said happily as she swung around and walked away. The women watched as she moved through the crowd, noticing she met up with someone and took his hand.

"Who's that young man?" somebody asked.

"I hear that's Lorelai's boyfriend..." And that started off a whole new round of gossip tennis.

XXXX

"Here, try this sweets," said Lorelai, holding an apple tart out to her daughter. Rory took it, sniffed it curiously before biting a bit off. She chewed thoughtfully before swallowing the piece and biting off more greedily. "Nice huh?" Rory nodded enthusiastically.

"At least they have a bit of fruit in," grumbled Luke, watching as Lorelai and Rory inhaled the tarts.

"Try one," Lorelai enticed, picking up another one and waving it around in front of him.

"Over my dead body," he mumbled. Lorelai shrugged and stuffed it into her mouth whole.

"All the more for me," she said through stuffed cheeks.

"Lorelai," Emily's voice approached them. "I did not have the maid prepare those apple tarts just for you," she scolded. Lorelai chuckled.

"But they're sooo good, mom," she argued.

"I know they are, that's why I'd like you to leave some for the other guests."

"Just one more?" she asked, scrunching her eyes up in hope.

"No."

"Pleeeeaaaaase?"

"No, for goodness sake Lorelai, you are eighteen," she said, shaking her head at her daughter's antics. "Eat some quiche once in a while." Emily turned around and pointed to a group of teenagers, who were gathered in the dining room. "Why don't you go talk to your old friends, I'm sure they'd love to see you." Lorelai immediately hated the idea, and looked at Luke worriedly as she set Rory on her feet and took a hold of her hand.

"Do I have to?" she asked, groaning inwardly.

"It's polite Lorelai," Emily said, turning back to her daughter.

"They don't wanna talk to me though."

"Why would they come to your birthday party if they didn't want to talk to you?"

"Because their parents probably made them come," she told her. "I can imagine it now; you are going to the high school dropout's party and that's final," she mimicked.

"Lorelai, you're being ridiculous," said Emily. "They used to be your friends; you used to spend all your time with them."

"Yeah, used to," she said. "Before I got pregnant and they all made fun of me."

"I'm sure they were just getting used to the idea," she argued softly. "Your friend Trish is here, you two were joined at the hip." Lorelai took a deep breath. She really didn't want to go talk to her old friends from high school, but she knew her mother wasn't gonna back down.

"Fine," she agreed. "But one snotty remark from them and I'll kick them into next week."

"Really Lorelai, don't be so dramatic." With that, Emily walked off to find her husband, leaving Luke, Lorelai and Rory to stare at the mass of tipsy teenagers.

"Do I really have to go over there?" she asked her boyfriend, her voice telling her she didn't want to.

"It won't be that bad," he assured her. "I can come over with you if you want." Lorelai shook her head.

"Stay over here," she told him. "Keep Rory out of mischief, I won't be long." Luke nodded and watched her drag her feet over to the people she thought she'd never have to endure again.

"Hi everyone," she announced, standing nervously by the archway. Every young eye turned to look at her; some were actually surprised at what they saw.

"Lorelai Gilmore," said one of the guys, looking her up and down.

"Uh...thanks for coming," she said lamely.

"How was fat camp?" blurted one of the jocks. His girlfriend hit his side, a small smile tracing her lips, and Lorelai recognised her as her ex-best friend, Trish.

"You know I didn't go to fat camp," she retorted, not at all ashamed of her situation.

"Yeah, we know you got knocked up and ruined Chris' life." Lorelai shrugged.

"At least I didn't end up getting arrested," she said. "He ruined his own life."

The group of guys obviously couldn't think of another smart remark, so they turned to face each other, continuing their previous conversation. The girls were still looking at her, they seemed like they wanted to say something, but all were holding back.

"So, it's nice to see you all again," she lied, smiling fakely. The girls all returned the sentence, before shuffling closer to her so it would be easier to talk. "Are you all ready for graduation?" She had inadvertently reminded herself of the fact that if Rory hadn't have happened, she'd be graduating high school in a matter of months.

"I'm totally freaked," said Andrea, a member of the cheerleading squad. "I keep having these awful nightmares that I trip over on the stage and my diploma goes flying and lands in a pile of mud."

"Your diploma's not gonna be worth much anyway," joked Tess, referring to the fact that Andrea wasn't the brightest bulb in the box.

"What about you?" asked Trish. "Are you getting your GED?" Lorelai shook her head, averting her gaze to the floor.

"Nah, it's kinda hard to go to school when you have a baby on your hip," she replied. Trish nodded and looked towards the living room.

"Is the kid here?" she asked. Lorelai nodded, a small smile lighting her face when she thought of Rory.

"Want me to get her?" The girls all looked hesitant.

"Sure," Trish finally answered. Lorelai looked around the adjoining room, but Luke had moved from where she left him.

"I'll go find her," she said, excusing herself from the group.

She finally found them, ten minutes later, in Richard's study.

"Hey, I need to borrow Rory," she said as she poked her head around the door. Rory was studying a book of Richard's, amazed at how thick it was.

"Why?" Luke asked as he put Rory on her feet.

"My old friends wanna meet her," she told him. "I'm hoping she'll be the icebreaker, it's a bit awkward between us."

"So it's like been in hell?"

"Pretty much," she said with a nod. "Where's dad?" At that moment, Richard pushed the door to his study open wider and slid past his daughter, handing a bottle of beer to Luke.

"Hello Lorelai, happy birthday," he said softly as he left a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks dad," she smiled, one of her first genuine smiles of the evening. "Anyway, you guys have fun in here," she said as she held her hand out to Rory. "Don't get him too drunk," she warned her father. She grasped her daughter's small hand and guided her out of the study, towards the dining room.

XXXX

As Lorelai re-entered the dining room, the girls stopped their quiet conversation and pointed over to her, whispering something as they all turned to look at her. Lorelai held onto Rory's hand tighter.

"This is Rory," she announced, looking down proudly at her daughter. The girls seemed shocked as they stared down at the toddler, all speechless. "Say hello, babe," she told the little girl. Rory shook her head and wrapped her arms around Lorelai's leg, trying to hide from the attention. Lorelai bent down and picked Rory up, settling her on her hip.

"She's...big," said Andrea, not thinking about what she was saying. Trish nudged her before interjecting.

"Bigger than we thought," she corrected. Lorelai nodded.

"She's almost nineteen months old," she told them.

"Does she talk?"

"Oh yeah, she's usually a chatterbox, and she's really smart too so she knows a lot of words." The girls nodded. "I guess she's a little shy," she chuckled. Trish stepped closer to Lorelai and bent down so she was face to face with Rory.

"Hi, I'm Trish," she said softly. "What's your name?" Rory looked at her curiously for a few moments.

"Rory," the girl replied quietly.

"That's a pretty name," she cooed, reaching forward to touch Rory's cheek. She smiled slightly and rested her head against her mother's shoulder.

"Rory's an unusual name," Tess observed.

"She's actually called Lorelai too, I named her after myself," she told them. "Rory's just a nickname; it'd get confusing if we both went by Lorelai."

"She's cute," said Andrea.

"Thanks," Lorelai beamed proudly.

"Hey, where are you living now?" asked Trish.

"About thirty minutes away," she replied. "It's a small town."

"What's it called? We might have heard of it." Lorelai looked down at Rory.

"Hey Ror, where do we live?" she asked. She'd been trying to teach Rory how to say 'Stars Hollow' but it had only come out as gibberish on previous attempts. Rory lifted her head from Lorelai's shoulder, looking like she was about to say something.

"Hars Sowwow," she said, causing Lorelai giggle.

"Not quite," she said. "We live in Stars Hollow."

"Oh, I've totally been there," said Andrea excitedly. "I went with my cousin, and there was this hardware store," she explained. "We didn't go in, but when I walked past, I saw this guy in this old flannel shirt with a baseball cap on backwards, he was so hot!" she exclaimed. Lorelai smiled, trying to hold in her laughter over the coincidence of it. "I wonder where he is now," she said thoughtfully.

"So, know any guys in flannel and backwards baseball caps?" Tess teased Lorelai. She grinned at the irony.

"Just a few," she replied, before taking her attention back to her daughter. She noticed Rory's head was resting on her shoulder again, and her eyelids looked like they were becoming heavy. "You tired hon?" she asked softly, tilting her head so her chin rested on top of Rory's head.

"Sweepy," she mumbled.

"Wanna get some milk and go chill out upstairs?"

"Yes," she sighed.

"It was good to see you again," she said politely. She had actually warmed to them after their little talk. "I have to go put someone to bed." Andrea and Tess nodded, but Trish stopped her before she could walk away.

"I'll come with you," she said. Lorelai nodded, wondering why her ex-best friend would want to watch her put her daughter to bed.

"If my mom asks where I am, tell her I'm upstairs with Rory." The two girls nodded, as they watched Lorelai and Trish head towards the kitchen.

XXXX

Once they were up in Lorelai's old room, she sat Rory on the bed and gave her the cup of milk.

"So you moved out, huh?" Trish asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"Yup," she replied shortly.

"Why?"

"Cause I didn't want my daughter to be raised by strangers," she said truthfully. Trish looked thoughtful for a minute or two.

"What's it like?" she asked quietly.

"What, being a mom?"

"Yeah, and doing it all alone," she said. "It must be hard for you." Lorelai shrugged.

"I'm not alone." Trish looked up at her questioningly. "I have great friends who love Rory like she's their own, my mom and dad take care of her now and again, and my boyfriend's always there whenever we need him," she said, noticing Trish's eyes widen at the fact she had a boyfriend. "I work as a maid to keep us fed and clothed, but we struggle sometimes."

"You have a boyfriend?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's called Luke," she said with a smile. "He actually adopted Rory just last year, and he sorta lives with us."

"You live together?" she asked incredulously.

"It's only temporary," she told her. "He owns his own business, and he has an apartment above it, but it caught fire in January and he's been living with us till it gets sorted out." Trish's mouth gaped open and she looked surprised.

"Wow," she stated. "You've come a long way since I last saw you."

"Well when Rory came along, I had to grow up," she shrugged.

"But you've given so much up for her.

"That's what being a parent is all about," she said. "Sacrifice." Trish looked down at Rory, who was playing with her empty sippy cup.

"She looks like you," she said. "She'll have all the boys after her in high school," she chuckled.

"God I hope not," she muttered. "I keep hoping she'll turn into Peter Pan and be a baby forever." Trish giggled.

"You know Rory," said Trish. "You're really pretty, just like your mom." Rory beamed.

"You pretty," she complimented, pointing back at her.

"Aww thank you," she said softly. Rory grinned and crawled towards her, reaching up to touch her dangly earrings.

"Don't let her yank them out," she warned her freshly reacquainted friend. The girls continued to chat until Rory fell asleep, then they put her in the nursery and went downstairs to rejoin everyone else.

XXXX

Lorelai fell onto her bed when they got back to the potting shed, while Luke went to tuck Rory into the crib. She removed her shoes and moved up to rest on the pillows, not bothering to change or take her makeup off. That's where Luke found her a couple of minutes later.

"Hey, you falling asleep on me?" he asked as he quickly removed his clothes and put some sweatpants on. He climbed into bed next to her and turned onto his side.

"I have to tell you something," she said, somewhat out of the blue. Luke was immediately alert at the sound of her serious tone.

"What's up?" he asked, wondering what it could possibly be. Lorelai cleared her throat.

"Well you know on Monday, when you saw me get off the bus?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't remember so she wouldn't have to tell him.

"Yeah," he confirmed, causing her to take a deep, calming breath.

"And I told you I went to get diapers?" Luke nodded. "I didn't go get diapers," she told him. Luke furrowed his brows.

"Where did you..." He didn't have a chance to finish, because Lorelai was on a roll. She wanted to tell him the truth before she chickened out.

"I went to the prison, to see Christopher," she admitted. Luke seemed to freeze up as soon as his name was mentioned. "Luke?" she asked. She realised that he probably needed a few minutes to process this, being Luke, so she laid back on her pillow and let the excruciating silence take over them.

When after ten minutes, he still hadn't said anything; she felt she should interrupt his thoughts.

"Luke?" she asked. "Wha..."

"Why?" he asked.

"What?"

"Why did you visit him?" Lorelai looked at him, seeing his expression was blank. He obviously wasn't giving any of his emotions away.

"I wanted to know why he did it," she said quietly. "I wanted to finish everything between me and him once and for all." Luke went silent again, only for a few moments.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He appeared hurt that she kept this from him, and she immediately felt ashamed.

"I didn't know how you'd react," she whispered. "We just got back on track; I didn't wanna screw it all up again."

"Then why did you go see him in the first place?" he raised his voice. All Lorelai could do was shrug her shoulders.

"Please Luke," she said desperately. "I don't wanna lose you again." A few tears slid down her cheeks, and she made no move to wipe them away.

"I just...wish you'd have told me sooner," he said, softening his voice a little. "Or even talked to me about it first."

"You've been pushing this aside since Sunday when we found out he was back," she pointed out. "I wanted to leave you to think about it before I brought it up." Lorelai reached her hand over to touch his cheek. "Why are you ignoring that he's locked up?" Luke sighed.

"To be completely honest, I just wanna forget about him," he said. "I know he's being punished for what he did, so that's it; I've washed my hands of him. Now can we stop talking about this please?" The teens went into silence again, both trying to push thoughts of Christopher out of their heads. "Did you enjoy your birthday?" he asked after a few minutes, Christopher seemingly forgotten. That's all Lorelai wanted, for Chris to be out of their lives. It looked like her birthday wish actually did come true.

"Best one yet," she whispered.

**I don't know if I like this chapter...was it boring? I'm thinking about a time jump soon, not sure how soon, or how far ahead in time I'm going to jump...obviously Rory's toilet training will come first, and I'm not sure how long that's gonna take. Seeing as Rory's smart and picks up on things quickly, I'm thinking it won't take her long, but I'm not an expert so any input would be greatly appreciated! Maybe from someone that has potty trained before. **

**Please review, I love them :P **

**See you soon...**

**Emily.**


	58. Rory Go Potty

**Hi guys :D sorry this took a little while to finish. I was stuck for things to write...but here it is! **

**Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter, I appreciate all your comments very much :P**

**Now, this includes toilet training, which I have no experience on, or no idea how to go about it. So I took info from the internet, and read stories some parents have posted about how long it took their kids to learn using the methods mentioned on there, so I went by that for this...sorry if it's wrong in any way. **

**Enjoy!**

A week later, Luke was trying to get to sleep so he could get an early start at the diner, but Lorelai had the light on and was humming as she read through the potty training book next to him.

"Is it absolutely necessary that you read through it right now?" he asked.

"Yes dear," she replied shortly, never taking her eyes off the page she was on. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Why exactly?"

"Because I forgot all about it and Rory needs training," she replied.

"She's asleep, you can't train her right now," he pointed out.

"I know, but tomorrow is day one," she said. "I swapped shifts with Sophia so I have the day off, but I have to work on Sunday," she explained. "So I thought we could go to the baby store and buy a potty, then we can get started."

"Is that all we need?" he asked, thinking that maybe there should be more. Lorelai scanned the section with a list of items that are needed.

"Um...no there are a couple more things on here," she said.

"Like what?" She scanned the list again.

"Well we need to buy her proper underwear, to replace the diapers," she read.

"But we won't need that till she's trained."

"Might as well buy it all together," she said thoughtfully. "We don't know how quickly she's gonna pick up on it." Luke moved into a sitting position and pulled her so she leaned against him, as they looked at the book together. "Ooh, it says we can get her to customise the potty so she knows it's hers," she said excitedly. "Then she'll feel special, like it's her throne or something."

"Customise it with what?" he asked, an image popping up in his head of Rory throwing paint around the room.

"I don't know, stickers I guess." Luke nodded as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"What else?"

"Candy," she said decisively.

"Why?" he questioned, where did candy come into it all?

"As a reward for using the potty," she explained. "It says in here that every time your toddler uses the potty, you could give them a reward to encourage them to keep them at it."

"Can't we give her a banana instead of candy? It's better for her teeth," he said worriedly. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Of course," she allowed, not understanding his vendetta against all things sweet.

"Ok so we need a potty, underwear, stickers to decorate the potty and a big bunch of bananas," he listed. "Now that that's been established can we go to sleep?" Lorelai shook her head teasingly.

"Not tired," she protested, craning her neck to look up at him with a smile on her face.

"I am," he grumbled. She squeezed his cheek between her fingers.

"Wouldn't you rather do something else?" she asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Like what?" he asked, knowing full well what she was talking about. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders.

"We could watch a movie or something," she joked.

"Lorelai," he growled.

"Ok, I guess we could do that too," she agreed with a mock eye roll. Luke silenced her with a kiss, as she pushed the book off her lap, not even acknowledging that it had landed on the floor.

"No more toilet training talk tonight," he told her between kisses.

"Agreed," she whispered huskily, before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him down to lay on top of her.

XXXX

"Wook," said Rory as Lorelai tied her hair into a ponytail. Lorelai looked up to find her daughter pointing to a box lying in the bottom of the closet.

"What is it Ror?" she asked.

"Swing!" she exclaimed. Lorelai finished tying her hair up and walked over to her closet.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that grandpa bought this for you," she said. "Hey, you can get daddy to put it up for you later." Rory grinned.

"See dada," she said as she jumped up and down on the spot.

"Yes we can go see daddy," she allowed as she went into Rory's room and picked up the summer jacket she'd made for her. She slipped it onto her squirming daughter then opened the front door of the potting shed. Rory ran out of the door and through the grass leading up to the inn. "Wait up sweets," she called as she hurriedly locked the door and went as fast as she could after Rory.

They made it into town about ten minutes later, and stopped outside the diner. Lorelai remembered the rule Luke made up just last week; that neither of the Gilmore girls were allowed in the diner while work was being done. Rory pushed her nose up against the window and peeked inside, knocking when she spotted the person she was looking for.

Luke looked up when he heard someone knocking on the window, and his heart warmed, the way it always did, when he saw Rory waving at him from the other side.

"Hey," he greeted them as he stepped onto the sidewalk. He kissed Lorelai hello, then looked down at their daughter. "Hi Ror."

"Hewwo," she replied, stepping forward to hug his leg. Luke ruffled her hair with his fingers, before bending at the knees and lifting her up.

"Hungry?" he asked. Rory replied by reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out a bag of candy bananas. "What are those?"

"Banana," she said proudly. Luke looked over to Lorelai, narrowing his eyes at her.

"She chose them," she defended herself.

"And as her mother you reserve the right to say no."

"Oh come on, she hasn't had any for a whole week," she reminded him. "Surely she's allowed a treat once in a while." Luke exhaled before nodding.

"Fine, whatever." He looked back to Rory.

"Swing," she said.

"Huh?"

"Oh, she found that swing in my closet that dad bought for her last year," she explained. "Could you set it up outside the potting shed now it's getting warmer?"

"Sure," he shrugged as they began to shuffle down the sidewalk. They reached the baby store and Luke held the door open for his girlfriend, before going in after her.

"Here," she announced, coming across a shelf holding a bunch of potties. "Which colour do you want, babe?" Rory looked to where Lorelai was pointing, and scrunched her face up.

"What that?" she asked curiously.

"It's a baby toilet," she told her. "And you get to choose which one you want." Rory seemed satisfied with that answer, even though she had no idea what the first part of the sentence meant. She squirmed in Luke's arms and he set her on the floor, watching as she studied the various colours.

"That one," she said decisively, pointing to a blue one."

"You want a blue one?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, bwoo," she confirmed. Lorelai picked up the requested potty and handed it to Rory.

"You carry that then," she said as they moved around the shop. They found the correct sized underwear then made their way to the register, knowing that they couldn't look around at any more stuff. They just didn't have the money to buy much else. "Are you coming home with us?" Lorelai asked once they were on the sidewalk, Rory holding the potty to her chest.

"Uh..." Luke wanted to say yes, but he had loads to do at the diner. He noticed Lorelai watching him intently, probably wishing that he would say yes. "I don't think..." Then he saw how her face fell at those three words, and he was torn.

"Ok, I guess we'll see you for dinner then," she told him, trying to hide her disappointment. Luke could see right through her though.

"I could...come by for a little while," he said, causing her face to light up a bit.

"Yeah?" Luke nodded.

"I wanna help," he said. "I should be around for these kinds of things right?"

"Yeah, dads are usually present when such things are taking place," she agreed jokingly as she linked her arm through his. "But first, to Doose's," she exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the market. "We're gonna need a lot of bananas."

XXXX

Back at the potting shed, Luke and Lorelai were putting away the small amount of groceries they bought, while Rory sat on the living room floor admiring her new potty, although she still had no idea what it was used for.

"I think we should decorate the potty first," said Lorelai as she watched Rory. Luke nodded in agreement. "Hey Ror, look what mommy's got," she said coyly and she went over and joined her daughter on the floor. "Stickers," she said excitedly. Rory took her attention away from the potty and stretched up so she could see what her mom was holding.

"Star," Rory said, pointing to one of the stickers.

"Do you want the star?" Rory nodded. "Ok, here you go." Lorelai peeled the star off the sheet and gave it to Rory, who admired it until she realised it was stuck to her finger. She shook her hand vigorously, but the sticker wasn't budging.

"Mama," she said worriedly.

"You've gotta stick it on here," she told her. Rory simply frowned. "If we can't even complete the sticker thing, the toilet training things not gonna go down well," she said to Luke.

"Try showing her how to do it first," he suggested. Lorelai took another sticker from the selection and showed Rory it before placing it on the plastic object. Rory watched with interest, then looked down at her star sticker. She twisted her mouth thoughtfully, before reaching forward and placing the sticker next to the one Lorelai had put on, smiling triumphantly as she did.

"Well done," Lorelai praised, clapping her hands together for added effect. She had read in the book that it was great to praise the child, granted they weren't onto the actual training yet, but they were getting Rory acquainted with the inanimate object. Rory grinned at her mother's praise, before pointing to another sticker to apply.

That went on for about a half an hour, and Rory seemed to be becoming pretty familiar with the blue potty she had chosen. She even knew it was called potty, but Lorelai was working on changing the name to 'toilet'.

"You've done really well, Ror," praised Luke as he held the newly decorated potty out to her. Rory eagerly took it and held it in the air, like she was showing off how great it looked.

"We should keep it in here," said Lorelai decisively as Luke nodded in agreement. They got Rory to choose a place for her 'potty' to go, then watched as she examined it, on her feet this time.

First she put her hands in the bowl, but soon realised that nothing good was going to happen.

Then she stuck her nose in, followed by her entire face. But when she found that nothing amusing or remotely interesting happened, she stood up straight and frowned.

Finally, after twenty minutes of examining, experimenting and playing, Rory found a seat on the potty and turned around to plonk her little butt on it, smiling proudly when she found that it was quite comfortable, and that she had found the proper use for it.

"Yay!" Lorelai cheered, as Luke clapped his hands. Rory beamed at all the praise she was receiving, and figured that if her parents kept acting like this, she would sit on the damn thing all the time.

"When should we actually get to the no clothes part?" asked Luke, wondering when the cleaning would begin.

"Maybe not today," she replied. "I think we should get her used to sitting on it first. The book said that once she knows that the potty is for sitting on, I should let her watch me while I use the toilet, so she can pick up on the process." Luke scrunched his nose up.

"Isn't that a bit weird?" he asked. "I mean, do you really want her watching you while you go to the bathroom?" Lorelai shrugged.

"We're all girls Luke, except you of course," she giggled. "It's not like Rory hasn't been in the room with me when I've been before." Luke found it a little strange, but if it would help with Rory's training, he was happy to go along with it, just as long as he didn't have to be involved in that particular aspect of it.

"Is Mia coming by later on?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, she said she'd stop by around two," she answered. "For moral support." Luke nodded.

"I should probably go back to the diner around then," he said hesitantly. He didn't really want to leave, but if he wanted to open as soon as possible, and if he wanted to buy food to keep his girlfriend and daughter alive, he had to work as hard as possible.

"Do you have to?" she asked, not bothering to hide her disappointment.

"Well..." Luke scratched the back of his head. "I wanna get it up and running again, not just so I have somewhere to go every day, but so I can afford to buy food and stuff you guys need." Lorelai could sense how frustrated he was that he couldn't even afford to buy his daughter a new jacket for the summer, Lorelai had to make her one instead.

"I know you want a stable income again," she said softly. "But this is really important, it's a milestone, and I feel like you should be here with us." Luke sighed; he really was torn, although he knew what the answer would be in the end.

"How about I go back to the diner today..." Lorelai immediately pouted when he said that. "Let me finish." He gave her a pointed look and her pout magically disappeared. "How about I go to the diner today, get as much done as I can, then I'll take the rest of the week off so we can get started?" he suggested. Lorelai nodded eagerly.

"That sounds like a plan," she agreed. "I'll have to talk to Mia about reducing my hours for the rest of the week so I can be around. I wanna get a jump on this so we can get her comfortable with it then work it around our schedules." She looked back to Rory, who had been watching them curiously. Suddenly, a vile smell filled the area surrounding Rory.

"Is that...?" Luke trailed off.

"She got the timing right," said Lorelai. "If only she wasn't wearing pants, then we would have had our first goal."

"Knock, knock," said Mia as she pushed the door open.

"Hey, you're early," Lorelai stated, jumping up from the floor to embrace the elder woman.

"Well I thought you might need some assistance, and things are slow at the inn right now." She looked over at Rory, still sitting contentedly on her throne. "And it looks like you have everything under control," she said in delight. "How did you get her used to it so quickly?" Lorelai shrugged.

"We spent a half hour decorating the thing then she found out how to sit on it," she replied. "She figured it out herself."

"Wow, you're such a clever girl Rory," she cooed, moving closer to the girl. She stopped when the scent filled her nostrils though. "Seems like she's already grasped the idea, if only she wasn't wearing pants," she chuckled.

"That's what I said," Lorelai told her as she moved towards her daughter. "Smelly girl," she said as she lifted her daughter from the makeshift toilet.

"No poddy," protested Rory as she was unwillingly pulled away from her favourite seat in the house.

"It's toilet, not potty," said Lorelai as she went towards Rory's room. "Never call it potty, always toilet, or bathroom's good," she ranted. She quickly discarded of Rory's dirty diaper and cleaned her up, but as she was about to redress her, Mia came up behind her and told her not to.

"Leave her like that, dear," she told the young mom, offering her friendly advice. "She needs to learn to sit on the potty, or toilet as you like to refer to it as, while she is wearing no pants. She'll never fill the thing if you don't." Lorelai nodded and put the girl on her feet, watching as she scurried back into the main room wearing nothing but her shirt and socks.

"What happened to your pants?" Luke asked when Rory came running up to him. She didn't even seem to notice that she was butt naked from the waist down, and went back over to her potty.

"Poddy," she said excitedly as Mia and Lorelai came back into the room.

"Where're Rory's pants?" he asked immediately.

"I left them off," Lorelai replied, feeling nervous about it herself. Wasn't it too early in the training for Rory to be running around pant less?

"Why would you do that?" he questioned. "She's gonna be doing her business all over the floor."

"Calm down, Lucas," said Mia. "It all comes with the territory, there are going to be accidents here and there, and you'll have to clean them up. You just have to get through it, stay calm, don't get frustrated with her when she slips up cause that'll make her lose confidence. She needs to learn on her own terms and you need to go along with them." Luke nodded; this potty training business was complicated.

"So she's sitting on the potty," said Lorelai. "That's a good sign right?"

"Yes, in a way. But there's a chance she might get fed up staying in one place, and you can guarantee that as soon as she stands up, the rain will fall down," she chuckled.

"So what do we do?"

"Entertain her while she's sitting there, put her favourite TV show on, read her a book, you could even make up a song," she told them.

"A song?" Luke asked, finding that this was getting weirder and weirder as it progressed.

"Yes, a potty song," she confirmed. "The lyrics sometimes help the child understand better, and it makes it more fun for them." Lorelai smiled, obviously liking the idea.

"That's a great idea," she gushed. "We'll have to try that, I'm sure I can make up a song or two." Luke rolled his eyes, what had he gotten himself into?

XXXX

Lunch rolled around and Lorelai had run up to the inn to get some sandwiches from Sookie. She didn't expect to find the scene she came across when she got there though.

"You're impossible!" Jackson shouted at his girlfriend, as he held two booklets in his hand and was pointing them aggressively at her.

"No, YOU'RE impossible," she retorted, causing Jackson to drop the papers on the counter and leave the inn in a huff. Lorelai watched with shocked eyes as Jackson strode past her, not even acknowledging that she was there.

"Hey Sook, what's going on?" she asked as she made her way further into the kitchen.

"Jackson's impossible," she said frustratedly.

"Yeah, I already got that memo," she replied. "But um...what caused this little rift between you two?" Sookie sighed heavily.

"Well I'm moving in with Jackson," she said, then didn't say anything else. Lorelai waited for it, but nothing came.

"I uh...got that memo too," she said, wondering where her best friend's mind was at right now. "You're moving in with Jackson, as of yesterday, and you're arguing like an old married couple already. What gives?"

"Well Jackson brought these brochures for some apartments, and I looked through them, and they're all away from Stars Hollow, closer to his crops," she said sadly. "I don't wanna leave Stars Hollow, my parents are here, my job's here, you're here," she listed. "So when I told him I wanna stay in town, he started whining about how I don't think about his feelings and I always overpower his opinions. But that's not true, right? Tell me that's not true?" she begged. Lorelai sighed.

"It's not true, as far as I know," she assured her. "But when you're moving in with a guy, you have to compromise," she shrugged. "Simple as."

"I hate compromise," she muttered.

"Hmm."

"Wanna stamp on compromise and throw it in the trash." Lorelai chuckled and touched her friend's upper arm.

"Honey, I told you this already, don't do something you don't wanna do. Especially when it's such a big step." Sookie nodded.

"So you think I should stand my ground?"

"Oh definitely, I like having you close by."

"Ok, I'm staying in Stars Hollow," she said decisively. "Jackson will have to deal."

"That's the spirit, we women always get what we want," she said with a nod.

"So what are you doing up here anyway?"

"We need sandwiches," she exclaimed. "We've been entertaining Rory while she's been sitting on her 'baby toilet' but now she's complaining she's hungry and she's getting bored."

"Oh yeah, you were starting with the toilet training today," she said in realisation. "How's that going?"

"Good, so far," she replied. "We've had her pant less for the last hour or so, and we need to get her fed so she doesn't lose interest completely."

"So no accidents so far?"

"Not yet," she beamed proudly. "She's been sitting on the damn thing since we decorated it this morning." Sookie chuckled.

"She's a keen learner," she agreed. "So, sandwich preferences?"

"BLT for me, salad for Luke, tuna for Mia and banana for Rory."

"A banana sandwich, again?" she asked. "That's the third day in a row."

"Yeah well, she can't get enough of those bananas." Sookie nodded in agreement as she quickly got to work on the sandwiches, pushing her minor disagreement with Jackson to the back of her mind.

XXXX

Lorelai got back to the potting shed, to find that Rory had had her first accident. Luckily, Mia was there to keep Luke calm, and taught him not to scold Rory for making a mistake.

"It's like learning to drive, Lucas," she told him. "A learner always makes a few mistakes, but you have to dismiss it and encourage them to keep trying, or else they'll never get the hang of it." Luke nodded as he continued to spray the carpet.

"She had an accident didn't she?" Lorelai asked with a wince when she entered and saw Luke on his hands and knees on the floor, and Rory wandering round with a diaper on.

"She was only up for a few seconds," Luke mumbled. Lorelai sighed.

"You'll get there, Ror," she said softly as she ran her fingers through her daughter's soft hair.

"Hugwy," she whined.

"Well it's a good job mommy brought lunch." She reached into the bag she was carrying and pulled out Rory's banana sandwich. "Come on, let's set the table while daddy cleans up."

She and Rory put the sandwiches on plates, and made drinks for everyone, before the foursome ate lunch together; discussing the plan of action for the afternoon.

Luke had to leave for the diner after that, but he promised he'd be back by six, giving a little time for more training before Rory's bedtime.

It wasn't long before Rory was sitting on her throne again, listening as Mia read to her from Lorelai's toilet training book. Rory seemed to be very interested in it, even though she had no idea what it was on about, she just liked it because it was a book.

"Cunal cucker," she requested, moving to stand up from her perch so she could find her favourite stuffed animal.

"Ah, ah, you wait right there missy, I'll get Colonel Clucker for you." Rory gave her a toothy smile, before taking her attention back to Mia, who was still reading from the book.

Rory stood up from her potty, butt naked, and grasped Colonel Clucker, hugging him tightly to her. She stumbled around the room stupidly, holding the soft toy to her body, as she mumbled to him about her new potty.

"Rory," Lorelai addressed. "Why don't we sit Colonel Clucker on the toilet?" she asked. Rory furrowed her brows, so Lorelai plucked him from her grasp and sat him on the plastic seat.

"That Rory poddy," she announced, annoyed that somebody else was using her throne. "No cunal cucker." She picked him up and sat him carefully next to her, as she reclaimed her chair.

"It seems like we can't get her off of it," sighed Lorelai.

"At least she's used to it, it's just getting her to grasp what she's supposed to do in the potty, and getting her to tell you when she needs to go." Lorelai nodded.

"Seems like a long shot."

"It might be," she said, not willing to lie to the teenager. "But Rory might grasp it very quickly, she's already very familiar with the potty after less than a day, I'm sure she'll be using it in no time."

"How long's no time?" she asked jokingly. She was already fed up with hearing about potties and accidents. Mia chuckled.

"She'll do it at her own pace, dear, all you can do is be patient." Lorelai nodded, she knew it was going to be a frustrating process, but all parents went through this at some point in the first three years of their kid's lives, it couldn't be that bad. She'd just have to be patient.

XXXX

That evening, after two more accidents, Rory was once again perching on her potty, as she watched some cartoon on TV. Luke entered the potting shed and found Lorelai on the couch, watching her daughter proudly.

"Hey," he greeted, dropping a kiss to her lips, then one to Rory's forehead. "She hit the jackpot yet?"

"Not yet, she had two more accidents though," she sighed.

"I guess we have to wait it out." He removed his boots and socks, before grabbing a clean towel from the closet. "I'm gonna take a shower, will you two be ok out here for a while?"

"Yeah, we're watching something or other," she told him distractedly, as she continued to study Rory. Luke disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving Lorelai and Rory to themselves again.

Five minutes into his shower, Lorelai heard a tinkling nose. She assumed it was the shower and thought nothing of it at first, but when it suddenly stopped, she cast her eyes towards Rory suspiciously. The girl was still sitting on her potty, her eyes studying the TV screen intently as she zoned out everything around her.

"Did you...?" she trailed off, getting on the floor next to Rory. She gently pulled the girl to her feet and looked into bowl, finding exactly what she'd been waiting for all day. "You did!" she exclaimed, picking Rory up and spinning her around. "Well done babe, I'm so proud of you," she gushed as she left kisses on her daughter's face.

Rory was completely oblivious to the fact that she'd used the potty correctly, and looked at Lorelai with a blank expression.

"Look," Lorelai said happily, pointing into the potty. Rory looked down and noticed the liquid under where she'd been sitting. With Lorelai's excitement and the evidence in the plastic bowl, Rory figured that she'd done something right, and she beamed proudly, happy that she was getting so much praise. "You know what this calls for," she said. "A banana!"

Lorelai settled Rory in front of the TV again, this time with pants on, with her well earned banana. When she was satisfied that her daughter was occupied, she picked up the half full potty and bounded into the steamy bathroom, where Luke was just stepping out of the shower.

"Ah, Lorelai jeez," he said with a hand to his heart. "Don't sneak up on me like that." He quickly pulled the towel around his waist and tied it securely. "What are you doing in here?" He noticed she was holding Rory's potty, and that she was grinning widely. "Did she..?" She nodded eagerly.

"That's great," he exclaimed. "No spillages or anything?"

"Nope, it all went in the bowl," she said proudly. "She was just watching TV and I heard the tinkling." Luke rolled his eyes at her description.

"Did you give her a banana?" he asked.

"Yup, she's enjoying it right now, and she's probably wondering when the next time she can use this thing will be," she giggled.

"I can't believe she did it already, it might not be as hard as we thought." Oh how wrong they were.

XXXX

Sookie knocked on Jackson's front door that same evening, with the knowledge that his family were out to dinner. Jackson had told her he wasn't going, so she wanted to take the opportunity to speak to him alone about this apartment business.

"Sookie...what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well...you're my boyfriend...and I'm your girlfriend," she said nervously. "Usually that means we go round to each others..."

"Sookie?" he asked, trying to bring her out of her rant.

"Hmm?"

"Are you ok?" He knew he may have been a little too persistent with the proposal of moving out of town, and he may have tried to push her into it. He just hoped he hadn't ruined his chance with her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, trying to sort her now jumbled mind out.

"Come in." He opened the door wider and gestured for her to walk past him, putting his hand on the small of her back as he guided her into the living room. "It's a bit of a mess, my parents are packing stuff here, there and everywhere," he apologised.

"That's ok," she giggled nervously.

"Sookie, what's the matter?" he asked pointedly.

"What? Nothing!" she told him, her voice telling by it's high pitch.

"Come here, sit down." He sat on the couch and pulled her down with him, turning so he was facing her. "Is there something you wanna talk to me about?" Sookie sighed heavily.

"Yes," she admitted. "I don't wanna move out of Stars Hollow, period." Jackson nodded.

"I kinda got that from our disagreement earlier today," he chuckled.

"I'm sorry, it's just...I grew up here, it's my home and I love living here, it's a great town," she gushed. "I don't think I could live anywhere else, I wouldn't be able to get settled in." Jackson thought about it for a moment, before standing up and opening one of the drawers in the foyer table. "Jackson?" Sookie asked curiously, hoping he wasn't still mad at her for wanting to stay where they were.

"I know we only confirmed it yesterday," he began. "But I found this, just this afternoon actually." He handed Sookie a leaflet, with a picture of a cosy apartment, with two bedrooms. It looked perfect on the picture. "It's right in our price range, with your income and mine combined, we can afford rent and anything else we need, with money left to spare. What do ya say?"

Sookie looked over the leaflet, admiring the pictures of the nicely decorated rooms, and trying to imagine herself living there. It was then that she noticed the address; it was on Plum, right there in Stars Hollow. She couldn't stop the squeal that escaped her lips when she noticed it, and she leaped into Jackson's arms.

"I say let's go for it," she said excitedly as she gave him a very passionate thank you kiss.

XXXX

Over the next couple of weeks, Luke's and Lorelai's lives revolved around potties, toilet wipes and praise as Rory got more into the process. Of course she still had her fair share of accidents, one being in Luke's shoe which he wasn't happy about. But they had got her using the potty when she needed to pee.

The thing Lorelai was worried about, was number twos. While Rory was open to using the toilet to wee in, she didn't like the idea of pooping in it, and this was rapidly becoming a problem.

On day eleven, the trio were eating dinner together.

"Rory go poddy," she announced as she set her spoon on the table.

"Rory go toilet, or Rory go bathroom, not Rory go potty," Lorelai warned, for the hundredth time in a week. She hated the word 'potty' being used as a verb. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Go sit on your potty then, Ror," he allowed, as he lifted her out of her high chair and put her on her feet. He watched as she hurried over to her potty, pulled down her leggings and her 'big girl' underwear, then proceeded to sit and do her business. Luke took a seat at the table again, and shook his head at his girlfriend.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Quit it with this bathroom crap," he told her. "She's doing really well, we don't wanna confuse her. So what if she says she wants to go potty, we can teach her the proper way to say it when she's a little older."

"Fine," Lorelai huffed. "I just think it sounds stupid."

"She's nineteen months old, it doesn't matter if it sounds stupid, everyone thinks she's cute anyway."

"I guess." She glanced over at her daughter as she pulled her leggings back up. She quickly looked back at Luke, so it didn't seem like she was making a big deal of Rory using the potty; she didn't want to make her feel self conscious after all. "She's doing really well with it, don't cha think?" she asked as she shovelled some more pasta into her mouth.

"Yeah, she's picked it up quickly, I guess there's still a long way to go though," he sighed. Lorelai nodded in agreement.

And that was the first time Rory had a poop on the carpet, while both her parents were lost in conversation eating dinner. It took some cleaning up, I can tell you that.

XXXX

It was on day seventeen that Rory picked up on the fact that she had to pee _and_ poop in the potty, not just the former. Lorelai and Luke, with the help of Mia, had been drumming it into her since the first poop on the carpet incident occurred six days ago. Yes there had been many other accidents since then, only one or two of them being pee, when Rory had gotten distracted by a TV show or by Jess. So on this day, another celebration was in order...

Lorelai was pushing Rory in her new swing outside the potting shed. It was a warm, late afternoon in May and she had just finished work, giving her and her daughter some girly bonding time before Luke came home.

"Higher," Rory demanded, becoming familiar with the correct 'swing' terminology.

"If I push you any higher you'll go right over the top," she told her, giggling at her daughter's silliness. Rory laughed and kicked her legs, trying to make it go faster.

Suddenly, Rory made the face she did when she needed to go potty, and Lorelai recognised it straight away, immediately bringing the swing to a halt.

"Go poddy," the toddler announced. Lorelai nodded and freed Rory from the swing, allowing her to run inside as Lorelai followed at a slower pace. She busied herself as Rory did her business, as she always did. She had read in the book that you shouldn't make a big deal out of it and stand watching the child. The book quoted, 'how would you like it if somebody stood watching you as you did your business?' So Lorelai looked the other way, and pretended to be doing some task.

"You're taking your time, Ror," she said nonchalantly as she made herself a cup of coffee. As she waited for the coffee to be done, she snuck a glance over at her daughter, noting that she was still sitting there. Lorelai furrowed her brows but didn't pursue anything, instead she patiently waited for her coffee to finish, trying not to think about Rory just a few yards away.

When the toddler finally stood up from the potty, Lorelai realised why it had taken her so long. She pooped! She noticed Rory was about to pull her pants back up, and quickly stopped her so she could clean her up.

"Well done, sweets!" she praised, showering her daughter with kisses. "You are the smartest toddler in the world, yes you are," she cooed. Rory giggled, happy once again with the praise she was receiving, that just made her want to go all the more.

XXXX

"Anyone home?" Luke called when he entered the potting shed. The girls were nowhere to be found in the main room, so he thought best to call for them.

"Bathroom," Lorelai sang happily. Luke followed her soft voice as she spoke to who he assumed was Rory; the little girl was indeed in the tub splashing around. "And then this little piggy went all the way home," she finished. Rory giggled as Lorelai played with her toes, finding that it tickled. Luke greeted them when he went in, then kneeled on the floor next to Lorelai.

"Good day?" he asked as he ruffled Rory's damp locks.

"Great day," she corrected, grinning widely. Luke looked at her questioningly, wondering why she was so happy. "Guess what Rory did today?"

"What?"

"Are you gonna tell him Ror?" she asked; she'd been practising this with her daughter all day.

"Rory poop poddy," she said proudly, gaining a cheek squeeze from her mother, which she gladly accepted with a cheeky grin on her face. Luke understood what she meant right away.

"You did?" he asked, getting his hopes up. When Lorelai nodded for confirmation, he reached his arm over the rim of the tub and tickled under her chin, praising her for her achievement. "Well done Ror, daddy's really proud of you." That just made Rory grin wider.

"So is mommy," Lorelai added, not wanting to be forgotten in the equation. Luke smiled over at his girlfriend and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "She's growing up, she can pretty much go to the toilet by herself now," she said in realisation.

"There'll still be the overnight diaper to change," he assured her. "And the odd one during the day when we go somewhere without restrooms."

"I guess, it's just dawned on me that she's gonna be two this year. It makes you wonder where the time goes."

"Tell me about it, we've almost been together a year," he told her. "Can you believe that?" In a way, it felt like longer to the two of them, but each knew that the time had passed incredibly quickly. Luke noticed the conversation was beginning to get too serious; so he decided to change the subject to a lighter note. "Now that we've got Rory's toilet habits pretty much under control, do you wanna start those driving lessons we've been talking about?" he asked.

"Really?" she questioned, excitement dancing in her eyes.

"Sure, I could take you out for an hour or so tomorrow evening, if you like?"

"That'd be awesome," she grinned. "Can Rory come too?"

"No, we're not risking her life." Lorelai slapped him on the arm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she mock-gasped. "I'm a good driver!"

"How do you know, you've never driven before," he pointed out.

"I have too," she argued. "When I went into labour I stole my mom's car to drive to the hospital in." Luke shook his head.

"Whatever Crazy Lady, let's just wait till tomorrow, ok?"

So they had Rory's toilet training reasonably under control, now all Luke had to worry about was Lorelai's driving skills. And boy was that something he wasn't looking forward to, at all.

**I actually can't wait for Luke and Lorelai to get in Mia's car for the first time...it's gonna be awesome to write :D **

**I hope you liked this chapter, please leave a review to let me know. Now, the big 1000 is within reach readers, you just have to be extra, extra kind and leave a teeny tiny comment to help me get there...PLEASE? 1000 reviews would be sooo amazing :P I can't even describe! I need twenty seven, I worked it out...haha. **

**Also, anyone who lives in the states, could you please let me know what the process if that you go through to get your full driver's licence? I'm not sure if it's different over there to the UK. And also, remember this is set in 1986 so things might have been different then...any insight will be greatly appreciated, especially from someone who may have taken their test in the 80s/early 90s :D thanks.**

**Hope to see you all again soon...**

**Emily.**


	59. Truly Scrumptious

**Hi readers. **

**First I need to apologise, because it's taken me so long to write this. I've been very lazy recently and to be honest, I couldn't be bothered to write anything. I had a brainwave tonight though, and suddenly I am in the mood for Fanfiction.**

**Second, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I appreciate it very much and I'm grateful for the driving license advice. Although I did get a lot of mixed responses to that, it must be different in each state or something :/ Aaaand only three more till the big one thousand!**

**A lot of my knowledge from when I learned to drive went into this, so if it's a bit different to the States, I'm sorry :P Hope you like this chapter...**

Luke was working at the diner, and Lorelai was working at the inn, so Mia took it upon herself to take care of Rory for the afternoon until either of her parents came by to claim her.

The inn owner was standing at the front desk going through the books, while little Rory stood on a chair next to her, leaning over her own book; a colouring book. Mia didn't notice when a couple in their mid-twenties approached the desk; she was too engrossed in her book.

"Hewwo," Rory greeted them, having seen Mia do it so many times. Mia's head snapped up at the sound of Rory's curious voice.

"Hello there," the man said back to the toddler. Rory smiled shyly.

"Hi, I'm Mia, I own the place," said the older woman. "Are you checking in?"

"Yes, it's under Williams." Mia checked the reservation book then ticked them off.

"Right, that's you checked in," she told them. "Someone will be by shortly to show you to your room, you can explore the ground floor while you wait." The couple nodded, and were about to wander away when Rory stopped them.

"Wook," she said, holding the book out to them. The couple smiled and leaned over, admiring Rory's picture.

"Wow, who's that?" he asked. Rory looked thoughtful for a moment or two before she decided.

"Meee-a." Mia smiled down at her softly, while ruffling her dark hair. It was the first time the little girl had pronounced Mia's name properly; usually she just said 'me'.

"Thank you sweetheart, it does look like me doesn't it?" she asked jokingly.

"Yes," Rory replied seriously, causing the three adults surrounding her to chuckle.

"She's wonderful," complimented the lady of the couple.

"Yes, she is," Mia agreed.

"Is she your granddaughter?" she asked curiously.

"In a way," she replied with a nod, gaining two confused looks in return. "It's a long story." They nodded in satisfaction.

"What's your name sweetie?" the woman asked Rory.

"Rory," the toddler replied.

"Pretty name." Rory grinned; she was very familiar with the word 'pretty'.

"What do you say to the nice lady, Rory?" Mia asked, prompting Rory to use her manners.

"Fank you." The couple began wandering around the lobby, leaving Mia and Rory to themselves again. Mia looked down at Rory's scribbled picture and frowned.

"That's not really supposed to be me, is it?" she asked, taking in the meaningless scribbles. Rory nodded, then went back to colouring, while Mia went back to her previous task.

XXXX

"I'm so excited!" Lorelai exclaimed bouncily as the trio walked up to the inn that evening. While Lorelai was ecstatic, Luke was nervous, wondering what the driving lesson would bring and whether he'd be alive by the end of it. "Aren't you excited, Luke?" she asked, noticing his quiet demeanour.

"On top of the world," he deadpanned. Lorelai smiled.

"Are you a little nervous?" she teased.

"Wouldn't you be?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I am an excellent driver," she announced. "You'll see." Luke nodded, not believing her for second.

They entered the lobby of the Independence and looked around for Mia, but she wasn't where she usually was, so they waited on the sofas for her.

"Stop fidgeting," Luke complained, getting annoyed with his girlfriend already, and they weren't even in the car yet.

"I wanna get on the road," she replied.

"Squirming around isn't gonna get you there any faster." Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him before taking her attention to her daughter.

"Hey Ror, how's it hangin'?"

"Bafftime!" she said, while bouncing a little on the spot.

"Nope, not yet," she shook her head. "It's bath time when we get home." Rory frowned. "But you get to hang out with Mia for a little while first."

"Mee-a?" she asked with a toothy grin.

"That's right," the lady in question announced, walking up beside the trio.

"Hi!" Rory greeted excitedly, moving forward to hug her leg.

"Hello beautiful, did you miss me?"

"Yes," answered Rory as she dug her face into Mia's pant leg. Mia chuckled and ruffled Rory's hair, finding it sweet how she had greeted her. She wasn't usually as happy as that to see her.

"And are you looking forward to your little venture, Lorelai?" Mia asked.

"Am I?" replied.

"She's literally bouncing off the walls," said Luke, less than enthusiastically. "It's like she ate lots of candy, but worse." Lorelai simply beamed while Mia shook her head at the two.

"I hope you'll calm down a little before you get behind the wheel of my car," she said warningly.

"I will, I promise." Mia raised an eyebrow at her before moving to walk to the front desk, but Rory was still clinging onto her leg.

"Come on munchkin," she said softly as she lifted the toddler up. She took her handbag from under the desk and dangled her car keys from her finger, causing Lorelai's eyes to light up and follow them as they swayed from side to side. "Some ground rules," she began. Lorelai rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently. "You will wear a seatbelt, you will keep your eyes straight ahead whenever the car is moving, you will not break any speed limits and you will listen to what Lucas tells you, and obey his orders." Lorelai pouted at Luke but nodded.

"Of course, Mia," she agreed. Mia had more to say though.

"You will avoid busy areas, keep away from highways and slip roads, and you will not crash or hit a pedestrian, understand?"

"Yes," was all Lorelai said in return. Mia smiled and jingled the keys a little. Lorelai reached her hand forward to take them but she pulled them back slightly then held them in front of Luke instead.

"And one other thing," she started. "Lucas will drive you to a secluded spot, and you will not be let behind the wheel until you're the only ones around, ok?" Lorelai pouted again, stomping her foot a little.

"How come Luke gets to drive first?" she whined.

"Because he has had his license for three and a half years," she replied simply. Lorelai huffed, while Luke took the keys, smirking smugly.

"I'll make sure your car comes back in one piece," he assured her.

"I would appreciate that," she answered with a nod. "Now get going before it starts to get dark."

"Ok," said Lorelai glumly. Her excitement had faded when she found out she wouldn't be getting into the driver's seat just yet. "Rory just went to the bathroom before we came up here, so she should be ok," she informed her. "But if you keep asking her now and again if she needs to go, just in case." Mia nodded.

"Got it, we'll be fine," she assured her. "Now move along." They said their goodbyes to Rory, then made their way out to the front of the inn where Mia's car was parked, waiting for them to get into it.

"What happened to your excitement?" Luke asked as they walked towards the vehicle. Lorelai scowled at him.

"It's so unfair that you get to drive first, I'm quite capable," she mumbled.

"Ah, you're jealous," he said knowingly. "Well they're Mia's orders, and I'm gonna obey her."

"I'm not jealous," she protested as she dropped into the passenger seat slammed the door.

"Of course you're not," he said to himself as he got into the driver side and started up the engine. Maybe this would be worse than he originally thought, if that were even possible.

XXXX

Twenty minutes later, Luke pulled into a quiet car park and turned off the engine.

"Finally," Lorelai sighed. "That took forever, was it really necessary to drive this far out?" she asked. All she wanted to do was get behind the wheel.

"Yep," replied Luke simply. Lorelai looked over at him expectantly from her place in the passenger seat.

"So uh...do I get to drive now?" she asked. Luke answered by opening the car door and slipping out. Lorelai watched gleefully as he walked around to her side and opened her door for her, gesturing for her to get out of the car. When Luke got in the passenger side, her whole face lit up. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Really, really," he confirmed, causing her to jump up a little. She scurried around to the left side of the car and dropped into the driver's seat, immediately fumbling around near the ignition.

"Where're the keys?" she questioned, eager to get it started up. Luke opened his hand and dangled the key from his finger, causing Lorelai to pout. "Can I have it please?" she asked politely.

"Not quite yet," he told her. She groaned and threw her head back in annoyance.

"Luuuuke," she whined. "Why won't you let me have a try?" Luke rolled his eyes at her dramatics.

"Because you don't get behind the wheel of a car for the first time, as a learner might I add, and set off right away. There're things you have to check first."

"Like what?"

"Well the position of your seat for starters," he replied. "You need to be able to reach the pedals." Lorelai nodded, and reached her arm under the seat, looking for the lever. "It's at this side," he told her. She moved her seat forwards until she found her desired position.

"Done," she announced, thinking that she could just start driving now.

"Right, next is your headrest." Lorelai rolled her eyes and tapped the steering wheel impatiently. "The bit that sticks out should be level with the top of your head," he informed her.

"Feels fine how it is," she muttered. Luke sighed heavily and reached over to adjust it for her.

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?"

"I just wanna drive, Luke," she whined.

"Lorelai, these checks are important," he scolded. "It could cause an accident if you don't carry them out." She glanced over at him and narrowed her eyes.

"Fine," she huffed. "What now?"

"Mirrors..." When all the safety checks had been carried out, and they both had their seatbelts on, Luke cautiously handed the keys over to Lorelai, dreading what was to come as he did. "Ok, you got your key in the ignition?" he asked.

"Check."

"Cars in park?"

"Check."

"Now turn the key." Lorelai did as she was told and turned the key a little bit. The engine growled a little bit, but soon died down again, leaving them in silence.

"Nothing's happening," Lorelai noted.

"You didn't turn the key far enough," he said dumbly, moving to reach his arm over. She stopped him though.

"I can do it," she protested as she batted his hand away. She turned the key again and this time, the engine started up. "Yay!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Yes, well done," he deadpanned. "Now that the car's actually switched on, we can move onto the next part."

"Which is?"

"Selecting the right gear."

"This car doesn't have gears, it's an automatic," she reminded him.

"You've still got your drive, park, reverse, neutral, etc," he listed. "When you turn the engine on, you can either put it in neutral or park. We used park this time, but it doesn't matter really." Lorelai nodded along.

"What's the '2' for?" she asked. "And the 'L'?"

"They're normally used when you're moving slow, like in bad weather conditions or if you're towing something. You don't need to worry about those ones for a while."

"Ok," she said, happy that she had two less gears to worry about.

"So, you're in park now," he said. "To move forward you have to..."

"..Be in drive, I know," she filled in for him. Luke nodded and gestured for her to go ahead and shift it. "Can I set off now?" she asked. Luke nodded.

"We'll drive round the car park a few times then get onto mirror checks," he decided.

"Oh deep joy," she muttered before pushing her foot down on the accelerator.

But the car stayed still, the engine whirring as she had her foot slightly down on the accelerator.

"It's not moving," she complained. "Why isn't it moving?" Luke tried not to grin as he waited for her to figure it out. She continued to push her foot further down on the gas, causing the engine to roar loudly. "I think the car's broken," she said finally. Luke laughed out loud at her conclusion. "What's so funny?" she asked, oblivious to what was causing the car to stay still.

"Parking brake," he replied simply. Lorelai furrowed her brows then realised what he was talking about; she hadn't taken the parking brake off.

"Oh," she simply said, turning a nice shade of red. Luke continued to chuckle as she released the handbrake. "Shut up," she muttered as she put her foot on the gas again. She applied a bit too much pressure though and the tires screeched against the ground as the car sped off way too quickly. Luke gasped and grabbed onto the first thing he could for protection; the dashboard.

"Brake!" he called frantically, scared by the speed at which they were currently travelling. Lorelai panicked and slammed her foot on the brake, bringing them to an abrupt stop. Luke fell back into his seat and exhaled, glad that he was still alive.

"What did I do?" she asked.

"You don't need that much gas when you set off," he told her. "You should start off slow." She nodded.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's ok, apart from the fact that my seatbelt nearly cut through my neck." He rubbed the spot where the belt had dug into him, and Lorelai winced.

"There's a mark," she said. "I injured you already and I've only been behind the wheel for two minutes."

"It'll go away," he assured her. "Anyway, I'm still breathing aren't I?" He nudged her and smiled, which made her smile too. "Wanna give it another try?" he asked. "All learners make mistakes." Lorelai nodded and removed her foot from the brake, applying minimal pressure to the accelerator.

"Like this?" she asked as the car began to slowly inch forward.

"Little more, not a lot," he coached. She pushed her foot a bit further down and the vehicle picked up speed smoothly. Granted she was still only at ten mph.

"Yes!" she exclaimed excitedly, removing her hands from the wheel and clapping happily. Luke grabbed the wheel frantically.

"Never let go of this while the car's moving," he warned, allowing her to take it again.

"Oopsy," she giggled.

"And your hands should be at ten to two, not twenty to four." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Are you always this picky?"

"Do you wanna pass your test?" he retorted. Lorelai pursed her lips.

"Whatever," she muttered, moving her hands up to the correct position. "Happy now?"

"Extremely," he said gruffly. She turned the corner at the end of the car park, crossing her arms over as she did. "Ok, next lesson; steering technique," he began. Lorelai sighed.

"What's wrong with my steering? It's totally right, it was smooth and everything."

"I admit it was smooth, but you're not supposed to cross your arms over like that," he told her.

"What does that matter?" she asked, thinking he was being too picky.

"It doesn't to me, but if I was an examiner, you would have just failed." Lorelai's mouth dropped open.

"That is so unfair; I want to steer like that."

"Just stop a second," he told her. She pushed her foot down on the brake again and they came to a halt, nearly sending Luke through the windscreen. "Ok, we need to work on braking too," he said, making a mental note. Lorelai bit down on her bottom lip, trying to hide her smile. She liked professional teacher Luke, he was sexy.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Ten to two," he said. She moved her hands onto the steering wheel and waited for further instruction. "So, instead of crossing your arms over when you steer, you're supposed to feed the wheel through your hands." Lorelai looked at him dumbly.

"Explain?" Luke jumped out of the car and jogged round to her side. He opened the door and gestured for her to get out, but she pouted and stayed where she was. "I don't wanna move, I like this seat."

"I need to show you how to do it, it's hard to explain."

"Fine," she huffed as she removed her safety belt and jumped out of the car. She stood with her arms across her chest as she watched him position his hands on the wheel.

"You watching?" he asked.

"Hmm."

"So you come up to a corner and your hands are at ten to two, right?" Lorelai nodded. "So say we're turning left; you'd bring your left hand to the top of the wheel." He demonstrated this as he went along. "Then pull the wheel with your hand anticlockwise, and your right hand should meet your left at the bottom of the wheel, depending how tight the bend is. Then you'd bring your hand to the top again and pull it down, feeding it through the whole time. Got it?"

"I...think so," she said hesitantly. "Do it for a right turn." He demonstrated again, this time to the right, and Lorelai nodded confidently.

"You wanna have a go?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied as they switched places, Luke standing next to the car this time. "So left hand to the top, pull the wheel anticlockwise, hands meet at the bottom, left hand to the top again, feeding through," she talked herself through it as she did it. "How was that?" she asked.

"It was good," he told her. "Needs a bit of work but you should master it in no time." Lorelai grinned at her progress.

"Can we try it while the car's moving now?" she asked hopefully.

"In a minute," he said. "We have to talk about mirrors first."

"Aw man," she huffed, slumping back in her seat. Luke got back into the car and surveyed the mirrors, trying to remember what he'd been taught by his dad when he was learning to drive.

"So, the interior mirror..." It was gonna be a long lesson, but they would get there in the end...hopefully.

XXXX

"How did it go?" asked Mia when the couple entered the lobby again.

"It was ok," replied Luke. Lorelai scoffed.

"You're not the one that has to remember all that crap," she said pointedly.

"There wasn't that much to remember."

"Oh yeah, why don't you try it then?"

"I did, three and a half years ago," he replied smartly. Lorelai scowled at him and he simply shrugged in response.

"So, is my car still in good health?" Mia asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yeah, she didn't give it that much stick," he chuckled.

"Dirty!" Lorelai gasped, giggling slightly. Something dawned on her then though. "Where's Rory?"

"Right over there." She pointed to the seating area and the young adults turned around, finding their daughter sitting on the couch with a book on her lap and Colonel Clucker sitting next to her. She had her arm around the stuffed animal and seemed to whisper something to him now and again.

"Hey sweets, you're quiet," she observed as she walked over to her. She sat on the couch next to her and pulled her into her lap, kissing the top of her head. "Whatcha doing?"

"Read Cunal Cucker," she replied.

"You were reading to Colonel Clucker, huh?" She looked down at the book and turned it a little so she could see it. "Do you want mommy to read it to you instead?"

"Yes, mama read," she agreed.

"Ok, let's see here." She started half way through the book, thinking that Rory wouldn't notice that she hadn't started from the beginning.

"No," she protested as she flicked the pages. She found the first page and pointed to it, looking sternly up at her mother.

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Lorelai mumbled before she began to read the book from the very beginning.

Mia had turned to Luke and lowered her voice when Lorelai had gone over to Rory.

"So, how was it really?" she asked quietly. Luke scrunched his nose up a little.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought," he admitted. "She tried to set off with the parking brake on the first time though," he chuckled.

"Oh dear, should I take the car to Gypsy tomorrow?" she asked, only half joking.

"It's not damaged," he smiled. "She just used a little too much gas sometimes, and slammed the brakes on a couple of times. But it was her first lesson so I think she did pretty well overall," he said happily, he was quite proud of her accomplishments tonight actually. She'd gotten the steering thing down anyway.

"So do you think it'll take long to for her to know it inside out?" Luke shrugged.

"It's hard to say at this point," he told her. "I haven't even told her about the manoeuvres yet."

"Oh dear," chuckled Mia. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

"I have no idea, but I'm not sure how many more hours in the car I can take with her before I go insane." They laughed together, then Luke went over to join Lorelai and Rory, listening as they read the book.

XXXX

"You having fun in there?" Luke asked as he kneeled next to the bathtub, watching Rory play around in the water. She had already splashed him twice.

"Bath fun," she exclaimed, scooping some bubbles onto her finger then eating them.

"You're not supposed to eat the bubbles," he told her. "It's like eating soap."

"Yummy." He shook his head and leaned over the rim of the tub so he could wash Rory's hair. As he was rubbing the shampoo in, she scooped some more bubbles onto her fingers and reached up to touch his nose, leaving a trail of bubbles down the bridge of it. Rory giggled and pointed up at him, as he proceeded to wash the shampoo away.

"Little monkey," he muttered gruffly, though Rory knew he was just playing around.

"Rory good monkey," she said proudly. Luke chuckled.

"Yes Rory is a good monkey," he agreed. "Sometimes," he added. Rory picked up a toy that was floating in the water and examined it, suddenly becoming very interested in it. "You know Ror, your mommy nearly killed daddy tonight," he told her, chuckling a little as he said it.

"I totally did not!" Lorelai called from the other room. She walked in wearing cotton shorts and a matching top, and plopped down on the tiled floor next to Luke. "Don't listen to him Rory, he's being a drama queen."

"King," Rory corrected. She pointed to Lorelai. "Keen," she said, then pointed to Luke. "King." Lorelai raised her eyebrows at her before smiling at Luke.

"Wow, you're way too smart for only twenty one months on the planet, Ror," she said as she shook her head. "By the way, you have bubbles on your nose," she said to Luke, causing Rory to giggle again. Luke got up and went to look in the mirror, while Lorelai smiled down at her daughter.

"Baffroom," said Rory.

"That's right, we're in the bathroom," Lorelai agreed.

"Go baffroom," she said, shaking her head to show that that wasn't what she meant.

"You wanna go to the bathroom, like potty?" she asked. Rory nodded. "Luke did you hear that?" she asked. "She said she wanted to go to the bathroom, not potty, bathroom!"

"Wow," he said, less than enthusiastically. "Just let her do it in the tub."

"But that's not what we want her to learn, plus it's gross," she said, scrunching her nose up.

"Well then you'd better get her there before she can't hold it in any longer." Lorelai nodded, realising that Rory needed drying off before she went anywhere. She quickly lifted her out and dried her off, laughing as Rory squirmed and did the 'I need the toilet' dance.

"Hurry," she said, not having really grasped the concept of holding it in yet. She wasn't even two yet after all.

"Ok, looks like we're not gonna make it to the potty," she said. She lifted Rory around the waist and sat her on the toilet seat, holding her steady on it. Rory looked confused at first, and examined the large potty she'd seen her mother use before. She figured that it was ok to do her business here, and smiled with relief when she got it out of her system. "Well done Rory!" Lorelai praised. "You used the big girl toilet." Rory smiled as she stood next to the porcelain object, feeling even more important than she did before.

"Teach her how to flush," said Luke as he watched the interaction, leaning back against the sink.

"Sweets, now you've gotta push this handle down," she said, placing Rory's hand over it for her. She helped her push it down, and Rory jumped a little when the toilet made a whooshing sound and water started gushing in the lid. Rory watched with interest, then when the motion had finished, she reached for the handle again. "Ah, ah, only push the handle down when you've used the toilet," she warned. Rory backed away from it, but her eyes were still focussed on the white porcelain. She was enthralled by it. Luke and Lorelai smiled, it was another accomplishment in their toddler's development and they couldn't be happier about her progress.

XXXX

"Hi guys!" Sookie squealed excitedly as she opened the door to her and Jackson's new apartment. It had been six weeks since they had decided on the apartment in Stars Hollow, and they had moved in the day before, on June thirtieth. Now it was July first, and they had invited Luke and Lorelai round for a little housewarming, just the four of them.

"Hey," said Lorelai, just as excitedly as they walked into the foyer. "The place looks great, Sook!" Sookie shrugged.

"The landlord said we can decorate however we want, so we have to put our own stamp on it, but it's pretty good," she said modestly. They walked into the living room to find a pile of video tapes on the coffee table, surrounded by plates of savoury and sweet delicacies, that only Sookie could come up with.

"The food looks amazing," Lorelai gushed as she hurried over to survey the choices.

"It's just some things I scraped together earlier," she shrugged.

"Where's Jackson?" Luke asked, feeling like a spare part around the girls.

"Kitchen," answered Sookie. "Oh my god, wait till you see the kitchen, it's got a double oven, and a big fridge/freezer, it's awesome." Sookie led them through some double doors into a cosy kitchen. It was a little on the small side, and the large appliances took up a lot of space, but it was perfect for Sookie to make meals for her man in.

"Wow, that's some stove," said Luke, admiring the appliance.

"Isn't it just?" agreed Sookie.

"Is it gas?" She nodded in reply.

"These are expensive," he said. "You're lucky to have one of these thrown in with the rent."

"Tell me about it." As Luke and Sookie talked amicably about the stove and other appliances, Lorelai smiled at Jackson.

"It's a nice place you've got here," she complimented.

"Yeah, Sookie likes it a lot," he agreed.

"Do you...like it, I mean?"

"Of course I do," he assured her. "It's just...Sookie's already picked up a bunch of wallpaper samples and they're all a bit, well, feminine," he said carefully.

"Ah, and you want manly wallpaper," she guessed. Jackson shrugged.

"Preferably something that isn't pink and flowery."

"Talk to her about it," she encouraged.

"But...things are going real good, we have our own place and we haven't argued for the last six weeks at all, I don't wanna screw that up. She's really sensitive about things like this." Lorelai put her hand on his arm.

"Jackson, my friend, I will talk Sookie into going wallpaper shopping on Friday, and I'll make sure she picks something neutral, ok?"

"Would you? That'd be great, thanks so much Lorelai."

"No problem, we can't have you feeling emasculated now can we?" Jackson chuckled and began picking through a box of tomatoes on the counter.

"Tomato?" he asked. "They turned out really great this week."

"I'm ok, thanks," she replied. "Saving myself for Sookie's wonderful creations in there." She patted her stomach then took her attention back to Luke and Sookie, who were now talking about temperature settings, something that went in one ear and out of the other.

XXXX

"This movie is lame," Lorelai complained, thirty minutes into the film.

"Shush," hushed Luke. He was quite enjoying it to be honest.

"I agree with Lorelai," agreed Sookie.

"Be quiet," whispered Jackson. Lorelai and Sookie shared a look, a bored look.

"Come on guys, Ghostbusters, really?" Lorelai asked, chuckling a little.

"Yeah, it's gotta be THE stupidest movie I've ever seen," said Sookie. The men sighed.

"I like the song though," Lorelai said thoughtfully.

"Me too!"

"Shut up!" Luke and Jackson said together, sending the girls into silence. Finally, when the end credits rolled, Lorelai and Sookie cheered. That's when the Ghostbusters song started.

"Oh my god! Sookie it's playing!" Lorelai exclaimed. The girls clapped their hands together as the intro began, then a man began singing.

'_If there's something strange, in your neighbourhood. Who ya gonna call?'_

"Ghostbusters!" Sookie and Lorelai joined in, screaming it at the top of their lungs. Luke and Jackson rolled their eyes and shared a perplexed look.

'_If there's something weird, and it don't look good. Who ya gonna call?'_

"Ghostbusters!" They repeated. Jackson pressed the eject button and the song went off, gaining whines and complaints from the girls.

"Next movie," he announced.

"I think Sook and I should choose this time, seeing as we had to sit through yours."

"You wanted to watch Ghostbusters," reminded Luke incredulously. "You said you hadn't seen it before and it looked good."

"Well I didn't know it'd be so sucky then, did I?" Luke sighed, tired of her complaining. Lorelai scanned through Sookie's collection, before finding something satisfactory. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. Three pairs of eyes turned towards her, wondering what was up now. "You have Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? We totally have to watch this!"

"Seriously?" Luke asked, not looking forward to sitting through something like that.

"It's about a car, you like cars," she pointed out.

"But there's singing and stuff," he muttered.

"It's a classic," interrupted Sookie. "I say let's watch it." While the men grumbled, the girls chatted excitedly as they waited for the movie to start up.

"This kicks Ghostbusters' ass," she said as she snuggled closer to Luke on the couch. He moved his arm around her shoulders while Sookie and Jackson mirrored their position on the opposite side of the couch. It was the perfect evening.

XXXX

"I wonder if you can buy toot sweets," said Lorelai thoughtfully as they walked towards Mia's house from Sookie and Jackson's place later that night.

"Probably not," he replied, his arm slung around her shoulders. The air was warm, and the two were clad in t-shirts, no jacket needed.

"If you can, will you buy me some?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Anything for you dear," he said mockingly. Lorelai smiled and kissed his cheek, before looking ahead of her again.

"Don't you think candy that whistles is such a genius invention?" she asked. "I mean, why didn't I think of that? I'd be rich right now." Luke shook his head.

"Whatever crazy lady." They moved into silence, until Lorelai broke it five minutes later.

"Hey Luke?"

"Do you think I'm truly scrumptious?" she asked, smiling up at him cheekily. Luke couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"Are you serious?" he asked. She nodded. "I'm not gonna answer that."

"Why not?"

"Cause it's a stupid question."

"Come on, Luke," she pushed him. "Do you think that when I'm near you, it's delicious?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.

"The song, Luke. Did you not watch the movie at all?"

"Sorry I wasn't listening to every lyric of every song," he muttered. That's when the singing started.

"_Truly Scrumptious, you're truly, truly scrumptious. Scrumptious as a cherry peach parfait. When you're near us, it's so delicious..."_ she sang.

"Ok stop," he told her. "You don't have to sing it."

"I want an answer," she said.

"Fine, you're delicious, or whatever it is you said," he admitted quickly.

"My, how romantic," she said sarcastically. She moved her arm down lower around his back, her hand sprawling out just above his belt. "I think you're truly scrumptious," she whispered seductively, giving his butt a firm squeeze.

"Lorelai!" he scolded, jumping in surprise. He hated it when she did stuff like that in public.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Don't do that in public," he hissed.

"It's eleven o clock at night in Stars Hollow, Luke, everyone's in bed already," she told him, gesturing around them at the empty streets.

"Just...leave that for when we're at home," he said, pulling her closer towards him.

"So when we get home, can I squeeze your butt till the sun comes up?" she flirted. Luke shook his head at her antics.

"You can do it for a little while, but it only counts as foreplay," he was whispering in her ear now.

"Mr Danes," she gasped. "Just what did you have in mind?"

"Oh I think you know," he replied flirtatiously. Lorelai grinned from ear to ear.

"I love it when you turn into flirty, sexy Luke," she told him. "It doesn't happen often, but I love it when it does." He smiled as he dug her head into his shoulder.

"Well I love it when you tell me you love things about me," he replied. Lorelai smiled, tilting her head to look up at him.

"Gotta love sappy Luke too," she chuckled as they walked up to Mia's front door.

After picking Rory up, the trio began the walk back to the potting shed, despite Mia's offer to give them a lift home. Rory was fast asleep in Luke's arms, and Lorelai walked alongside them, her arm linked through Luke's left one.

"Have you heard about the fourth of July festival in the town square?" Lorelai asked after a few moments of silence.

"Have I? They have one every year," he grumbled.

"It sounds like fun, don't cha think?"

"If you find being harassed by Taylor to buy some stupid glow sticks, then sure," he said gruffly.

"Sookie told me there's gonna be dancers from Miss Patty's, cotton candy, apple pie, the works," she listed excitedly. "Then there's gonna be a big firework display to finish the evening off."

"Yeah, used to watch 'em from the window," he told her.

"You mean you didn't go outside to watch them, with the cotton candy?" she asked, thinking of how ridiculous that would be.

"Not a big fan of cotton candy," he muttered.

"But you don't get the full experience," she said incredulously. "Like laying on a blanket and gazing up at the sky," she said as an example.

"Sounds uncomfortable."

"You have to come this year," she told him. "It'll be fun."

"Of course it will," he said under his breath, not believing it himself. They continued to walk home, Lorelai babbling about the festival the whole way, while Luke refused point blank to take an interest in it. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to resist those questing blue eyes, but he would try his hardest not to fall victim to them, and to stand his ground for once.

**Ahh the end :D I'm looking forward to the next chapter, cause it's the fourth of July! We don't celebrate Independence Day over here, but I've read up about it and done my research, so I understand it all. **

**I was also wondering if anybody knows if 'Parenthood' is gonna be shown in the UK. I've watched trailers and promos on the internet and it looks awesome! Or if anyone has a link that actually works where you can watch it online, that'd be great too. The links I tried on sidereel didn't work or went really slow :/ please help!**

**Please leave a review and tell me I haven't lost readers cause it took me so long to update. I will have my fingers crossed!**

**Bye for now.**

**Emily.**


	60. Fourth of July

**Oh my god, is it me again? So soon?**

**Now was that a quick update or what? I'm trying to make up for being such a crappy writer lately! So...I got the big 1000, thanks so much guys :D really, really appreciate it.**

**And thanks for all the links to Parenthood episodes in the reviews, you were all right that NBC only had the last couple of episodes, but I found a site that shows every episode, including season one. I've watched four episodes so far, and I LOVE IT! Seriously, it's hilarious, don't cha think? I can't wait to watch episode five. I loved the pool scene where they were all jumping off the diving board, it was really sweet.**

**Anyway enjoy the chapter, it only took me a couple of hours :P**

"Hi mom, it's Lorelai," she said into the receiver on Thursday morning.

"Oh Lorelai, I wasn't expecting a call from you was I?"

"Uh...no it's kinda spur of the moment," she replied, wondering why even a phone call had to be planned in her mother's world.

"Ok, so what was the reason for your call?" Lorelai took a deep breath; while they got along great these days, she was still nervous about asking her mother for an out to Friday night dinner, even though she was just rescheduling.

"Well, you know it's the fourth of July tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," Emily replied curiously. She had a feeling that she knew where this was going.

"You see there's like this big festival in Stars Hollow, with hot dogs and cotton candy," she said enticingly. "And there's gonna be this big firework display, and the whole town's gonna be there..."

"You want to go don't you?" asked Emily, already figuring out that that was Lorelai's reason for calling.

"Um...yeah, yes I do," she answered cautiously.

"So you want to be let out of Friday night dinner." It was a statement, not a question.

"Look, I really wanna be involved in this mom, this is mine and Rory's first fourth of July spent away from Hartford and I wanna join in with the town. It is my home now after all." Emily sighed quietly, every time Lorelai mentioned Stars Hollow as 'home', it still stung her a little bit, even almost a year later.

"So we won't see you this week?" she asked, and Lorelai could hear how disappointed she was.

"Uh...I was thinking, if you don't have anything on that is, that we could have dinner tonight instead," she suggested. "You know, so you'll still see Rory and all." The line was silent for a moment, while Emily mulled over the proposal.

"Very well," she agreed. "I'll tell the cook that you'll be joining us tonight," she replied.

"Ok, great," said Lorelai enthusiastically. "We'll see you at seven." Emily nodded, even though Lorelai couldn't see her. They ended the call and Lorelai turned to look at Rory, who was sitting on the couch watching TV. "Hey Ror, we're gonna go see grandma and grandpa tonight," she told her.

"Granma food?" she asked.

"Of course grandma will have food, she always has plenty of food," she replied, ruffling her daughter's hair. "Now it's time to turn the TV off, we have a job to get to." Rory scrambled off the couch as Lorelai turned the TV off, and the girls walked up to the inn together for Lorelai's shift.

XXXX

"Are you almost ready, Lorelai?" Luke asked. She was in the bathroom, and while the door was open, he still felt the need to give her some privacy while she got ready. Lorelai came trotting out of the bathroom and stopped in front of Luke, turning her back to him.

"Can you zip me up?" she asked. He reached his hands forward and carefully pulled the zipper up her back, his fingers grazing her skin as he went.

"Done," he told her, trying not to let the contact affect him. Rory was only sitting on the couch in front of them after all.

"And can you put this on me?" She held the diamond necklace he had bought her for Christmas last year out in the palm of her hand, and he picked it up carefully, brushing her hair out of the way so he could position it around her neck. She held her hair to the side as he fastened the clasp, and smoothed his hands over her shoulders.

"Do you have the earrings in too?" he asked. Lorelai turned towards him and nodded, smiling shyly as she pulled the left side of her hair back to show him them.

"You like them?" she asked.

"Of course, and I've told you that a million times." Lorelai shrugged.

"I just can't hear it enough," she told him, as she circled her arms around his neck and gave his lips a quick peck. "Now we have to go or we're gonna be late."

"And that would be your fault because you took so long to get ready," he pointed out.

"I did not!" she protested. "It only took me forty minutes; I think that's good, don't you?"

"Whatever Crazy Lady, let's go." He guided her over to the door and grabbed a shawl from the coat rack, before wrapping it around her shoulders for her. "Just in case you get cold," he said softly.

"Aw thanks Burger Boy," she grinned. "Always looking out for me." Luke shrugged his shoulders before taking Rory's hand.

"You ready, Rory?" he asked. The girl looked up at him and shook her head sadly. "Why not?" he questioned as he crouched down to her level.

"No Cunal Cucker," she told him. Luke shook his head.

"Do you want to take Colonel Clucker to grandma's with you?" he asked her.

"Yes," she answered while nodding her head. Luke rushed into Rory's room and retrieved the stuffed animal from her crib, before heading back out and giving it to her.

"Here, now are you ready?"

"See granma n granpa!" she exclaimed as they all left the potting shed, ready to set off for the elder Gilmore's.

XXXX

"So how was your week, Lorelai?" Emily asked once Richard had handed their drinks to them.

"It was good, busy, but good," she said with a nod.

"How so?"

"Well Sookie and Jackson moved into their new place on Monday, so I was helping her pack up her things and stuff," she informed her mother.

"Oh, and how is Sookie?"

"She's fine, she loves having her own kitchen." Emily nodded then took a tentative sip of her drink; conversation was a little dull tonight.

"Luke, how is that diner of yours coming along?" Richard asked curiously. Luke quickly swallowed his mouthful of sparkling water and spoke up.

"It's going great actually," he said. "I'm ahead of schedule at the moment."

"Do you have a schedule mapped out?"

"Yeah, I wanna have things done before Christmas comes around," he told him. "By the way things are going at the moment, I should be done by as early as October."

"Really, well that is quite an achievement, don't you agree Lorelai?" asked Richard.

"Yeah, he's working really hard on it," she answered, smiling at Luke. "He deserves for something good to happen." Luke smiled back and moved his hand to rest on her knee, that didn't go unnoticed by Emily.

"I quite agree," said Richard. "Don't you Emily?" Emily was brought of her trance by the sound of her husband's voice.

"Hmm, yes quite," she quickly agreed, not even sure what she was agreeing to.

"Dada," said Rory, tugging on the leg of his slacks. She'd been pottering around the room admiring this and that as she clutched Colonel Clucker, not at all interested in the toys that Emily had put out for her to play with.

"What's up?" he asked, taking his attention away from the conversation.

"Baffroom," she told him quietly. She was beginning to get a little embarrassed when other people were around, and she only liked telling Lorelai or Luke when she needed to go. When others were babysitting, they had to keep asking if she needed it, and she was still reluctant to admit it then.

"Do you want me to take her?" asked Lorelai, watching as Rory hopped from foot to foot slightly.

"I'll go," he offered as he began to stand up. "Excuse us for a moment," he said politely to Emily and Richard. The elder Gilmore's simply nodded and watched how Luke led Rory out of the room and to the downstairs bathroom.

"So Rory is fully toilet trained now?" asked Emily once the two had left the room.

"Pretty much, she's great during the day but she still wears a diaper overnight and when she has a nap," she replied.

"I'd give it a couple more months until you remove her diaper at night," said Emily, sharing her wisdom with her daughter.

"Oh yeah?"

"Once they're toilet trained, they learn to put it off, you know, to...hold it in," she said, a little uncomfortable talking about such a disgusting subject. "Seeing as Rory was trained at nineteen months, she might take a bit longer to get used to the nights, but you can try it."

"Ok, that sounds like a plan," she said with a nod. "We make sure she goes to the bathroom just before we put her to bed, but she still doesn't stay dry during the night."

"It might work better if you wake her just before you go to bed yourselves and make her go again," she suggested.

"I never thought of that," said Lorelai thoughtfully. "We'll try it out." Luke and Rory returned to the room, and Rory immediately raced towards Lorelai.

"Mama," she said excitedly.

"Hi crazy girl," she chuckled, pulling Rory up into her lap. "Did you go?"

"Shh," Rory hushed, putting her finger to her lips. She looked over at her grandparents and blushed a little bit.

"There's nothing to be shy about," said Lorelai, brushing Rory's growing hair out of her face. "Did you wash your hands after?"

"Yes," she replied, holding her small hand up for her to smell. Lorelai sniffed Rory's hand then bit lightly on one of her fingers, pretending to eat her. "Ah!" Rory gasped, then started giggling at the sound effects her mother was making.

"Rory tastes good," she teased as she went for another finger. Rory pulled it away quickly and hid her hands behind her back. "But I'm hungry," Lorelai pouted, making Rory grin at her.

"Food," she said.

"You are food," she pointed out as Lorelai moved her face toward Rory's and nuzzled her cheek, acting like she was gonna bite into it.

"No mama!" she managed to get out through her giggles. Luke and Richard watched in amusement as the two messed around, while Emily was a little exasperated.

"Really Lorelai," she scolded. "Do you have to act so childish?" Lorelai continued to torment Rory as she answered her mother.

"We're just playing around," she shrugged. Emily sat back in her seat and took another sip of her martini.

"Dinner is served," the maid announced from the doorway. Lorelai pulled her face away from Rory's and smiled at her, while Rory looked more serious.

"Dinner," she said, pointing in the direction of the dining room. "Food, no Rory." Lorelai giggled.

"Ok," she surrendered. "I will eat proper food for dinner instead of you." Rory gave her a toothy smile, then shuffled off her mother's lap and lowered herself to the floor, running towards the dining table.

"Don't run, Rory," said Emily gently. Rory didn't hear her though, rather that or she didn't understand her, and she went running up to her high chair, knowing that she would be getting some food soon. Lorelai lifted her into it then sat in her own chair as the entrée was brought out.

"What is this?" Lorelai asked, picking up a piece between her fingers.

"It's melon," replied Emily.

"Uh...isn't that more of a dessert type thing?"

"You can have melon for the entrée, Lorelai," she told her.

"It's just weird," she complained. "I mean, it's like eating pâté for dessert."

"No it is not," protested Emily.

"Uh...yeah it is, I mean, what are we having for the main course, fruit salad?"

"Lorelai, melon is an entrée," said Luke firmly. "Just drop this." She narrowed her eyes at him then dropped them to her plate, shoving a piece of melon into her mouth. Rory had been happily eating her small amount of melon all along, oblivious to all the bickering going on around her.

"Yum yum," she announced once she'd finished, causing everyone to laugh at how clueless and innocent she was. Oh how that would change as she got older.

XXXX

"So, you're coming to the festival tomorrow, right?" Lorelai asked as they climbed into bed that night.

"It was a no on Tuesday night, and it's a no now," he told her.

"But..."

"I'm not gonna change my mind." Lorelai turned onto her side so she was facing away from him, mumbling a quick "ok" as she closed her eyes. She wasn't particularly upset that he wouldn't be hanging out with them the next night, but she was more concerned that he'd be lounging around the potting shed by himself, and didn't want him to feel lonely or left out. It was his choice though, and even she couldn't get him to change his mind.

XXXX

"Ok, we got a drink for you," she said to Rory as she made sure she'd packed everything for the evening. "Your jacket, my jacket, emergency snacks, money for cotton candy, baby wipes and a disposable camera," she listed. "Do we need anything else?"

"Shoes," said Rory.

"We'll be wearing our shoes," she replied, pointing to her feet. "Ooh we need a blanket to lay on," she realised.

"You're only going into town," said Luke from his place on the couch. "You don't need to take everything you own."

"Hush you, we need a blanket, end of story."

"Whatever," he muttered.

"Jess," said Rory as she peered into the bag.

"He's not in the bag," she told her daughter. "We have to go to Aunt Liz's house and pick him up."

"Go now!" she demanded.

"Not yet," she warned, pointing a finger at her. Rory settled down and disappeared into her bedroom.

"You're taking Jess with you?" asked Luke, putting the TV on mute for a moment.

"Yeah, I thought he'd wanna see the fireworks and join in the fun," she shrugged.

"What about Liz?"

"Oh, she said she's busy or something," she told him nonchalantly. "That's why I offered to bring Jess with us in the first place."

"What could she be doing?" he wondered aloud.

"Well I'm not completely sure, but I think she has a date," she whispered, like Liz could hear them or something.

"A date?" he almost bellowed. He was very protective of his little sister after what happened with her last boyfriend; Jimmy.

"I think so," she replied. Luke clenched his jaw, and Lorelai noticed how he seemed to tense up at the news. "She's a big girl, Luke, she'll be fine," she assured him. "Anyway, he's picking her up at the same time I'm getting Jess, so I might get to meet him."

"Yeah well if he's a loser, try and warn her away from him," he told her. "And report back to me if I need to kick his ass." Lorelai nodded, smiling softly at how much he cared for his younger sister, even if he didn't show it at times.

"Rory, what are you doing in there?" Lorelai called. Rory reappeared and came up to Lorelai, clutching a blanket between her fingers.

"Bwankie," she said as she threw it towards the bag. Lorelai picked it up and began folding it neatly.

"This can be your blanket then," she said as she laid it on top of everything else they had in there.

"Mama bwankie," she reminded her.

"I already put my blanket in here," she told her as she pointed to the bag. "Oh I just remembered something I haven't got!" she exclaimed.

"Jeez," complained Luke. "You've already got enough to last you a week in that thing."

"But I need coffee," she whined. "In a thermos." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn't you be gone by now?" he asked. She was annoying the hell out of him.

"I can't go without coffee," she mock-gasped.

"Yeah, well Liz and loser-jerk will be waiting for you to take Jess off their hands," he said bitterly.

"We don't know that he's a loser, Luke," she pointed out. "Or a jerk."

"They usually are," he muttered.

"Maybe this one's different."

"Yeah right." He quickly made her coffee, and poured it into a thermos for her to keep it warm. "Here, enjoy your liquid death."

"Ah," she sighed happily. "It's so good to hear you say that to me again, it's been a while." Luke smiled slightly, only slightly, as he leaned back against the counter and surveyed her. She was wearing a floral summer dress, with a halter tie around the neck. Lorelai blushed under his gaze as she put the thermos in her bag. "Are you sure you don't wanna come with us?" she asked, slinging the bag over her shoulder.

"Positive," he answered, stepping closer to her.

"It's gonna be fun," she said enticingly.

"For you maybe." Lorelai's face fell visibly, and Luke noticed, but he still vowed to stand his ground. "Have a good time, and call me if you need a ride home."

"I'll call from Sookie's," she agreed. Luke leaned down and kissed her goodbye, before opening the door to the potting shed for them. "Ready sweets?" she asked her daughter.

"Go!" Rory exclaimed as she took off out of the door and started running around outside the shed.

"Don't feed her too much cotton candy, she doesn't need it," he warned her, noticing how hyper Rory was. Lorelai agreed, gave him another kiss goodbye, then followed Rory as she ran up to the inn.

XXXX

"Hey, is Jess ready?" Lorelai asked as Liz let them into her apartment.

"Yeah, he's just in his room," she replied. "He was looking for his blanket, I think."

"Oh, Rory was doing the same thing earlier," she agreed. Jess came bouncing into the room and grinned shyly when he saw Lorelai standing there. "Hey Jessica," she greeted him. Jess stuck his tongue out at her.

"Jess," he whined. He hated it when Lorelai called him Jessica, but he did enjoy arguing with her about it.

"Oops sorry, my mistake," she chuckled.

"Hi Jess," said Rory, her smile turning into a shy one when she looked at him.

"Hi Rory," he replied. The two mothers watched their kids grin stupidly at each other, before Liz spoke up.

"So now that Jess is in his twos, he tends to have the odd tantrum, or disagreement as I like to call it. If he goes off on one, just ignore him and he'll get bored eventually," she told her.

"Wow, sounds like fun," she said sarcastically.

"Yeah, the joys of having a two year old son," she agreed. "Apparently girls aren't as bad."

"Thank the lord."

"Sorry if you have to deal with his moods," she said sincerely. "He can be stubborn sometimes."

"I'm sure he'll be fine tonight," she said reassuringly. "Right Jess, you wanna come and have some fun with Auntie Lorelai?"

"Yeah, fun!" he said happily.

"Come on then." She held out her hand to him and he eagerly took hold of it, smiling up at her.

"Ice cweam?" he asked.

"Oh I don't know about that," she cooed.

"Here, there's some money for ice cream or whatever," said Liz, handing over a ten to Lorelai. "Keep the change, as a thank you for taking him tonight."

"It's no problem," she told her. There was a knock at the door and Liz squealed quietly. "Sounds like your date's here," she said excitedly.

"How did you know I had a date?"

"It's Friday night, I just figured it out," she shrugged. "You look really nice by the way."

"Thanks Lorelai," she said gratefully as she opened the door. There was a short, bulky guy standing on the doorstep, wearing a shirt and a pair of worn blue jeans.

"Hi, you ready to go?" he asked. Liz nodded and reached for her jacket.

"Lorelai, this is TJ," she introduced. "TJ, this is Lorelai, my brother's girlfriend."

"How do you do?" TJ slurred, even though he wasn't drunk.

"I'm good, we were just leaving so..." she trailed off and led the two toddlers onto the porch.

"Have fun you guys," she called.

"You too, Liz," she replied. "Say bye," she told the kids.

"Bye momma," said Jess, waving his hand at her. Rory did the same then the trio set off towards the town square, each toddler clinging to Lorelai's hands at either side of her.

XXXX

"Where to first?" asked Lorelai when they made it to the square. There were townspeople mulling about everywhere, and it seemed like the festivities had begun without them.

"Caddy!" exclaimed Rory, watching as a child walked past them with a large lollipop.

"No," Jess protested, noticing the playground just off to their right. "Lowalai?" he asked, looking up at her sweetly.

"Yes Jessica?" Jess pouted. "Hey, that's my material, you can't steal it," she told him as she bent down to tickle him. Jess giggled and tried to push her away.

"You mean," he said.

"Aw you love me really," she cooed.

"I wove you," interrupted Rory, making her presence known.

"And I love you too, babe," she returned, making Rory smile.

"Swings," said Jess, jumping up and down on the spot.

"Swing!" repeated Rory, getting just as excited as Jess was. Lorelai sighed and looked towards all the booths and stalls.

"But...what about the festival guys?" she asked. "Don't you want cotton candy and ice cream?" The kids looked to be thinking it over for a few moments before both shaking their heads simultaneously.

"No," they said together.

"Fine, we'll go on the swings for ten minutes, but then we're joining everybody else," she warned them.

Fifteen minutes later, Lorelai was still pushing them backwards and forwards.

"Higher," demanded Rory, banging her hands on the bar in front of her impatiently.

"Yeah," agreed Jess. Lorelai did as she was told and both Rory and Jess showed their appreciation by squealing in delight. Seeing them both so happy and having a good time made her smile, but the fact that Luke wasn't there to witness the looks on their faces put a bit of a dampener on it all.

"Hey, we've been on the swings ages, wanna get cotton candy now?"

"Caddy," squealed Rory.

"Ice cweam," argued Jess.

"Caddy yummy."

"Ice cweam better." Rory shook her head but didn't argue back; it could have been a very long argument if one of them didn't end it.

"Come on then, we'll get candy and ice cream," she told them, emphasising the 'and'.

"Yeah!" agreed Jess, kicking his legs to try and escape from the swing. Lorelai brought them both to a halt and lifted them out one by one. Rory and Jess weren't waiting around though, and they took off towards the action together, leaving Lorelai to chase after them as fast as she could.

"Kids," she muttered under her breath as she staggered along after the mischievous pair. She was so glad Rory didn't have a twin, that would have been crazy. She caught up to them when they had been stopped by Patty, who had seen them running away.

"Hi kids," she greeted them, bending down as far as she could go to see them.

"Hewwo," replied Rory politely, while Jess just stared at her. He didn't come into town as much as Rory did, so he wasn't as familiar with the townspeople.

"Hey there handsome," she flirted, touching her finger to the boy's nose. Jess' mouth dropped open momentarily as he studied her, then he smiled shyly. "You're just like your uncle," she said, while shaking her head.

"Uncle Luke?" he asked curiously.

"That's right." She was about to continue but Lorelai rushed up to them, trying to catch her breath.

"Don't ever run off like that again, ok?" she asked the two. They looked up at her, nodded their heads mutely, before turning back to Miss Patty. "Hi Patty," she greeted.

"Hello dear, I saw them running away so I thought I'd better stop them for you."

"Thank you so much," she said gratefully. "They're little monsters when they get together."

"I was just telling Jess how much he reminds me of Luke," she gushed. "That little handsome face, those innocent eyes and of course, that smile." Lorelai looked down at Jess to see him flashing her a shy smile, and she had to admit, it did resemble Luke's a little bit.

"He's a big softie, just like his uncle, aren't you Jessica?" she teased. Jess narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head.

"Jeeeessssssss," he drawled out gruffly, taking on Luke's tone.

"Aw just like Luke," said Patty with a hand to her heart. "And you sweetheart." She turned to Rory. "You are just as gorgeous as your mother over here."

"Patty," she said, blushing slightly at the compliment.

"It's true, dear, don't underestimate yourself." She ran her hands through Rory's hair. "I can tell just by looking at you that you'll make a great dancer, what do you think?" Rory looked at her blankly, then turned to Lorelai and pointed towards the booths.

"Caddy," she said.

"Oh, we'd better get these two their sugar fix before they implode," she joked as she grasped their hands again. "See you at the firework display," she said over her shoulder as they walked away.

"Don't forget what I said, about the dancing!" she called after her as she watched the three of them retreat. She couldn't wait for Rory to enrol in her class, she was going to do great things with that little girl, or so she hoped.

XXXX

They stopped at the ice cream stand first, as per Jess' request.

"How many scoops do you want?" Lorelai asked him, clutching the ten dollar bill Liz gave her between her fingers.

"That one," he said, pointing to the picture with two scoops.

"Two it is," she announced. "Chocolate, strawberry or vanilla?"

"Chocwate," he replied. She ordered his ice cream for him and paid the vendor, before handing it over to the excited little boy.

"There you go, hold it at the top of the cone," she warned him. When she was sure he had a good grip on it, she let go and watched as he stuck his nose right into the brown concoction. It's a good job she brought wipes, she thought.

"Wook," said Rory, pointing towards Jess' ice cream as she acknowledged her mother.

"Yeah, that's Jess' ice cream," she told her. "You wanted cotton candy, remember?"

"Rory ice cweam," she said.

"You want ice cream now?" She nodded. "Not cotton candy?" She shook her head. "Ok, but don't complain that you don't want it if I buy you one." She purchased another double chocolate scoop for Rory, then watched as her eyes lit up when she presented it to her.

They walked on a little further, and Lorelai stopped to buy a stick of cotton candy for herself. The kids were bobbing along next to her as she watched various townspeople enjoying themselves, but neither child was paying attention to their surroundings; they were both too caught up in licking their ice creams to care.

"Mama!" exclaimed Rory in alarm, as she watched her ice cream fall to the floor. She'd been holding the cone too close to the bottom, and the whole thing had just snapped off.

"What hon?" Lorelai swung around to see the ice cream on the ground in a brown pool, while Rory stared down at it in devastation with tears in her eyes. "Aw it's ok sweets," she said softly as she leaned down and wiped the stray tears from her daughter's cheeks.

"Ice cweam," she said sadly as she began sobbing.

"Hey, come here." She swung her bag further onto her shoulder before lifting Rory up and sitting her on her hip, as Jess watched sadly.

"Nuva one," mumbled Rory into Lorelai's cheek.

"Baby, mommy doesn't have enough money to buy another one," she said sadly. "I just spent it on the cotton candy." Rory began sobbing again, and Lorelai rocked her from side to side. Jess looked down at Rory's ruined ice cream on the concrete, then to his own perfectly normal one, then up to Rory. The wheels turned in his head as he debated what to do.

"Rory," he addressed her. Rory kept her head buried in Lorelai's shoulder, and didn't even acknowledge that Jess had spoken to her.

"Rory, Jess wants to tell you something, don't be rude," she told her. The girl slowly lifted her head up and looked down at Jess. "What did you wanna say Jess?" Lorelai prompted. He swallowed deeply before holding his ice cream out to her.

"Have this," he said quietly, holding it up to her. Lorelai crouched down so they were almost as the same height as him, and Rory wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Are you giving Rory your ice cream?" she asked, marvelling at how generous and sweet he was; just like his uncle. Jess simply nodded in response and stepped closer to them, the ice cream still in his outstretched hand. "What do you say Rory?" she asked.

"Fank you," she mumbled before taking it from him and immediately licking a bit off. Jess watched as she devoured it, and Lorelai smiled down at him.

"You're a good boy, Jessica," she said softly. Her heart swelled for this little boy, for even though he hadn't had the best start in life, he was still the sweetest two year old she knew. She would be proud to be his proper aunt one day, whoa, where did that come from, she thought. She shook her head to clear it of thoughts of marrying Luke, then reached into her bag with her free hand. "Here," she said, as she handed him a twizzler from a packet she had.

"Thank you Lowalai," he said politely, his eyes lighting up as he shoved it into his mouth.

"You're very welcome, Prince Jess," she said jokingly. Jess giggled.

"Me Pwincess Rory!" she announced, grinning widely.

"Yes and I am Queen Lorelai, I'm in charge of everybody," she said in a posh English accent. The kids laughed at her, both finding her amusing. "And now you must escort Queen Lorelai to her throne so she can watch the fireworks."

XXXX

"Lorelai, over here!" called Sookie from her own blanket.

"Hey guys, I wondered where you'd gotten to," she said as she approached them, Rory and Jess dragging their feet behind her.

"We got here early and saved a good spot for you," she told her, pointing to an empty space next to them. Lorelai smiled gratefully and reached into her bag for the blanket she'd brought. Once it was laid on the floor, she plopped down on it, Rory and Jess following suit.

"What's up with those two?" asked Jackson, noticing how quiet the kids were. It was unusual when they were together.

"They're both getting thirsty, but I told them we had to wait till we found a good spot before they had a drink." She reached into the bag. "You just reminded me, thanks." She flashed him a dazzling smile, then handed Rory and Jess a sippy cup each. Lorelai pulled out her thermos, and took a few large gulps of coffee, as she waited for the display to start.

As she sipped from the flask, she watched how Rory and Jess compared sippy cups and mumbled to each other, then turned to look at Sookie and Jackson, noticing how they were curled up together whispering in each other's ears and laughing. She sighed as she felt a sense of loneliness wash over her, and she found herself wishing that Luke were here to keep her company.

She shook off those thoughts though, because she was there to have fun, not to dwell on the fact that her boyfriend didn't want to join in with everyone else. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, watching as the first firework was launched into sky, ending in a loud bang.

"Mama," said Rory, seeming to panic a little.

"It's ok Ror, it's just the fireworks," she said gently as she pointed up to the sky. Rory looked up and saw another being let off, her jaw dropping open at the colours filling the sky.

"Woooow," said Jess in awe, not even realising that he'd said anything. Both toddlers' eyes were fixated on the sky, waiting for the next one. Lorelai watched them with a smile on her face, glad that they were both having a good time. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she swung her head around to find none other, than Luke.

"Hey," she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Well TV sucked tonight, so I thought this couldn't be any worse," he shrugged as he settled behind her on the blanket. He moved his legs to either side of her and pulled her back to lean against his chest.

"You came," she murmured, turning her head up to look at him again.

"Course I did," he replied. "I couldn't have you sitting out here alone, could I?"

"Guess not," she agreed as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then took another sip of her coffee.

"Coffee good?" he asked.

"Always." Luke chuckled and moved his hands up to rest on her stomach.

"Dada," said Rory, giving him a toothy grin.

"Hey, you guys having fun?" he asked. Rory nodded, while Jess pointed up at the sky.

"Uncle Luke, look!" he exclaimed as the colours spread across the night sky.

"Yeah, wow," he said, putting it on a bit for the kids' sake. "Has he been ok?"

"Huh, oh yeah, he's been great," she gushed. "He's so sweet; Rory dropped her ice cream earlier and Jess gave her his."

"He's a good kid; he just needs a bit of guidance now and again."

"He reminds me of you."

"Cause he needs guidance?" Luke asked confusedly.

"No, because he's such a softie." Luke rolled his eyes and rested his chin on top of her head. Lorelai reached for her cotton candy and held the stick up to Luke, offering him a bite.

"I'm not eating that," he said gruffly.

"Just a sliver," she reasoned.

"It's a diabetic coma on a stick," he grumbled.

"It's delicious." Luke rolled his eyes and reluctantly took a small bite from the pink fluff.

"It's not so bad," he told her, moving his head forward to take another bit off.

"Hey, hey, don't eat it all there buddy, it's not yours remember," she complained. "Jeez." Luke chuckled into her hair and watched as another firework launched into the darkness. "They're pretty, don't cha think?" Lorelai asked.

"Hmm," he hummed, not really agreeing but not wanting to get into the banter with her. He was enjoying the peaceful silence that had overtaken them.

"So I met Liz's new man earlier," she said, tilting her head up to look at him.

"Yeah?" he asked with a wince.

"Uh huh."

"And..."

"He's not so bad I guess," she shrugged. "He seemed like a nice guy, a little on the blonde side, but he wasn't some drug dealer or something."

"How could you tell by a first meeting?"

"I got the gift," she shrugged as she turned back to the fireworks. Luke sighed; at least his sister wasn't off with alcoholics and stoners this time. "This is nice, I'm glad you came," she admitted quietly, not taking her gaze off the fireworks in the sky.

"Me too," he whispered into her ear. He was just happy that she was happy, and he had to admit, the fireworks were pretty amazing. Their first fourth of July together wasn't shaping up to be a lonely one after all.

**Soooo...I have mapped out most of the chapters for this story, and I think there're only going to be like another twenty...BUT there will definitely be a sequel, don't worry :D I have this really great idea for the last chapter, and I can't wait to get there! **

**I have worked out the chapters for 'A Long Lost Mother' too, and I just need to write them up. There's only gonna be another six of that one, to make it up to twenty chapters. **

**Leave a review, and I will be eternally grateful :D **

**See you later,**

**Emily.**


	61. We're All Going On a Summer Holiday

**Hi.**

**I know it's been like a fortnight or something since I updated, but I do have an excuse! You see I was in this show over the weekend at the local theatre, and we've been rehearsing like crazy this past few weeks, then last week was manic getting everything prepared for it. To be honest I'm so glad it's over with :D **

**Thank you for your reviews, keep 'em coming :P **

**I also managed to catch up on Parenthood, so I'm at the same place you guys are now. And yes I probably could have been writing instead of watching that, but I got addicted. **

**Happy reading.**

"I'm exhausted," sighed Lorelai as she climbed into bed. It had been a few weeks since their romantic evening watching the fireworks, and their day to day schedules were beginning to get to them.

"Tell me about it," Luke agreed. "There's so much going on at the diner right now, it's overwhelming." Lorelai turned onto her side and smiled at him.

"It doesn't help that Rory wants attention every minute of every hour of every day," she complained. "I mean, I love her to bits, but she's doing my head in." Luke chuckled.

"And she's not even two yet," he added in for her. "Apparently it all goes downhill from the second birthday."

"Who told you that?" she asked curiously.

"Uh...just someone," he shrugged.

"Who?" Luke sighed deeply.

"I read it...in a book," he admitted.

"Really?" she asked teasingly. "You've been reading parenting books?"

"I just wanted to know what was in store for us," he mumbled, having already turned a light shade of pink.

"Yeah, I mean, that's good," she told him. "It's nice that you're taking an interest in it all."

"Of course I'm taking an interest," he said exasperatedly.

"Right," she agreed with a nod. They went into silence, both knowing that the conversation they'd just had was bordering on being classed as an argument. "You know what we need?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"What?" he asked with a yawn.

"We need a break."

"A break from what?"

"From everything!" she exclaimed, like it were obvious. "We need to pack our stuff and get out of here."

"What about work?"

"Well that's the whole reason for going away in the first place. Things are so hectic right now, with it being summer and everyone's on vacation. I think it'd do us good to get away for a couple of days." Luke frowned.

"But what about Rory?" he asked tentatively.

"She'd come with us, duh," she told him. "Obviously we're not gonna leave her here."

"When you said a break from everything, I thought Rory was included in that."

"Of course she wasn't," she informed. "She's our daughter; we can't just run off and leave her behind."

"I know that, I just didn't know if you did."

"Look, all I'm saying is that we need to go away for the weekend," she clarified, "With Rory." Luke nodded.

"I guess that'd be ok," he shrugged. "I don't have anything on."

"Great," she said happily. "Now where are we gonna go?" The couple sat in silence for a moment or two, before an idea came to Luke.

"We could uh...you know...maybe go to my dad's cabin," he suggested. He didn't know if Lorelai would be interested in going there; it wasn't exactly the most desired vacation spot.

"Really?" she asked. Luke hesitantly nodded. "That sounds nice," she told him.

"You think so?" She nodded eagerly.

"Did you go there often?" she asked as she began running her fingers over his t shirt.

"We went in most school breaks before my mom died," he replied. "And then we went every summer...after."

"What about...after your dad...you know?" Luke took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I haven't been since," he admitted quietly. Lorelai looked shocked for a moment or two, but quickly recovered and smiled softly.

"Are you sure you wanna go?" she asked. "Cause if you're not ready, it's fine, we can go somewhere else..."

"It's time," he said with a confident nod. "It's been over a year and a half."

"Ok, if you're sure," she said, shuffling a little closer to him under the covers.

"Absolutely, you'd better get packing tomorrow," he chuckled.

"But it's only Wednesday, I have two days left yet," she pouted.

"And it'll take you that long to pack everything, I know you." Lorelai grinned devilishly before moving in to kiss him.

"Mama!" came Rory's loud squeal, just as their lips came into contact with one another's. Lorelai groaned against Luke's mouth and pulled back reluctantly.

"Coming sweets," she called before looking back to Luke. "Told you, always wanting attention, even when she should be sleeping."

"Come on," he said as he began to climb out of bed. "I'll come with you." Lorelai crawled out of bed and clung onto Luke's arm, before they made their way into their daughter's bedroom, where they proceeded to stay for another two and a half hours until Rory went back to sleep.

XXXX

"She's so demanding, it's getting ridiculous now," she complained to Liz the next day. "Is Jess like this?"

"He has his moments," she replied. "But you've just gotta ignore them sometimes, otherwise they think they can have your attention all the time."

"Having a toddler is hard, I thought Rory would be an easy kid, she was an easy baby," she sighed.

"Every kid has a phase, it'll pass," she assured her. "They're so sweet when they're not tugging on our clothes though."

"Yeah, they are," she agreed as she took her attention to the two toddlers playing together on the floor in Liz's apartment.

"So um...I was wondering if you had anything on tonight," she inquired.

"Not that I can think of," she replied. "Why?"

"Well TJ's coming over..."

"Another date?" she asked coyly. "What is that, like the third one this week?"

"Something like that," she admitted shyly.

"He must really like you."

"I think he does," she replied. "We get along really well."

"Well that always helps," she said sarcastically. "So do you need Luke and I to take care of Jess?"

"Could you? That'd be so great," she said gratefully. "He loves it at your place."

"It's cause we have the good food," she said with a smile. "What do ya think, Jess? Wanna come hang with us tonight?" Jess looked up from his toys and smiled shyly.

"Uncle Luke too?" he asked.

"Yep, he'll be there too," she told him, making him grin wider. "Hey, we could make it into like a slumber party," she suggested to Liz. "The kids can stay up later than usual and we can watch movies, play games, stuff like that," she said excitedly. "It'll be awesome."

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Positive, it gives you and TJ some alone time then," she winked.

"Oh, well...we haven't actually, you know, had sex yet so..."

"You haven't?" she asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Nope."

"Um...why not?"

"Well, you know like you wanted to wait with Luke, cause you wanted it to be special?" she asked. Lorelai nodded. "The same goes for me and TJ. I want it to last this time, I really like him and he likes Jess...I thought that if we waited like you guys did, we'd last as long as you have."

"That's really great, Liz," she said sincerely. "He seems like a good guy."

"He is, he's amazing."

"Ok, well, maybe tonight will be the night." She nudged her in the arm, but when she noticed Liz's pointed look, she stopped. "Or not," she said, holding her hands up in surrender. Liz was finally growing up.

XXXX

"Now I need, the purple bikini," she told the kids. They had made up a game where Lorelai called out things she wanted to pack in her suitcase, and the kids had to race to find it first. Jess hated the swimsuit ones, it made him embarrassed, just like his uncle.

"Rory win!" she exclaimed, holding up a scrap of purple material.

"Ah, need the bottoms too," she reminded them. Jess found them this time, and tossed them towards her; it wasn't something he wanted to touch. "Thanks guys, you're both really good at this game."

"Unfortunately the game's now ending," interrupted Luke. "Dinner's ready."

"Ooh dinner!" squealed Lorelai. "I'm starved." Luke put the plates on the coffee table while Lorelai lifted the kids onto the couch and put a plate in each of their laps. "What am I eating exactly?" Lorelai asked, settling down next to Jess.

"Sweet potato fries and roast chicken," he told her.

"These fries are quite good actually, don't cha think guys?" She looked down at Jess and Rory, and they smiled up at her.

"Good fries," agreed Jess.

"And if you eat them all, there's vanilla ice cream for dessert," he told them. Each toddler looked at him before tucking into their food, shovelling it down as fast as they could. "Don't forget to chew," he warned them as he took a bite of his own.

"Ready for the movie?" Lorelai asked a little later in the evening.

"Yeah," replied Rory.

"Ready," Jess confirmed. When there wasn't a third reply, Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Lucas, are you ready for the movie?" she called. Luke was in Rory's room, cleaning up the mess the kids had made in there.

"Not if you're calling me Lucas," he replied. Lorelai cleared her throat before amending.

"Luke are you ready for the movie?"

"I'm tidying up in here."

"Well leave it, it's a sleepover," she reminded him. "You don't tidy up at sleepovers."

"I'll be there in a minute, you can start without me." Lorelai rolled her eyes but slid the video into the VCR anyway.

"You guys haven't seen this movie before, but it's totally awesome," she told them as it started up.

"Shh," they both hushed her simultaneously, causing Lorelai to pout and slump back into her seat.

"Told what to do by a couple of two year olds," she huffed under her breath, but settled down to watch it silently anyway. It was a classic, after all.

XXXX

"Ooh oompa lumpas!" Lorelai squealed excitedly when they came onto the screen. "I love the oompa lumpas."

"Love as in..."

"I think they're cute, and funny," she shrugged. Luke had to laugh a little bit.

"They're tiny men, and they're orange."

"But look at them! And they're gonna sing," she said as she clapped her hands together.

"Shh," hushed Jess, annoyed by their constant bantering. He was really enjoying the movie. Lorelai wasn't having any of it though, because the oompa lumpas were starting to sing, and she knew their dance moves by heart. She jumped up and stood facing them, before sticking her arms out in front of her and singing along.

"_Oompa lumpa doompadee doo, I have a perfect puzzle for you. Oompa Lumpa doompadee dee, if you are wise you'll listen to me." _

"Lorelai," Luke warned, finding her behaviour stupid. Why was she dancing around the living room like a crazy little orange person? Lorelai wasn't listening, and she continued on with the song.

"_What do you get when you guzzle down sweets, eating as much as an elephant eats? What do you get when you're terribly fat? What do you think will come of that?" _She paused. _"I don't like the look of it."_

"You know, you should actually listen to these lyrics, they're so ironic," he said thoughtfully. Both children were laughing at Lorelai's crazy behaviour, finding it amusing that she was doing the same thing as the weird people on the screen.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"They're trying to stop kids eating sweets," he told her. "You should listen to what they're actually saying."

"But they say the same thing you do," she shrugged.

"I know."

"And I don't listen to you, so what makes you think I'm gonna listen to the oompa lumpas?" Luke rolled his eyes and fell against the back of the couch. He didn't have the energy to argue with her about this.

The movie finished, but the kids were very much awake. Luke and Lorelai had hoped they'd have been asleep by now, but they were enjoying the movie so much that they wouldn't take their eyes off the screen.

"Are you guys tired?" Luke asked.

"No," they answered at the same time.

"It's almost ten already, they should be asleep by now," he told Lorelai, who simply shrugged.

"This is a slumber party, and you're supposed to stay up later than usual." Luke gave her a pointed look. "Ok, why don't we all climb into bed and read a book together, huh?"

"Book!" Rory exclaimed, scrambling off the couch in her PJs and running into her room, Jess following close behind. Luke and Lorelai found them looking through Rory's book collection, which was currently in cardboard boxes.

"I think she needs bookshelves," said Luke, noticing how disorganised everything was and how the kids were tossing books aside on the floor so they could see what was underneath.

"It would be easier," she agreed.

"I can make her some; I'll probably have some wood left over from the diner."

"She'll love that," she said as she smiled appreciatively at him. Luke nodded then looked down at the tots.

"Have you chosen one?" he asked them.

"Two," replied Rory, as she and Jess held a book up each.

"What do you think?" he asked Lorelai. "Do you think we should read two tonight?"

"I think we can stretch to that," she replied teasingly.

After making the necessary toilet stops before bedtime, the four of them squashed into Lorelai's double bed and made sure everyone had a sufficient amount of the duvet, before settling in to read the book. Luke and Lorelai were at either side, with Rory and Jess squashed between them, the book resting on the kids' laps so everyone could see it.

"Ok, which one first?" Lorelai asked.

"That," said Rory pleadingly.

"No this," protested Jess.

"No."

"Yeah."

"No."

"Yeah."

"Stop," said Luke sternly. "We won't read any if you're gonna argue about it." Rory pouted, but they both quietened down. "I'm gonna choose the book."

After reading for a long half an hour, Jess finally dozed off, and Rory followed not long after. With the kids both asleep, Luke slipped the books onto his nightstand then realised that he wouldn't be able to snuggle with his girlfriend tonight.

"Our bed's been invaded," he whispered to her.

"I know, I can hardly move," she complained. "Whose smart idea was this?"

"Uh...yours," he reminded her. She rolled her eyes.

"Let's not be reminded of my temporary insanity," she muttered.

"It's not so temporary," he said under his breath. Lorelai scowled at him.

"If there weren't two kids between us, you'd be getting your ass kicked right now," she threatened.

"Oh yeah?" he chuckled.

"Uh huh."

"It's a shame they're here, that would have been amusing to watch." She narrowed her eyes at him, then fell back into her pillow and threw her arm over Rory and Jess.

"Cut the light off will you?" Luke turned off the light and got comfortable in the bed, before putting his arm over hers and stroking her skin with his fingertips. "Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really looking forward to this weekend." He smiled into the darkness, and gave her lower arm a squeeze.

"Me too," he whispered. To be honest, he couldn't wait, even if he did have to face memories of the times he spent at the cabin throughout his childhood.

XXXX

Late Friday afternoon, Luke arrived home to find Lorelai sitting on top of her suitcase on the bed, while trying to zip it up at the same time.

"What are you doing?" he asked, startling her out of her curse-mumbling.

"Trying to fasten up my case," she stated the obvious.

"And you're sitting on it, why?"

"Cause it's not big enough," she whined.

"May I remind you that this is a weekend trip, and we'll be back on Sunday night?"

"I know that, but I need all this stuff, Luke. I don't know what the weather's gonna be like."

"It's summer, it'll be sunny, hot and not a drop of rainfall in sight." He eyed her luggage. "How many swimsuits do you have in there?"

"Like five, or something," she brushed off nonchalantly.

"Five, really?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, no actually, it's more like eight," she fessed up.

"Eight swimsuits? We're going for two days and you have eight swimsuits?"

"I don't know which I'll be in the mood to wear," she defended herself. "I mean, there's a lake right? So when I wanna swim in the lake, I wear one I'm not that bothered about, but when I'm just relaxing in the sun, I wear one of my newer ones. And then, when I want something from you, I wear my sexy one, the one that barely covers anything," she said seductively.

"Lorelai," he warned her.

"I bought it especially for you," she told him.

"You know Rory's coming, right?"

"Yes."

"And we can't spend the whole weekend in the bedroom."

"I know."

"So you'd better leave the sexy bikini at home." Lorelai pouted.

"That's so unfair!" she protested.

"For you maybe," he told her.

"Fine, I'll take it out," she agreed as she tossed it over her shoulder, it landing in a heap on the floor.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "Where is Rory anyway?"

"She's in her room dragging her suitcase around," she told him. "Last time I saw her she was trying to sing 'We're all going on a summer holiday'," she giggled. "She sounds really cute." Luke chuckled as he walked towards Rory's room. Once he was out of sight, Lorelai picked up the string bikini from the floor and stuffed it into her suitcase, before zipping it up with a minor struggle and setting it by the door.

XXXX

"So are we ready to go?" Luke asked as he finished loading the truck bed.

"Yeah ready!" replied Rory jollily as she jumped a little on the spot. She was really excited about going on a trip, even though she had no idea where they were going to.

"Lorelai did you pack the sun block?" he asked.

"I got sun screen," she shrugged.

"But Rory needs sun block, the sun's dangerous for kids."

"Don't panic, I bought a higher factor for her," she told him. "We still need a bit of colour in our skin you know." Luke rolled his eyes.

"She's putting it on when we get there," he warned her.

"It'll most probably be dark by the time we get there," she retorted.

"Well she's wearing it first thing in the morning then, we're not taking any chances."

"Yes daddy, can we go now?"

"Get in the truck, I'm just gonna check we haven't left anything," he told her. Lorelai went over to the passenger door and helped Rory climb in, lifting her into the safety seat.

"You know what?" she asked. "You can sit by the window, I wanna sit next to daddy," she said as she removed Rory from the seat and unfastened it, switching it so it was in the right hand seat. She helped her back in then got comfortable in the middle, right next to where Luke would be sitting. She couldn't wait to annoy him all the way to the cabin, it was gonna be a fun ride.

"What are you doing sitting there?" he asked when he returned after locking the potting shed up securely.

"I wanted to sit next to you," she shrugged. "Anyway, I can reach the radio better from here." Luke rolled his eyes and put the key into the ignition.

"Are you sure you've got everything?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Yep."

"Rory, do you have everything?" he questioned the little girl. She simply nodded then turned her attention to the window. She'd never been next to the window before, and she was looking forward to seeing the sights along the way. She reached her hand forward and ran it along the inside of the door, before finding the little handle that opens the door. She tugged on it a few times, and the door opened, causing Rory to look at it in surprise.

Luke was just about to turn on the engine when he noticed.

"Jeez," he complained. "That's why she never sits next to the door." Lorelai reached over and pulled it shut again, before fumbling around over that side of the truck. "What are you doing?" he asked impatiently.

"Does this thing have like child locks or something?" she asked, continuing to mess around.

"No, it's a truck," he replied incredulously. "It wasn't made for kids to ride in."

"Well...then what do we do?"

"You could swap seats," he suggested.

"No way," she scoffed. "I like this seat better." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Then you have to watch her to make sure she doesn't do it again. Don't take your eyes off of her the whole way there."

"Not liking that option either."

"Lorelai," he said while taking a deep breath through his nose.

"I'll just tell her not to do it again, she'll listen," she told him surely, before turning her head to look at her daughter. "Ok babe, you see this little handle here?" she asked sweetly.

"Yeah," Rory replied curiously.

"Don't touch it, understand?" The girl stared at her for a few long moments, then nodded slowly. "Good girl," she praised, ruffling Rory's fine hair. "Mommy will take Colonel Clucker away if you touch it," she warned. Rory clutched onto her stuffed hen tightly and pouted, taking her attention to the trees swaying in the light summer breeze outside the truck. "Problem solved," she told Luke.

"Let's hope so," he muttered. He started up the engine and gave it a few revs, before setting off away from the inn.

XXXX

They had been in the car for forty minutes, and Lorelai had been messing around with the radio for thirty six of them.

"Will you cut it out?" he asked irritably as a blast of static came through the stereo.

"But I'm looking for a good station," she told him.

"It's annoying. We're on the highway in the middle of nowhere anyway, there won't be any signal."

"Then do you have a cassette or something? Or a mix tape!"

"No mix tape," he muttered. "But there might be a cassette or two in the glove compartment."

"Ooh," Lorelai squealed, immediately reaching for the handle. She flung it open and pulled out a cassette case, trying to hide her giggles.

"Duran Duran?" she asked, pressing her lips together firmly to try and hide her smile.

"It's not mine," he said, seeming to be embarrassed.

"But it's your truck," she pointed out. "And you're the only one who drives it...so it must belong to you," she said thoughtfully, a mocking tone in her voice.

"I think it's Liz's or something."

"Don't lie to me, Luke," she said teasingly. "It's ok to listen to Duran Duran." She chuckled at the mere thought of Luke sitting listening to 'Rio'.

"Give me that," he ordered as he tried to pry it from her grasp.

"Nooo, I wanna listen to it!" she whined.

"Lorelai," he warned.

"Luke," she retorted. "Why won't you let me listen to Duran Duran?"

"Cause I'm fed up of hearing you go on about it, you're annoying." She chuckled and reluctantly gave him the tape.

"We'll just have to listen to it on the way home instead."

XXXX

"Having fun, Ror?" Lorelai asked an hour later. Rory shook her head and pouted. "Me either, this is a long, loooong drive," she sighed.

"Try driving all the way here," Luke grumbled.

"What was that Lukey?"

"Nothing," he sighed. He had been in the car with her for almost two hours, and she seemed to be even more annoying than usual.

"You know, you don't have to drive all the way to the cabin," she began.

"What do you mean?" She shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"I have a permit, I've had a few lessons, I could drive some of the way." She was dying to get behind the wheel of Luke's truck, and she would do, eventually; even if she had to do it without him knowing about it.

"There is no way you're driving my truck on a main road," he declined. "You don't even know why I have three pedals down here." He pointed to his feet, one of which rested on the gas.

"Yeah I do, there's A, B and C," she said proudly, pointing to each pedal as she named it.

"No," he said while shaking his head. "It's A, B, C," he told her, pointing to the complete opposite ones she did.

"Uh...that's what I said."

"No, you got them the wrong way round." She narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head frustratedly.

"Whatever Burger Boy, I do know what the pedals are for."

"What's A stand for then?"

"Accelerator," she answered proudly.

"B?"

"Brake."

"C?"

"Um..." She furrowed her brow and looked to be thinking really hard. "Cam belt?" she answered slowly, not sure if she was actually correct or not. Luke shook his head, obviously amused.

"There is absolutely no way you're driving my truck," he confirmed.

"But...that was that right answer," she exclaimed.

"The cam belt has nothing to do with these three pedals, it's something totally different," he told her. "And if you don't know that, you can't drive the truck."

"You could teach me?" she said, trying to make it sound appealing.

"No thanks," he said, trying to stifle a snort. "It was hard enough trying to teach you how to drive an automatic." Lorelai slapped his upper arm lightly, then crossed her arms over her chest sulkily.

"Mama sad?" Rory asked tentatively.

"Yes, daddy made mommy sad," replied Lorelai. Rory leaned forward in her seat and narrowed her eyes at her father.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" he asked, having caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye.

"Naughty dada," she tutted.

"I didn't do anything," he defended himself.

"Mama sad."

"She started it," he mumbled.

"I so did not!"

"Yes you did."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did..." They were cut off by Rory.

"Sssstoooop," she shouted, catching the attention of both her parents. That's when Luke and Lorelai started to laugh at their childish behaviour.

"As if we just got told off by our almost two year old daughter," giggled Lorelai, obviously amused by the situation. "It was totally your fault."

"Was...ok we're not starting this again," he said firmly. They went into silence, where all they could hear was the sound of the engine whirring. Luke turned off the highway, and Lorelai noticed his driving technique; it was totally wrong.

"Hey, you steered wrong," she told him, causing him to roll his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"You crossed your arms over when you turned the corner," she said with a smug grin on her face. "You're supposed to feed it through remember."

"So what?"

"I'll tell you what," she began. "Every time I cross my arms over, you bite my head off about it, but you do it yourself!" she said unbelievably.

"And?"

"You're a hypocrite."

"Lorelai, I already have my license, I can drive however the hell I want to," he told her. "You, on the other hand, don't have a license, and need to drive with all the correct techniques in order to earn one."

"I don't like hypocrites," she said thoughtfully, obviously not having heard a word of what Luke had just said to her. Luke just sighed, and turned his full attention back to the road, wishing they could get there faster.

XXXX

"This is a scary road," said Lorelai quietly, referring to the little dirt track they were currently driving down.

"No it's not," he argued.

"There're lots of trees, it's scary." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Good job I'm here then."

"Does that mean you'll be my protector, and you'll save me from the big scary wolves?"

"Yes dear," he agreed as he pulled into a clearing. There was a big stretch of grass with a path leading up to a neat little wooden cabin, and a dock by the edge of a huge lake.

"Wow, this is beautiful," she said in surprise as Luke parked up outside their accommodation.

"You like it?"

"Yeah, it's kinda romantic, don't you think?"

"Well...it would be if we didn't have a toddler to watch over the whole weekend." Lorelai chuckled.

"What do you think, Rory?" she asked as she began unbuckling her from her car seat.

"Tired," she complained, rubbing her eyes with balled fists.

"I know babe, it was a long drive," she said softly as she got out of the truck and lifted Rory up with her. "But you can get some Zs in a minute." The girl buried her face into her mother's neck and nuzzled it with her nose. Luke came up beside them and rubbed Rory's back lovingly.

"She ok?" he asked.

"Just exhausted," she replied. "Which means we might actually get some alone time tonight." Luke smiled shyly and moved his hand to rest at the small of her back, as he guided her towards the cabin. He unlocked the door and held it open for her, watching as she walked inside.

"Do you want a tour?" he asked. Lorelai nodded, noticing that they were currently standing in the living room. "Well uh...this is the living room," he said, stating the obvious.

"I gathered that," she chuckled.

"Right through there is the kitchen, but I'm guessing you won't be spending much time in there. Bedrooms are through here, there are three, but obviously we'll only be using two, so Rory can choose which she wants. Ours is here, it was where my mom and dad used to sleep, but it's the only one with a bed made for two so..."

Lorelai put her hand on his arm to stop him from rambling on and on.

"You ok?" she asked carefully.

"Yeah, I just...memories, you know?" She nodded tentatively and grabbed his hand with her free one.

"It's a really nice place," she told him. "You must have had a lot of fun here as a kid."

"We did, it was mine and Liz's favourite place," he said with a nod.

"Well if we come here often, like you used to do, then it might become Rory's favourite place too." Luke smiled softly.

"I like the sound of that," he said thoughtfully, his brain jumping into the future and imagining them coming here a few years down the line. "We'd better get madam to bed," he said after a few moments of silence. Lorelai nodded and looked towards the two rooms that Rory could choose between.

"I don't think she really cares which one she sleeps in right now, as long as it has a bed." Luke pushed open one of the doors and switched on the light.

"This one ok?" he asked. "It used to be mine, but I'm happy to pass it over to Rory."

"What do you think, sweets? Do you like this room?"

"Sweep," she mumbled, not even looking up at the two of them. "Bed good."

"Hey, pass her over," said Luke quietly. He took her from Lorelai and laid her in his arms, before pulling the covers back on the bed and laying her in it.

"Will she be ok in the big bed?" asked Lorelai worriedly. "She's still only a baby."

"I'll grab some pillows from Liz's room to prop at either side of her, she shouldn't roll off then." She nodded in agreement, then watched him walk out of the room.

"We're gonna have a lot of fun here, Ror, just you wait and see."

XXXX

"Come outside with me?" she requested once they'd changed Rory and made sure she was sleeping soundly.

"What for?"

"It's warm out," she shrugged. "And I wanna explore the outside."

"We can do that tomorrow," he told her.

"But it's so quiet and romantic at night," she sighed. "Please?"

"Just ten minutes, we shouldn't leave Rory inside by herself for too long."

"Oh she'll be fine," she brushed off. "She'll be asleep until late tomorrow morning judging by how tired she was." Luke led her outside and they walked hand in hand down the dock by the water.

"I forgot how nice it was here," murmured Luke. "Peaceful."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Everything's so calm." She spotted something out of the corner of her eye. "Whose boat is that?" she asked, dragging him over to it.

"It's my dad's," he replied. "Or...it was." Lorelai twisted her mouth thoughtfully.

"It's a nice boat," she complimented.

"I was thinking that maybe we could go out on it tomorrow, you know, maybe I could show Rory how to fish," he suggested. Lorelai smiled and turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"That sounds like a great idea," she agreed. "I'll probably sit the fishing part out though; I wouldn't wanna get in the way of your bonding."

"Of course," he said. "Because that's the reason you don't wanna fish." She giggled and rested her head against his chest.

"I think this weekend's gonna be the best we've had since New York," she said into his chest. Luke ducked his head and kissed her hair.

"Yeah, we definitely need the break. It'll do us all some good." Lorelai looked up at him and kissed him on the lips, before turning her head to look out at the water. "Let's get our luggage out of the truck, then go bed," he suggested. "The drive up here wiped me out."

"So you don't have enough energy for a little playtime before bed?" she asked teasingly, running a single finger down the front of his shirt.

"I always have enough energy for that," he growled into her ear. If they had this much time to themselves, it would definitely be an amazing weekend.

**Aaaah, *sigh of relief*. I am going to write a new chapter for 'A Long Lost Mother' soon, I promise. I know it's been more than a month since I updated that one, it might even be two months :O I will try and write it soon though, like maybe tomorrow...I might even write another chapter for 'I Wish You Were My Dad'! **

**We'll see though, don't get your hopes up.**

**Be so kind to review, I'll try to reply to you :D (that rhymed ;P)**

**Bye for now.**

**Emily.**


	62. The Cabin

**Hi, I must apologise...my internet broke and has been broken for about a week :/ It's literally just been fixed now so I thought I would post right away for you. I would have used McDonald's internet but it's snowed like knee deep over here and I didn't wanna trudge all the way round there!**

**I've had this written for a while, and I have almost finished the next chapter too so that should be posted within the next few days. **

**Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate all your comments and I know I said I'd reply to you guys but with my internet broken, I didn't get the chance...sorry!**

**So I have no idea how to fish, as I have never tried it or had any experience whatsoever...so if there is something not right in my descriptions, I apologise. Enjoy :D **

Luke woke at seven thirty the next morning; a luxury for him. He turned his head and looked over at Lorelai, who was still sleeping soundly, naked. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed, remembering that they were sleeping in his parent's bed, and they had also had sex in said bed the night before. That just made him feel weird.

Lorelai sighed and rolled towards him, resting her head on his shoulder as her leg slung over his.

"Morning," she mumbled while slowly opening her eyes.

"Morning," he replied quietly.

"What time is it?"

"Seven thirty," he told her. "Go back to sleep if you want."

"No," she protested. "I want some morning quiet time with you before the boss wakes up." Luke chuckled and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer, as she ran her foot up and down his calf.

"Are you having a good time so far?" he asked as he began to stroke her hair.

"Yeah, last night was the perfect way to start the weekend," she replied. "In fact, I had such a great time last night that I wouldn't mind doing it again," she said teasingly.

"Really?" he asked coyly. He smiled at her as she moved up to straddle his hips, before leaning down and kissing him. He ran his hands up and down her bare back, then moved them down to cup her ass.

"Luke," she sighed as she ground against him. He rolled them over so he was looking down at her, and kissed her passionately, forcing her mouth open with his tongue immediately.

"Breakfassssst!" Rory announced loudly as she came bounding into the room, shocking the two adults.

"Jeez," complained Luke, rolling off of Lorelai quickly and trying to get his breathing back to normal.

"Rory," said Lorelai, suddenly remembering that the little girl wasn't sleeping in a crib while they were here, so she could get out of bed by herself. She looked around the room, noticing that Luke's flannel from the day before was lying on the floor near where Rory was standing. "Sweetie, could you pass me daddy's shirt please?" she asked politely. Rory looked down at the item of clothing and frowned as she picked it up.

"Messy," she tutted.

"Yeah, we're really messy," she agreed, taking the shirt from her daughter and slipping it on under the covers. When she was covered, she climbed out of bed and plucked her panties from the floor, pulling them on quickly. She felt very uncomfortable being naked while her daughter was around. "You ok?" she asked Luke quietly, noticing how he'd just been laying there after Rory had come in.

"Yeah, I just...need a minute," he told her. She nodded in understanding, but couldn't hide the small smile that crossed her lips.

"I'll go change Rory while you...recover," she said as she began to walk towards the door. "Come on, Ror; let's go choose you an outfit to wear today." Rory galloped along behind her mother excitedly.

"Hugry," she whined, rubbing her stomach to emphasise how much she wanted breakfast.

"I know, but you have to get dressed first then daddy will make you breakfast, ok?" Rory nodded with a frown on her face. "Right, how about shorts today?" she asked as she pulled a small pair of blue cotton shorts from a drawer.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"With...this white t shirt?" Rory nodded and watched her mother open the drawer that held her underwear. "Which ones?" she asked. Rory examined the selection and picked out some pink spotty ones. "Ok, let's get this diaper off."

XXXX

After breakfast, Luke went to get dressed for the day, while Lorelai put away the remaining dishes. He appeared not five minutes later, wearing a tight gray t shirt and knee length swimming shorts. Lorelai's eyes raked over his body in approval; she wasn't expecting him to wear shorts, he never wore shorts.

"Wow, lookin' good," she said appreciatively as she made her way over to him. "How come you're wearing shorts?"

"Can't go out on the boat in jeans and flannel," he shrugged. "What if I fall in?"

"It's a good look for you," she said with a nod.

"Good to know, now hurry up and get dressed." He pushed her in the direction of their bedroom then looked down at Rory, who was glancing out of the window curiously. "Hey, come here," he said softly. Rory strode over to him, and he bent down to her level, holding up a bottle of sun screen. "You need this on today, and I'm gonna make sure we keep applying it all day long." He squirted some onto his hand then began rubbing it into her arms.

"Cold," said Rory.

"Better than being bright red," he shrugged. Rory squirmed when he got to her legs, she was bored of this. "Stay still," he said firmly. The girl began to whimper. "Rory, you need to wear sun screen, it's important." Rory pouted but stood still so he could apply the rest.

"Done?" she asked.

"Yep, want me to help you put your shoes on?" Rory nodded and held out her pink jelly sandals to him. Lorelai re-entered the room as he was fastening up the last buckle, and he looked up to smile at her. His mouth dropped open when he saw her standing there in nothing but a black bikini. "You're wearing that on the boat?" he asked.

"Yeah, do you like it?" He simply nodded in response, causing Lorelai to grin. "I have these too," she said, as she slipped on some denim shorts.

"So are you ready to go outside?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yep, I just need to put a bit of sun screen on."

"Ok well I'll take Rory outside and get the boat set up." Lorelai nodded and began massaging sun screen into her long legs, something that Luke had to look away from or else he wouldn't have been able to control himself. He opened the door and picked up Rory's sun hat, not realising that the toddler had already raced outside and was heading towards his and Liz's old swing set.

"Dada, swing!" she shouted back to him excitedly. Luke shook his head and went after her, looking down at her with his hands on his hips when he got there. "Swing, swing," she chanted, eager to have a go. She held her arms up to him, silently asking to be picked up, but Luke shook his head.

"No," he told her. Rory's face fell and she began to pout.

"Pwease?"

"You're too little."

"Rory big girl," she argued.

"Yeah, and these are for big, big girls," he said. "Maybe in a couple of years." Rory stuck her bottom lip out further and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't pout," he warned her. "And put this on." He placed a sun hat on top of her head, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you say we go down to the water and look at the boat?" He pointed down to the dock where his father's white boat was tied up just waiting to be used.

"Boat," she squealed, the episode over the swing seemingly forgotten about. Rory began to race down in that direction and Luke followed in a steady jog.

"Wait for me guys," Lorelai called as she exited the cabin. Rory heard her voice and veered round, choosing to run to her mother instead.

"Mama, boat!" she said excitedly, jumping up and down on the spot.

"I know, isn't it awesome?" Rory nodded and grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her towards the dock where Luke was already setting things up. "Where's your fishing stuff?" she asked as they approached him.

"In the shed over there." He pointed to a old little shed, and Lorelai began to walk over to it curiously.

"Where's the key?" she asked.

"Under the hedgehog round the back," he replied as he checked the boat's motor. Lorelai wandered around the back of the shed and found a little brown hedgehog made of pot. She lifted it up and found a rusty key on the ground, noticing that it looked like it had been there a very long time. She went back round to the front to see Rory sitting on Luke's lap as he showed her something on the boat. She smiled to herself, then slid the key into the lock and opened the door.

She was hit with a weird smell when she opened the door. It was a strong fishy smell, with a hint of must, probably caused by everything being locked away for so long. She stuck her head inside and saw a variety of fishing gear in the back of the shed; she had no idea what any of it was for, and she didn't intend on ever knowing. She looked to the side and saw a bunch of lifejackets hanging from a hook on the wall. She picked the first one up and turned around, seeing that Luke was already approaching her with Rory hot on his heels.

"Look, lifejackets," she said as she held it up in front of her. That's when she noticed the huge spider dangling off it on a web. Her eyes widened and she screamed, tossing the floatation device away from her.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Spider," she shrieked, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Wimp," he muttered.

"Hey, I don't do creepy crawlies," she said, pointing a finger at him. "That can be your jacket."

"I don't wear a jacket," he said as he picked it up off the floor, the spider still swinging from it.

"Ah get it off," she said worriedly, stepping back a little. Luke chuckled and moved one step closer to her.

"What's so scary about a little spider?" he asked teasingly as he swung the jacket around a little, making the spider swing faster on the web.

"Keep it away from me," she warned him. She kept stepping backwards but her back came into contact with the wooden wall of the shed. Luke continued to step closer to her, waving the spider in her direction. She screamed and ducked away from it, before running away as quickly as she could. Luke was too quick for her though, and with his previous baseball experience, he managed to throw the lifejacket so it hit her right on the back then fell to the floor.

"Luke!" she shrieked as she began hitting her back with her hand as far as she could reach. Luke was more than amused; she was jumping around like a crazy person and she looked ridiculous. When Lorelai was certain that the spider wasn't on her, she looked at Luke and narrowed her eyes. "You're pure evil."

"Oh come on," he chuckled. "That has gotta be the funniest thing I have ever seen." Lorelai walked over to him and slapped his arm.

"I can't believe you find my suffering funny," she said, only half joking with him. "It could have killed me or something."

"It's just a spider, they're more scared of you than you are of them," he pointed out.

"I hate that saying," she muttered. Luke smiled and tried to pull her into a hug, but she tried her best to resist it. She failed though, and found herself giving in to him.

"Go sit in the boat, I'll bring your lifejackets over and make sure there aren't any spiders on them." He kissed the top of her head and watched as she and Rory made their way toward the boat, smiling at the fact he had gotten the chance to bring them here, to somewhere that meant so much to him.

XXXX

After he had loaded the equipment into the boat, packed a bag of snacks and drinks, and after Lorelai had taken Rory to the bathroom, they were sailing out along the water.

"Fish!" exclaimed Rory, seeing a fish jump out of the water.

"Yeah, that'll be on your plate tonight at dinner," said Lorelai. Rory looked at her confusedly while Luke gently nudged Lorelai's leg.

"Don't tell her that," he said quietly. "She doesn't need to know what happens to the fish we catch. Anyway, I usually only take one or two to eat, depending on the size of them, then I throw the rest back into the water."

"So that's what the bucket of water's for," she said logically. Luke nodded his head then stopped the boat; they were far enough away from the shore now. He went about setting the equipment up, while Lorelai laid her towel out on the leather back seat and got into a comfortable sunbathing position, putting her sunglasses on as she lay down.

"Hold this," he told Rory, handing the rod to her. She took it eagerly and examined it.

"What this for?" Rory asked.

"This is called a fishing rod," he replied. "You put some bait on the end of here, then throw it into the water and wait till you catch a fish." Rory grabbed hold of the end of the rod where the bait goes, and looked up at her father. "Want some bait?" he asked.

"Yes pwease," she answered. Luke pulled out a small plastic tub and took the lid off to reveal a pile of sweetcorn. Rory furrowed her brows and dug her hand in, bringing the yellow corn to her mouth. Luke noticed what she was doing and stopped her.

"No, no," he told her, quickly taking the cold corn from her. "You don't eat it, it goes on here." He demonstrated by attaching the corn to the hook, while Rory watched curiously. "Got it?" he asked. She looked up at him then nodded absently. "Ok, wanna try?"

"Yeah," she agreed eagerly as she plucked a piece of corn from the tub. She attempted to attach it, but as soon as she let go it fell to the floor of the boat, causing Rory to frown and look up at her father helplessly.

"That's ok," he assured her. "Pick it up and try again." Rory picked up the fallen corn and tried to put it on once again, this time with a little help from Luke. Once the bait was successfully attached to the hook, Rory grinned triumphantly and tried to get Lorelai's attention.

"Mama, wook!" she exclaimed, holding up the hook for her to see. Lorelai simply gave her a thumbs up, not even bothering to lift her head to see what had caused her daughter to be so excited. Rory frowned at the lack of reaction she had received, and trotted over to her, hook still in hand while Luke held the rod.

She began to dangle the sweetcorn covered hook over her mother's face, while looking back at Luke mischievously. He simply shook his head, not able to hide his smile at the thought of Lorelai's reaction. Rory lowered the bait until it was millimetres away from Lorelai's face, then watched cheekily as the cold bait came into contact with Lorelai's tanning skin.

"Ah!" Lorelai screamed, surprised by the cold sensation on her face. She jumped up from her horizontal position and got to her feet, touching her face as she did. "What in the world was that?"

"Bait!" replied Rory, pointing to the sweetcorn. Lorelai's eyes widened.

"Eww," she said in disgust. "You put fish bait on my face?"

"Hey, just be glad we're not using maggots," said Luke, completely amused by Rory's mischief. The little girl walked back over to him and took the rod from him, looking to him for further instruction. Luke first took his own rod and attached the bait to it, before getting ready to cast it. "Are you watching real close?" he asked the toddler.

"Yeah," she answered, her eyes never wavering from him, curious as to what he was going to do next.

"So, you take it over your shoulder then throw it out into the water, as far as you can," he demonstrated as he went along, aware of Rory's curious gaze. She watched as the hook disappeared under the water, then leaned over the side of the boat slightly to look for fish. Luke quickly settled his rod down, making sure it was secure before reaching over and pulling her away from the edge. "Never lean over there," he warned her. Rory nodded, telling him that she wouldn't do it again, then pointed to her rod.

"Luke do you really think she's gonna be able to throw that thing?" Lorelai asked, making her presence known.

"She has a kid sized rod," he shrugged. "I used to use it when I was younger, she should be fine." Lorelai raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything else. Instead she lay back down and got comfortable again.

"Catch fish!" said Rory excitedly, jumping on the spot slightly.

"Right, you go to this side, so we have a better chance of catching something," he told her, repositioning her to the port side of the boat. He kneeled down next to her and moved her arm up so the rod was in the right position. "Ready?" he asked. Rory nodded. "Throw it."

He moved his arm as a demonstration while he said it, just so she knew what he meant. Rory did as she was told and the hook went flying through the air, landing in the water a couple of feet away from the boat. "Well done Ror, that was a really good shot," he praised her, watching as her eyes lit up. He had to admit, he was really proud of her for doing so well already, and she seemed to be really enjoying herself.

XXXX

An hour passed by, and the father and daughter were still sitting by their respective fishing rods, while the mother munched on a Rice Krispie treat.

"Have you still not caught anything?" Lorelai asked incredulously; they had been sitting there for ages, and she was surprised that Rory hadn't gotten bored yet.

"These things take time," Luke told her. She simply rolled her eyes in response as she began applying more sunscreen to Rory's arms and face.

"No mama," she protested. "Fishes."

"The fishes can wait a minute, Ror; you need your sun screen." Rory eagerly grasped the handle of her rod, then suddenly began to feel something tugging on it. She furrowed her brows and shook her head, trying to get Lorelai to leave her alone.

"Dada," she said worriedly.

"What's up Ror?" he asked as he came to sit next to her. Rory simply pointed to her rod and held it out to him. He took it into his hands and immediately recognised the familiar tugging. He sprang into action immediately, not wanting to let the opportunity pass them by. "Looks like Rory caught a fish," he said, ushering her to touch the reel. He put his hand over her considerably smaller one and began reeling it in, watching Rory as she wondered what the hell was going on.

"Fish!" she exclaimed once the creature had left the water. They reeled it the rest of the way in and Luke unhooked it, placing it in his bucket of water quickly. Rory approached the bucket and looked down into the water, watching as the fish swam around, glad to be back in some kind of liquid.

"Wow, look at that," said Lorelai coming to sit down next to her daughter with her legs crossed. "You caught a fish babe." Rory smiled widely and reached her hand forward, dipping it in the bucket cautiously. Her hand came into contact with the slimy, squirmy fish and she pulled it away quickly, smiling at her accomplishment.

"That's a trout," said Luke knowingly as he came to sit at the other side of Rory. "They like sweetcorn." Lorelai giggled as the three of them looked down at the fish, both adults amazed by their daughter's achievement.

"I'm gonna get the camera," Lorelai announced. "This is definitely a Kodak moment." She grabbed the bag Luke had packed and pulled out a disposable camera, snapping a few shots of the fish and of Rory looking down at it. "Hey Luke, get Rory to pick it up, so I can get one of her holding it," she requested. Luke rolled his eyes.

"I don't want her holding it," he said. "It might have infections or something."

"I thought we were gonna eat it tonight."

"We are, but that's after it's been gutted, boned and skinned," he told her. "Right now it's got all the germs from the water all over it." Lorelai looked down into the bag and came up with a small tube of alcohol gel, most probably Luke's doing.

"Ah ha, look, alcohol gel," she said triumphantly. "We'll just rub this on her hands after." Luke looked at her for a moment then sighed in defeat, knowing that he had lost this one.

"Fine, but you'd better snap the picture fast." He reached into the water and managed to grab the fast moving fish, before holding it out to Rory. "Here, you wanna hold this?" he asked. Rory nodded eagerly and reached forward, taking it between her small hands.

"Wooow," she murmured in awe as the fish flapped around in her hands. She was actually having a hard time holding onto it. Lorelai snapped a few pictures of her daughter staring open mouthed at the creature in her hands, then allowed her to drop it back into the water.

"Gimme that," said Luke, snatching the alcohol gel from her. He took Rory's hands and squired a small amount of gel onto one of them, before getting her to rub them together.

"See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?" Lorelai asked, while stroking her hand lovingly through Rory's hair.

XXXX

They returned to the dock an hour later, after Luke had caught another two fish. He had let Rory set hers free in the water, smiling slightly as he watched her wave to the creature. They walked back up to the cabin and Luke set up an area outside for him to prepare the fish, while Lorelai went in to change out of her bikini.

"Do you wanna watch Ror?" he asked, not sure if it was something she'd want to see. He had laid the fish out on a chopping board on a slab of wood and was about to gut it, using the large knife he had found in the kitchen.

"Yeah, watch," she agreed as she trotted over to him. She stood next to where he was kneeling and peered over at the two dead fish curiously. Luke could tell that she was wondering why they weren't moving. He cut into the urethra and slid the knife up to the gills, before scooping out the insides.

After all the gory bits had been disposed off, and when he was sure he'd already scarred Rory for life, he cut the head of each fish and dropped them into the trash bag. He looked up at Rory; she looked absolutely horrified.

"You ok, sweetie?" he asked, she looked terribly pale.

"Kill fish," she murmured, pointing to the now headless trout they had caught earlier.

"It's fine," he told her. "They were really old fish." Rory pouted as tears clouded her eyes. "Hey, hey, don't cry," he said softly. He wanted to pick her up and comfort her, but his hands were slimy and smelly from handling raw fish. "Lorelai," he called. She walked out onto the porch of the cabin in a pale blue summer dress.

"What's going on?" she asked as she approached them. She saw the gutted, beheaded fish in front of them, grimaced a little, then noticed Rory's tear filled eyes.

"She got a little emotional after I chopped the heads off," he told her. "Can you go distract her with something?" Lorelai smiled sadly at Rory before scooping her up and dropping a kiss to her forehead.

"Come on, mini-me, let's go paint our nails." Rory smiled ever so slightly, and Lorelai winked at Luke before turning around and disappearing back into the cabin. He shook his head; he didn't want his not even two year old to wear nail varnish, but he had no choice. At least it distracted her from the fish they'd be eating for dinner that night.

XXXX

Luke set the grill up outside and placed the trout fillets onto it, as the girls collected wood to make a small fire to toast marshmallows over later.

"I feel like a farmer or something," said Lorelai as she dropped a couple of pieces of wood onto the growing pile. Luke looked up at her, brows furrowed.

"A farmer?" he asked incredulously.

"Or someone who collects wood for a living," she shrugged.

"A woodcutter?"

"Maybe," she said thoughtfully. "So when's dinner ready, I'm starved." She sat Rory down at the outdoor table on the porch and was just about to sit down herself, when Luke's voice stopped her.

"Could you go into the kitchen and get the baked potatoes from the oven?" he requested. "Bring the salad and the bread too." Lorelai narrowed her eyes.

"This all sounds really healthy to me," she said suspiciously. "If I didn't know any better I'd say the only reason you brought us to your cabin was so you could get me to eat a bit of fish and salad." Luke smiled, but didn't look up to meet her stare. She swung around on her heel and began to walk into the cabin, calling over her shoulder, "But I know I'm wrong, you wouldn't do that." Luke chuckled and watched her walk away, before looking over at Rory.

"Are you gonna eat some salad, Rory?" he asked, catching her attention.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's yummy."

"It is yummy," he agreed. "Shame your mom can't see that."

"Heard that," said Lorelai as she reappeared holding a tray of foil wrapped potatoes and a bowl of salad, with a plate of buttered bread rolls resting on her lower arm unsteadily. She set everything out on the table, then disappeared again, only to come out this time with two glasses of sparkling cider and Rory's sippy cup filled with orange juice.

"Fish is ready," announced Luke as he transferred it onto a plate. He took it over to the table and set it in the middle, immediately putting a bit on Rory's plate and cutting it into small pieces for her. "It's boneless so she should be ok with it," he told Lorelai, noticing her worried expression. She nodded and reached for a potato, unwrapping it and cutting into it before putting a few cubes of butter on top.

"You know, it defeats the object of having a healthy meal if you cover it in butter," he pointed out, grimacing at how much she was putting on. She scowled at him and took another cube, just to spite him.

"This nice," said Rory, pointing to the fish on her plate.

"You like it, huh?" Luke asked, pleased that she didn't recall what it had looked like before, and that the sight had her in tears.

"More?" she requested, pushing her plate towards the plate of fish. Luke obliged and placed another small fillet on her plate.

"Do you like it?" he asked Lorelai as he cut Rory's up for her.

"Yeah, it's good," she answered with a mouthful of lettuce. Luke marvelled at the fact she was eating salad at all.

"Never thought I'd see that," he muttered.

"What's that?"

"You trying to talk while you're eating green stuff," he chuckled. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders.

"Sometimes a salad is nice in summer," she shrugged. "Anyway, I'm not eating loads, that was my lot." And he wouldn't have expected anything else from her.

XXXX

"Got the marshmallows!" exclaimed Lorelai as she jogged out to the fire waving the bag in the air. Rory clapped her hands together excitedly, while Luke looked on in disgust. Lorelai sat on the log next to Luke and shuffled close to him, taking a skewer from the pack they'd bought. She placed three marshmallows on it and passed it to Rory to hold for a second. "Do you want one?" she asked Luke.

"I'd rather eat my own foot," he grumbled.

"But they're fat free," she said innocently.

"With a mountain of sugar," he pointed out. Lorelai stuck her bottom lip out.

"At least have one," she enticed, holding one up to his face.

"I'll pass, I'll just watch the two of you become diabetics." Lorelai shrugged her shoulders and began sliding marshmallows onto her own skewer.

"Your loss," she muttered before taking Rory's and putting them both over the sizzling fire. She watched them turn light brown around the edges, before withdrawing them and trying a bit of her own to test them. "Ow, hot," she murmured, running her tongue along her lip where she just burnt it.

"It has been over a fire for the last two minutes," he told her, causing her to slap him lightly on the arm.

"Could have told me that before," she said. She took another attempt at it and found that it was a bit cooler this time, proceeding to lick the goo out of the centre of the marshmallow.

"That's disgusting," said Luke as he blew on Rory's to cool it down a little. Her mouth was a lot more sensitive than Lorelai's.

"It's like being in heaven, try some," she offered.

"No thanks." She shrugged and took a generous bite out of her second marshmallow.

"All the more for me." Luke gave Rory hers and watched her eyes light up as she bit into it.

"Mmm," she hummed, immediately going in for more.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Luke asked himself.

"Come on, there's nothing better than toasted marshmallows to top off a healthy dinner." She polished off her last marshmallow and stuck her hand in the bag for more. As she was putting the new marshmallows onto her skewer, Luke noticed a sticky patch of melted marshmallow at the corner of her mouth. He turned her head around and looked into her eyes.

"You've got a little something right here," he told her as he leaned in and proceeded to lick it off. Lorelai giggled as his tongue tickled her lips, not having the willpower to stop him from doing what he was doing. He moved from the corner of her mouth and began kissing her lips, eliciting a response from her.

"Luke," she said as she pulled away slightly. "Little eyes," she reminded him, both turning to look at Rory, who was looking at them curiously.

"I think it's someone's bedtime," he said in a low voice, as he stood up and lifted Rory up with him. The rest of their night can be put down to your imagination!

XXXX

The next day, after being woken by Rory early on, Luke gave her a banana to tide her over then the two of them took a stroll through the woods. Lorelai was still sleeping and Luke didn't have any intention of waking her.

"Come on, Ror," he called back to her; she was lagging behind a bit. "I've got something to show you." Rory's ears perked up and she broke out into a light jog to catch up with her father.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Wait and see." She grabbed hold of his hand and followed his pace as they meandered through the trees. They finally came to a standstill, after only ten minutes of walking, but it seemed longer to Rory.

"Where?" she asked.

"Up there." He pointed up into one of the trees, and Rory noticed a tree house up there, not that she really knew what one was. He took her over to the ladder, and after a bit of a struggle, they both sat on the floor of the wooden house. Rory was looking around curiously, so Luke lifted up one of the floorboards and pulled out a bunch of Liz's old toys.

"Pway?" she requested. Luke slowly nodded and tried to entertain her with the dolls.

"You know Ror, my dad built this place for Liz and me, when we were a couple of years older than you are," he started. "We used to come up here all the time when we came to the cabin; we used to love it here." Rory looked up at him, smiling slightly.

"Like it," she told him.

"You like it do you?" The little girl nodded. "I'm glad I got a chance to bring you up here, without your mom," he said. "She tends to get a little overexcited sometimes, and I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you about what this place means to me." He looked around the worn tree house, surprised that it was still standing. "I know my mom and dad would have loved you so much, I just wish you'd have gotten a chance to meet them."

Rory had been watching Luke intently as she listened to him, noticing that he was sad about something. He wasn't crying, he hardly ever cried, he was just a bit down and looked like he needed comforting. So Rory did what she thought was best; she got to her feet, walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him as tight as she could.

Luke reciprocated, wrapping his arms tightly around his daughter and lifting her off her feet slightly. He liked these quiet moments, when the two of them had a chance to bond. He liked it when Lorelai was around as well, but she sometimes took most of the attention and they had very few chances to get a word in edgeways.

Luke pulled himself out of his thoughts and loosened his grip on Rory, letting her settle back on her feet. She smiled up at him shyly and reached up to pat him on the head, causing Luke to chuckle at her.

"Come on you, let's get back before mommy wakes up." And with that, he led her out of the tree house and back to the cabin, ready to delve into packing for their return to Stars Hollow, back to reality.

As they were about to leave later in the day, Luke sent Lorelai and Rory off to get into the truck, while he stood staring at the cabin that he had so many memories of. The good, the bad and in-between, they had all stuck with him. He sighed quietly as he surveyed the secluded area, glad that he had gotten through a weekend here without any major breakdowns; he guessed that Lorelai and Rory were the reason for that, just their presence there had helped. He'd have to thank them later.

He uttered a quick 'goodbye' before taking one more glance at it and climbing into his truck, promising himself that they'd all go back there again sometime.

**So what did you think? I hope it was worth the wait :D**

**Please leave a review if you have the time. Also, has the second season of Parenthood ended now? There wasn't a new episode on the website I watch it on, so it just made me wonder. If it has finished now, could you let me know when the new series is going to start? Thank you!**

**I'll post the next chapter within the next couple of days.**

**Emily.**


	63. Happy Anniversary

**I kept my promise and I have updated within a few days! I went to work today...only to find out it's my day off (lol), it's not the first time I've done it either :P **

**Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you all liked the cabin chapter. I hope you like this one just as much :D **

Luke woke up on the last Thursday of August and pulled himself out of bed, exiting the potting shed and strolling over to the edge of the lake. He sat down on a grass verge and breathed in the fresh, summer morning air. It was August twenty eighth, a day of the year that would always stand out to him, and one memory that he would never forget.

Exactly a year ago to the day, a crazy, beautiful brunette entered his diner for the first time and turned his life around.

Before her presence in his life, he was grumpy and bitter, but most of all he was lonely. So when the coffee deprived female began to chase him around the diner like a mad woman, he noticed her immediately, and he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

So he asked her out, and they made plans for their first date. But of course there was an obstacle in the form of Luke's nephew, and the two ended up taking care of two babies for the evening. So they rescheduled, and Luke took her to a carnival in Woodbridge which she enjoyed immensely.

He let his thoughts drift off, recalling all the memories he had of his and Lorelai's time together within the last year. There were painful ones, a lot of painful ones. Like when Christopher took Rory without saying where he was going, and Rory getting hypothermia because of his carelessness. Then there was the restraining order, the custody battle, Lorelai's pregnancy scare, their week apart from each other, Rachel's return which led to the diner being burned down. So many things had happened between them that had caused them both pain.

But there were also happy, amazing things he could remember. Like Rory's first word and first steps, their trip to Martha's Vineyard, Rory's first birthday, receiving the letter informing him that he was Rory's legal father, the girls being there with him on the anniversary of his dad's death, their first Christmas together, moving into the potting shed, his and Lorelai's weekend in New York, potty training Rory, the fourth of July and of course, their recent trip to the cabin.

There were so many memories; it had been an eventful twelve months for them. But with everything they had gone through, they had made it out the other end, and they were the strongest they had ever been. Luke was very grateful for that, and he wouldn't trade his day to day life in for anything.

He stood up with a smile on his face, running over the plans for the coming evening in his head. He was going to make this night as memorable as it was three hundred and sixty five days ago.

XXXX

Lorelai rushed around the potting shed in a hurry; she had overslept and only had twenty minutes in which to get herself and Rory ready. She hadn't even woken up when Luke left for the diner earlier, and as a result her body clock had switched itself off.

"Rory get your shoes," she called. The girl was still pottering around in her bedroom, oblivious to Lorelai's lateness. Rory came out holding her favourite pair of sandals and handed them to her mother before plopping down on the floor with her feet sticking up in the air. Lorelai chuckled. "You're such a lady," she said amusedly as she slipped them on and fastened them up. "Right, time to go," she announced, opening the front door and watching Rory run around in the neatly trimmed grass.

She made it up to the inn just in time, and rushed into the lobby to clock on for her shift. After she'd swiped her card to show she was there, she started to head to the cleaning cupboard with Rory following close behind.

"Mama, hugry," she whined, dragging her feet along the carpet. Lorelai sighed and changed the direction of her path, heading towards the kitchen instead.

"You'll have to stay with Aunt Sookie while you eat breakfast," she told her as she pushed the door open. As soon as Rory spotted her favourite chef, she skipped towards her.

"Sookie!" she exclaimed, continuing towards her. The chef was holding a knife and unconsciously threw it up in the air as she swung around to the familiar little voice. Lorelai gasped, thinking up worst case scenarios for the journey of the knife, and as she was about to make a grab for Rory, one of the kitchen staff was already on it, catching the knife safely by the handle before it did any damage.

"Hey kitten," she squealed excitedly, reaching her arms forward to the toddler running towards her. Rory jumped into them and giggled when Sookie nuzzled her cheek. "What can I do for you?"

"Breakfast," replied Rory, looking down at the eggs that were frying in the pan next to them.

"Sure I'll make you some breakfast," she told her. "What do you want me to make you?"

"Those," she said, pointing to the eggs.

"You got it," she agreed. "Now sit on here and don't move." She placed Rory on a stool and went back over to the bread she was cutting up before Rory entered. "Where's my bread knife?" she asked as she looked around for it. "Lorelai do you want anything for breakfast?"

"No I'm good thanks," she replied, just getting over the shock of the possible ramifications of Sookie's knife-throwing. "I have to get to work anyway, I'm late." Sookie nodded.

"I'll watch Rory for a little while; I'll send her to Mia when she's finished."

"Thanks Sook, be careful," she warned as she began to back towards the door. She noticed a bowl of croissants sitting there waiting to be eaten, so she snatched one from the top of the pile and walked out of the door.

"Lorelai!" called Mia when she saw the girl enter the lobby. Lorelai approached her and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry I'm late," she said sincerely.

"That's ok, it's a special occasion after all." Lorelai looked at her quizzically. "Did you two lovebirds get carried away this morning?" she asked teasingly. Lorelai shook her head to clear it, wondering if there was something she was missing here.

"I'm sorry, is there something going on here that I don't know about?" she asked. Mia looked at her for a moment, suddenly realising that Lorelai hadn't remembered what the day was.

"It's August twenty eighth," said Mia, by way of explanation. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Uh...it means that it's the day after August twenty seventh," she replied, showing Mia that she had no idea what she was going on about. Mia sighed, how could Lorelai forget such a significant day in both their lives?

"No dear," she said softly. "Remember a couple of weeks after you moved here, I sent you out for the day with Rory so the two of you could have some time together?" she asked. Lorelai nodded in remembrance.

"Yeah we went to the park in Hartford," she said knowingly. "I used to go there when I was a kid and I wanted to show it to Rory."

"Right, and when you got back, Rory was sleeping so I told you to take some time to yourself," she tried to rehash her memory. "And where did you go?"

"To the diner," she answered immediately.

"Exactly, and somewhere in your memory, do you remember what date that all happened on?" Lorelai looked to the ceiling as she counted up the dates in her head.

"Probably somewhere in late August...OH MY GOD!" she shrieked, a hand flying to her mouth. "I met Luke a year ago today...I forgot our anniversary!" she said in horror. Mia had to chuckle a little at her realisation.

"Well done, dear," she praised, patting the top of Lorelai's hand gently.

"But...oh Luke's gonna be really upset that I forgot," she said worriedly. "Or mad, mad's a better word for it." Mia smiled down at the worried young woman in front of her.

"He won't be mad," she assured her. "There's been a lot going on this past year, he won't be bothered that it slipped your mind." Lorelai nodded, still unconvinced by Mia's soothing words.

"Oh my god I need to get him a gift," she said, beginning to worry again. "What the hell can I get him on such short notice?" She was beginning to internally panic, and she wasn't quite sure what she was going to do.

"Relax sweetheart," said Mia gently. "Lucas has been through a lot this year too, he might not even remember it himself." Lorelai thought this over for a second, before shaking her head.

"No, Luke will have remembered," she said surely. "I mean, this is Luke we're talking about here."

"Don't be so sure, just wait and see what happens when you get home tonight," she told her. Lorelai nodded and began to walk out of the lobby. "Oh and Lorelai?" she asked, stopping her in her tracks.

"Hmm?"

"Buy a card, just in case." She nodded again, made a mental note, then scurried off to work, half an hour after she should have started.

XXXX

Lunchtime rolled around, and Lorelai resorted to the inn's kitchen to vent to her reliable best friend.

"I can't believe I forgot out anniversary, Sook," she said sadly. "I suck."

"You don't suck," she assured her friend. "It happens."

"Yeah, and it's usually the men that forget, then we hold it against them to make them do stuff for us." She looked up at Sookie with a sad smile. "Dirty," she added.

"That's true," she said thoughtfully.

"Exactly, and now I'm the one in the wrong, so Luke's gonna hold it against me till next year."

"He wouldn't do that," she told her. "And anyway, how do you know that he's even remembered?"

"This is Luke, he remembers everything," she replied.

"But with everything that's happened, it might have slipped his mind, like it did with you." Lorelai thought about it.

"I don't know..."

"Well, did he wake you up this morning before he went to the diner to wish you a happy anniversary and give you a bouquet of yellow daisies?" she asked. Lorelai furrowed her brows, she wouldn't be in this situation if he had have done.

"No," she answered.

"Did he leave a note on your nightstand with those words written on it and a single red rose lying next to it?" she asked. Lorelai hesitated before answering this time.

"No," she replied.

"Did he leave any kind of evidence to say that he's remembered this day and has something special planned for the two of you?"

"No," she said in a whining tone. "Do you think that means he forgot too?"

"All signs are pointing to yes." Lorelai sighed heavily before narrowing her eyes.

"I can't believe he forgot our anniversary!" she said in astonishment. "I mean, that is just a typical guy thing to do..." Sookie cut her off.

"Honey, you forgot too remember, so button it." Lorelai lowered her eyes to the counter in front of her, then looked down at Rory who had been sipping from a juice box contentedly.

"It seems so unlike Luke to forget," she said thoughtfully, before standing up and lifting Rory onto her hip. "Do you really think he forgot?" She just couldn't make her mind up.

"Why don't you go to the diner and find out?"

"Nah," Lorelai brushed off. "I'll just see him at home after work." Sookie shrugged.

"Alright, have it your way."

"Oh, I will," she assured her, before breezing out of the kitchen to get back to work.

XXXX

It had been a long day for Lorelai; a kid had thrown up in one of the rooms and she was the only one around to clean it up, plus Rory had gotten carried away and forgot to tell her mother that she needed the bathroom, so that resulted in an accident. Add both those things to the worry over the whole anniversary debacle and she'd had the day from hell.

All she wanted to do was go home and put her feet up on the couch, but she knew she had to address the situation. She just hoped that Luke was still at the diner when she got in.

"Mama?" asked Rory, having noticed how distracted her mother seemed to be.

"Yeah, babe?"

"What wrong?" she asked tentatively. Lorelai smiled down at her little girl as she gripped her hand tightly.

"Nothing you need to worry about, sweets," she replied. "Just mommy and daddy stuff." Rory looked down at the floor for a moment, considering the answer she had been given.

"You sad?" she asked.

"No, of course not," she assured her, smiling brightly to prove her point. "I'm probably worrying over nothing." Rory seemed satisfied with that answer, and the two continued their short walk home.

Lorelai opened the door for Rory when they got there, and let her run in ahead of her.

"Daddy!" exclaimed Rory as she crashed into his legs and wrapped her arms around them. Luke chuckled and patted her head with his free hand, before looking up to see Lorelai watching them curiously.

She noticed the bunch of flowers he was holding; yellow daisies, she noted. They were her favourite and she didn't even think he knew that. All signs so far were pointing to him remembering and planning something special for the two of them, but a little part of her was still hoping that they were both in the wrong.

"Hey," he said first, noticing she looked a little distracted.

"Hi," she replied, walking up to him and leaving a kiss on his lips. She pulled away and eyed the flowers nervously.

"Oh, these are for you," he said. "Happy anniversary."

"Thanks," she said with a smile while taking the bouquet from him. She put her nose to them and inhaled the sweet smell, bringing an even wider smile to her lips. "They're beautiful, no one's ever gotten me flowers before," she murmured.

"Well I've never bought flowers for anyone before," he admitted shyly.

"Aw I took your flower virginity," she cooed, giggling slightly before leaning in and giving him a considerably longer kiss than the last one. "I love them, daisies are my favourite," she said as she pulled away.

"Good, I'm glad." He brushed a lock of hair out of her face and smiled down at her.

"Oh I got you this," she said, scrounging through her purse for the card she had purchased on her lunch break. She'd spent a good twenty minutes thinking of something meaningful and heartfelt to write, but in the end finished up writing 'I love you'. Those words alone meant enough. She gave him the envelope and watched him open it, before he read through the small amount of text.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "I love you too."

"Happy anniversary," she said before giving him yet another kiss. She was glad that she had managed to dodge the whole 'I forgot our anniversary' bullet, that was one she didn't wanna get shot down by.

"So I booked us a table at Sniffy's tonight," he told her. "I thought I should plan something special."

"What about Rory?" she asked.

"All taken care of," he told her. "I've packed her stuff and your parents will be round in about ten minutes to pick her up." Lorelai was shocked; he had really planned this.

"Wow, you've sorted everything out haven't you?" she asked. Luke nodded sheepishly, not wanting to admit that he did have an extremely romantic side to him.

"It is a special occasion," he pointed out while shrugging his shoulders. That just made Lorelai feel worse for forgetting about it. What would she forget next; Christmas?

XXXX

A couple of hours later, Lorelai was finally ready. She had been primping in the bathroom for the last forty five minutes, and Luke was beginning to wonder if she would ever be ready.

"Ok, I'm ready," she called from behind the closed door. Luke stood up from the couch and turned to look towards the bathroom, glad that she had finally finished.

"About time," he replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The bathroom door opened slowly and Lorelai appeared looking absolutely stunning. "Wow," he breathed, almost speechless at the mere sight of her.

"You like?" she asked coyly as she twirled around. Her purple dress swung around with her, revealing more of her legs as it rode up.

"I love," he told her as he stepped closer to her and planted his hands firmly on her hips. "That dress is really working for ya." Lorelai grinned.

"Are you flirting with me?" she asked in mock surprise, grasping his triceps.

"You bet I am," he replied before leaning down and giving her a soft kiss. It started off gentle but quickly escalated and soon their hands were wandering all over the place. Lorelai pulled away breathlessly, finding it hard to regulate her breathing.

"So did you have something special in mind tonight, or would you rather stay here?" she asked as she ran her fingers down his chest teasingly. Luke sighed; as much as he wanted to stay and carry on what they were doing, he had reserved a table at Sniffy's and Buddy and Maisy were expecting them.

"We should go out," he said logically. "We can carry this on when we get back."

"You sure?" she asked. To be honest, all she wanted to do was rip his clothes off him and have him right there.

"Yeah, Bud and Maisy are expecting us anyway," he shrugged.

"Ooh Sniffy's!" she exclaimed; she loved going there. "Come to think of it, I'm starved."

"That doesn't surprise me," he said as he slipped her black cardigan over her shoulders then opened the door for her. "I just thought, you know, we haven't seen them in a while and it might be nice to visit them, especially on our anniversary." Lorelai smiled softly as she linked her arm through his and they began to walk towards the truck.

"You can be such a softy sometimes," she sighed, knowing that she wouldn't have him any other way.

XXXX

"Lucas, Lorelai!" exclaimed Maisy when the couple entered the tavern. It had been a good couple of months since they had last been.

"Hey Maisy," replied Luke with a smile, opening his arms for a hug. The elder woman gladly accepted the gesture and squeezed him tightly, before pulling away and looking towards Lorelai.

"Ah you're still around," she sighed happily. "So Lucas hasn't driven you away yet." Lorelai grinned.

"Not yet," she answered, squeezing Luke's lower arm. "Maybe next year." Luke smirked down at her while Maisy watched the exchange, extremely happy for the two of them, Luke especially.

"Well I saved ya a little table right here in the corner," she said as she began to lead them over to it. "It's nice and private, so you can be as sappy as you want without anyone watching you." She stopped by the table and watched as they took their seats in the booth. "No funny business though, this is a family place." Luke rolled his eyes and a small patch of red tinted his cheeks.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can control ourselves," replied Lorelai teasingly. She was taunting Luke cause she knew he was already embarrassed. "Now is there food tonight? I'm starved."

"There sure is, Buddy made something special for the two of you," she told them. "I'll go get him actually." She swung around and disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing a moment later with her husband in tow.

"Here they are!" he announced as he went up to them. "Lucas, good to see you," he said, shaking Luke's hand and patting him on the back.

"Yeah, you too Bud," he answered, a little annoyed by all the attention they were receiving. This was his and Lorelai's anniversary; he wanted them to have some privacy.

"Lorelai," he said in a softer tone. He reached for her hand and left a gentle kiss on the back of it, causing Lorelai to blush slightly.

"Hey, hey, hey," said Maisy, batting his hand away from Lorelai's. "How come I never get attention like that, huh? Mr Romantic only comes out for other people."

"Come on, Maize," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist from the side and leaning towards her to kiss her cheek. She pushed him away though.

"Get off me you loon," she complained. Luke and Lorelai were chuckling at the two of them; they made a great couple.

"I'm really feeling the love, sweetheart," he said, putting a hand over his heart. He patted her on the shoulder before turning to Luke. "So Lucas, how's the diner coming along?"

"Pretty good," he said with a nod. "It should hopefully be finished in a couple of months."

"That's wonderful," exclaimed Maisy. They had been expecting it to take a hell of a lot longer than that.

"He's been working really hard on it," Lorelai informed them. "He works too much if you ask me."

"Now don't you go overworking yourself there, Lucas," warned Buddy, gaining an eye roll from Luke. "You've got two lovely ladies to take care of." Realisation suddenly hit Buddy and he took a quick glance around the restaurant. "Where's the other lovely lady?" he questioned.

"I told you it's their anniversary," said Maisy under her breath. "They're not gonna bring the kiddie with them are they?" Lorelai smiled.

"She's staying at my parent's tonight," she told them. Buddy nodded, he seemed a bit disappointed, he did love Rory very much after all.

"Ooh food," he said, remembering that he'd left their meal in the oven. He dashed for the kitchen, with the other three watching him depart.

"That man's a hazard," said Maisy, turning back to the couple. "Have a nice evening, I'll get the waiter to bring you two some champagne." With that she turned to walk away.

"Beer," corrected Luke. They always got served alcohol at Sniffy's, simply because they knew the owners.

"It's your anniversary, you're drinking champagne," she called over her shoulder as she retreated to the kitchen. Luke shook his head then looked over at Lorelai, shuffling a little closer to her on the seat so he was practically next to her.

"I love it here," sighed Lorelai. "You've planned things good so far, Mr Danes." Luke smiled.

"There's more to come yet," he told her.

"Ooh intrigue." She reached for his hand across the table, just as the waiter brought a bottle of champagne over in an ice bucket. Luke thanked him then took the glasses, filling each of them up with his hand still entwined with Lorelai's. "Thank you," she said as she accepted the glass from him and held it up in the air to toast with him.

"To a year," he said. "Let it be the first of many." Lorelai smiled shyly, blushing slightly as she clunked her glass against his and muttered a quick 'cheers'. She took a generous sip of champagne before setting the glass on the table and squeezing Luke's hand.

"I can't believe it's been a year," she murmured. "I mean, in a way it feels like a lot longer, cause of all the stuff that's happened, but at the same time I feel like it's passed us by so quickly."

"I know what you mean," he assured her as he began to stroke his thumb over the back of his hand.

"Hey, remember our trip to Martha's Vineyard, and we were a little careless about the protection?" she asked. Luke nodded, remembering it well. "Well we went in the middle of November, right?"

"Yeah, around then," he confirmed.

"And it's late August now, so if I had have been pregnant after that, we'd have a newborn right now." The thought made her feel weird, here they were celebrating their first anniversary, but if that test had have come out positive, she'd be at home nursing right now.

"Yeah, crazy huh?" he asked, just seeming to catch up with the conversation. He couldn't imagine himself having a newborn son or daughter, he wouldn't have the first clue what to do with him or her.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Can you imagine how different the last nine months would have been if I had been pregnant?" Luke didn't really want to be having this conversation; it was bordering on awkward for him.

"Well you wouldn't have been sunbathing on the boat in that bikini a couple of weeks ago," he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Lorelai looked down at the table, before smiling up at her boyfriend of a year.

"I'm glad with the way things turned out though, except for maybe the diner, but even that brought us closer in the end," she said thoughtfully. Luke nodded, giving her hand a little squeeze. "Plus, my body wouldn't look this good right now if I had had a kid." He chuckled slightly, thinking of a subject change he could revert to.

"Do you remember the first day we met?" he asked, it was a bit of an abrupt change, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Of course," she said with a smile. "Mia sent me out by myself for a few hours, so I dropped by the diner for coffee." Luke nodded, remembering the day well in his head.

"And you came in and started chasing me round, begging for coffee," he chuckled. "You were really annoying, you know that?" Lorelai giggled.

"Well you weren't so great yourself, I mean, what kind of diner owner tells their customers to 'shut up'?"

"My kind," he muttered. "And I only use that phrase on annoying women prattling on about caffeine withdrawal." Lorelai scowled at him, but a bright smile soon took over. "Hey, do you remember what we talked about that day?" he asked.

"Um...I have a feeling it was something like...me pouring my heart out to you over my situation and you ending up comforting the crazy coffee lady."

"It pretty much went that way after the whole coffee debate," he confirmed. "Do you remember how you got me to give you coffee in the end?"

"Is there a dirty I can put in somewhere here?" she asked hopefully. Luke just gave her a stern look, and she shook her head to show that she didn't remember.

"Well you were chasing me round, I was telling you to shut up, but you wouldn't listen to me. Then you start asking me when my birthday was, and I'm standing there thinking, what the hell is she babbling on about now?" Lorelai giggled again. "I give in and tell you my birthday, so you go off and start writing in the newspaper, then give me this little piece of paper with my horoscope on it."

He stopped to take a breath, noticing that she seemed to be smiling as she remembered the events of that day. "You'd crossed out the original horoscope and written, 'You will meet an annoying woman today, give her coffee and she'll go away.'"

"Did you give her coffee?" she asked with a grin.

"Yup."

"Did she go away?"

"Nope, and I wouldn't have had it any other way," he said softly as he began to lean towards her. She followed suit, and their lips met hesitantly. They were brought out of their stupors by Buddy, who had arrived with their meals.

"Ok, we've got roasted lamb with a mint glaze and roasted vegetables on the side," announced Buddy as he set the plates in front of them. Lorelai's eyes lit up when she saw the mouth-watering food in front of her. The couple began to dig in, talking as they ate, both unable to keep their eyes off one another.

"That was delicious," said Lorelai as she polished off the last few carrots on her plate. Luke watched in amazement as she ate every single vegetable on her plate.

"Wow, you ate all your veggies," he teased, gesturing to her empty plate.

"They were good veggies," she told him as she began to wipe her mouth with her napkin. Luke reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, as Lorelai watched him curiously. "We leaving already?" she asked. "We haven't even had dessert yet."

"You know that horoscope I told you about before dinner?" he asked her, pulling out a small scrap of paper from his wallet.

"No way," she murmured, taking it from his outstretched hand. "You kept this? You kept this in your wallet?" She couldn't quite believe it.

"It's been in there a whole year," he confirmed. Lorelai's mouth dropped open momentarily as she looked over her own handwriting.

"You know, I'll say anything for a cup of coffee," she chuckled.

"Yeah, I learned that the hard way," he said. She held the scrap of paper out to him, gesturing for him to take it from her.

"Here, put it back in there," she told him. "It might bring you luck."

"It already did," he simply said, just as their dessert was arriving. Maisy was delivering it this time, and she smiled down at the two.

"You kids having fun?" she asked, setting the tray platter on the table.

"Absolutely," replied Lorelai as she looked over the dessert. There was a variety of fruit in separate bowls, with a bowl of hot chocolate dipping sauce in the middle. "This looks delicious," she said, eyeing the chocolate sauce longingly.

"It's the only dessert I could think of that Lucas would eat," she joked, trying to ruffle his hair but he batted her hand away. "You're just like Buddy, you grump." She looked over at Lorelai. "There're extra strawberries, I hear they're a very effective aphrodisiac," she winked. Lorelai grinned coyly in return, while Luke closed his eyes tightly as a blush crept into his cheeks. When he opened them, Maisy was gone and it was just he and Lorelai again.

"Strawberry?" she asked, holding a wedge out to him. "I hear they're a very effective aphrodisiac," she said teasingly. Luke narrowed his eyes at her, before surveying the area around them cautiously. When he was sure there was nobody watching them, he leaned forward and took the berry into his mouth, nipping her fingers with his teeth as he did. She smiled, already getting a little turned on by the scene they were playing out.

"Melon?" he asked after dipping it in the chocolate sauce, holding it out the same way she did. She leaned forward a bit more than he did though, and took his fingers into her mouth, sucking and licking them to make sure she'd got all the sauce. "Keep that up and we're leaving," he warned her in a low voice.

"Fine by me," she whispered. Luke was gonna just stand up right then and drag her to his truck, but he knew that Maisy had put this fruit fondue together especially for them and he'd feel bad if they didn't eat it.

"Have a bit more first," he suggested. "We've gotta make it look like we actually ate something." Lorelai picked up another piece of strawberry and dunked it in the chocolate sauce, before holding it out to him. "Over my dead body," he said immediately.

"Oh come on Luke," she whined. "It's delicious."

"I already ate red meat tonight; I'm not intoxicating my body anymore thank you very much." Lorelai pouted as she popped the chocolate covered berry into her mouth.

"You're no fun."

"I'll be fun later on tonight," he said, raising one eyebrow. Lorelai smiled wryly.

"Really?" she asked with intrigue. "Tell me more."

"Tonight," he whispered into her ear before picking up a slice of apple and dipping it in the sauce. "For now you'll have to do with just the finger licking." Lorelai smiled as she did just that.

"I think I can deal with that," she said thoughtfully after she'd swallowed the apple. She started moving her foot around under the table, inching his pant leg up with it and teasing his bare calf. Luke narrowed his eyes at her, but she just shrugged her shoulders. Luke shuffled closer to her, thinking that two can play at that game.

He moved his hand over to rest on her knee, slowly moving it further up her thigh until he reached the edge of her panties. She gasped quietly and swung her head round to look at him, surprised by the casual expression on his face.

"Luke," she hissed, although it sounded more like a moan to him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Stop it," she scolded him. He smiled and withdrew his hand. "You should at least play fair."

"Hey, you started this thing, I was just following through." She eyed him for a moment, before casting her gaze down to the fruit platter.

"Thing we can get this to go?" she asked quickly.

"I think that'd be a pretty good idea." And with that they were on their feet.

XXXX

After three rounds of passionate love making, they finally settled into the sheets and snuggled up together, both spent from their hour and a half long activities.

"I love anniversary sex," murmured Lorelai breathlessly as she rested her head on his chest.

"I'll second that," he replied. They managed to catch their breath and Lorelai moved into a sitting position, slipping on the flannel shirt that she kept by her bed. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm hungry," she complained. "We skipped dessert remember?" She picked up the platter from the coffee table and unwrapped it, before bringing back to their bed. She plonked down next to him and took a piece of melon between her fingers, placing it on his chest.

"What are you doing?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Makin' a snack," she replied as she continued to place fruit along his torso. When a small grape dipped into his belly button, he drew the line.

"I think there's enough there, don't you?" he asked, not sure what was gonna happen next.

"I don't think you quite realise how hungry I am," she told him as she stood up and headed over to the kitchen cupboards.

"What are you doing now?" he asked incredulously. She just couldn't sit still.

"It's missing the key ingredient," she said as she opened the fridge and pulled out a can of whipped cream. Luke began to shake his head; Maisy was right about those strawberries, he thought.

"Oh no," he protested. "You're not squirting that stuff on me."

"Dirty," she said coyly, positioning herself on the bed again. "Anyway, who said I was putting it on you?" She took the lid off and held the nozzle just inside her mouth, squirting out a generous helping.

"You disgust me." She moved over and straddled his hips, smiling down at him seductively.

"You weren't saying that a half an hour ago," she reminded him as she squirted some cream into his belly button.

"Lorelai!" he exclaimed, trying to sit up and look at what she had done to him. She pushed him back down to the bed forcefully and giggled.

"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you." He gave her an evil look as he lay back on the bed wondering what the hell her next move would be. She leaned down and began licking the cream out of his navel, sucking up the grape that had resided there with it. Luke watched as she chewed the piece of fruit carefully; he couldn't complain, she was eating fruit after all. "Enjoying this?"

"Hmm," he replied, unable to form words anymore. She had no idea how she was affecting him. Lorelai smiled against his stomach then moved a little further down, causing Luke to gasp when the cold whipped cream came into contact with a particularly sensitive body part.

Yes, their first anniversary was definitely one to remember, and they had many, many more to come.

**This was bordering on M material, so I stopped before I got carried away :P I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it was fun! Hope the next one will be as great to write. **

**Please review!**

**Emily.**


	64. Lorelai Blues

**Hi readers (if you're still here!).**

**I know it's been ages since my last update, I'm really sorry! I've had really bad writers block and I wrote the first half of this chapter about a week after I last updated but I couldn't think of anything else to add to it. I finally kicked my brain into gear and finished it off though, and hopefully I will update a bit quicker next time. **

**Thanks for the reviews in the last chapter; I hope you're all still reading and willing to leave a comment. Also thank you to the people who sent me messages asking where I was, everything's fine so don't worry. **

**This isn't my best, but I hope it will tide you over till next time. Enjoy :D**

As lunch rolled around for Lorelai, she packed up her cart of cleaning supplies and headed into town, Rory in tow. Her destination was the diner, as she wanted to see how things were coming along. Luke had told her about it; he'd talked her ear off about the fixtures for the counter, the layout of the kitchen and the colour of the doorframes. But through all the descriptions, she hadn't actually seen the place and she wanted to know what it looked like.

She and Rory walked down the stretch of sidewalk towards the building. Rory looked up at her mother confusedly, probably wondering where they were going seeing as they hadn't stepped foot in the diner since it closed. Lorelai was pretty sure Rory didn't even remember the diner.

"Shoes!" exclaimed Rory, stopping Lorelai in her fast tracks.

"What's up hon?" she asked. She was eager to get to the diner and see Luke.

"Shoes," she repeated, pointing down to her sneakers. The lace was undone and was trailing along the concrete next to them. Lorelai sighed and crouched down to fasten it back up.

"Soon you'll be able to tie up your own shoes," she said softly, placing her hands on Rory's hips and hoisting her up as she straightened. She knew Luke would freak if he saw Rory running around the unfinished diner. The girls carried on down the sidewalk and stopped at the bottom of the steps outside Luke's. "Ready to go look, sweets?"

Rory simply nodded and pointed to the door. Lorelai pushed it open and stepped inside, immediately calling for Luke who appeared from the kitchen within seconds.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked, obviously worrying that something was going to happen to the two of them.

"We wanted to see how you were getting on," she told him, leaning in for a kiss. Luke took Rory from her and held her in the air, making her giggle.

"Have you had lunch?" he asked his daughter.

"No," replied Rory, shaking her head insistently.

"Are you hungry then?" She nodded eagerly and Luke chuckled, before directing his attention towards Lorelai. "How about I show you around the place then we can head out for lunch?"

"Sure," she replied with a bright smile. She glanced around the diner and her smile widened at the progress Luke had made. "You've done a really great job here, babe," she complimented him, nodding in approval.

"It's not over yet," he told her.

"I know, but it already looks like it used to do before," she said in amazement. "You should be proud of yourself."

"I guess I am," he admitted gruffly. He was never good with flattery. "So it's nearly time for painting," he informed her, knowing she would get excited by the prospect

"Really?" she asked, the excitement creeping into her voice just at the mention of paint. "Can I help? You said I could remember?"

"Of course you can help, that's what I need you the most for," he chuckled. Lorelai shuffled in closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, Luke did the same with the arm that wasn't holding Rory up.

"I can't wait for it to be finished," she sighed happily. "Things can go back to the way they used to be then."

"How do you mean?" he asked.

"Well I can come in the diner for breakfast and beg you for coffee, just like I did before this happened." She gestured around the refurbished diner. Luke chuckled.

"You know, I actually miss your coffee rants," he said. "I must be insane." Lorelai giggled and leaned in to kiss him again.

"Must be," she muttered before her lips met his. Rory scrunched her nose up and patted both her parents' faces, causing them to pull away and look at her. "What's up with you?" Lorelai asked as she nuzzled her nose against her daughter's.

"No kiss," she answered while shaking her head. Luke chuckled at her and ruffled her hair.

"Sorry kid, we tell you what to do, not the other way around." Rory pouted when Luke leaned forward to kiss Lorelai again, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Want me to show you upstairs?" he asked as they pulled away from each other. Lorelai winked coyly.

"We can't do that with Rory here," she mock-gasped, resting her hands on his chest. Luke rolled his eyes and took one of her hands, beginning to lead her towards the staircase that was once hidden behind a curtain.

"I meant we should just look," he told her, knowing that she was just trying to wind him up anyway.

"Oh, so you've been working up here too?" she asked as they ascended the stairs. Luke nodded and led her onto the small landing. There was no door to his apartment anymore, so she could see in partially, noting that it looked a lot cleaner than it had done previously. He took them into the room and Lorelai was shocked at the sight of it.

It had been completely cleared out; everything was gone. Even the walls had been stripped and there was no sign that there had ever been a fire up here.

"I cleared it all," he told her. "All it needs is a lick of paint and some new furniture, then I can move back up here." Lorelai's eyes widened momentarily at that admission.

"You...you're moving back in here?" she asked, trying to sound normal but not wanting it to be true.

"Well...yeah," he shrugged. "It's so cramped with three of us in that little shed, and it was only temporary to start with, right?" Lorelai hesitated before answering.

"Right," she agreed. "I guess it'll just be weird, you living someplace else." Luke nodded and looked down at Rory. He was kinda hoping she'd protest and ask him to stay with her, or suggest that they move into the apartment together. He knew it'd be even more cramped in there than it would be in their current location.

"So, do you wanna go for lunch now?" he asked. Lorelai nodded and he turned around, beginning to walk out of the doorway. Lorelai stopped and stared around the empty room. In all honesty, she didn't want Luke to move back in here, she wanted him to stay with her and Rory. They had set up a good life together, they had a suitable routine and she thoroughly enjoyed sleeping next to him every night. She didn't want to have to sleep alone again.

She looked down at the spot where the couch used to be, and remembered Rory taking her first steps just in front of it. Then she remembered her first word, which was spoken downstairs in the diner. So many memories were tucked away in this building, and she was grateful to Luke for renovating the place so those memories could live on.

Lorelai?" the man in question called from the bottom of the staircase. Lorelai was snapped out of her stupor and swung around, hurrying down the stairs to catch up with Luke.

XXXX

After lunch, Lorelai headed back to the inn to carry on with her work. She threw open the front door and let Rory rush past her, before trudging through the lobby towards the stairs.

"Hello Lorelai," greeted Mia. She noticed the long face on her youngest maid and immediately knew something was bothering her. Her suspicions were confirmed when Lorelai didn't even so much as smile in acknowledgement, so she rounded the desk and grabbed the young girl by the arm. "Lorelai, is there something wrong?" she asked concernedly. Lorelai turned around in surprise and looked straight at Mia, shaking her head no.

"Everything's fine," she brushed off. She tried to disentangle her arm from Mia's grasp but the woman had too tight a hold on it and she struggled to break free.

"I don't think it is," she replied, beginning to pull Lorelai in the direction of her office.

"What...what are you doing?" she asked incredulously. "I told you everything's ok."

"I know that look Lorelai," she told her softly. "It shows that something's definitely bothering you, and I intend to find out what it is." Lorelai sighed and looked behind her, noticing that Rory wasn't following them.

"We left Rory behind," she said worriedly, trying to think of a way to stall this conversation.

"Then I'll go get her," Mia said simply. "You take a seat." Lorelai slumped her shoulders and fell back onto the comfy sofa in Mia's office. The elder woman returned a minute later with Rory trailing behind her. She gave her something to play with then took a seat next to Lorelai, resting her hand on her knee lovingly. "Now, talk to me."

"It's really not that big of a deal," she sighed. Mia shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, tell me anyway," she said. "You know I'm a good listener." Lorelai nodded before taking a deep breath.

"Luke wants to move back into his apartment," she said in a rush, fearing that if she said them too clearly, they might somehow come true.

"Ah, right," she said. "And this is bothering you?"

"Yeah, I mean, we've only been together a year, I know," she began. "But so much has happened that I feel like it's been a lot longer longer and with Luke being linked to Rory; I kinda thought we'd move a bit faster for her sake..."

"So you don't want him to move out of the potting shed?" Lorelai shook her head. "So tell him that."

"What if he freaks out?" she asked. "I might be moving too fast for him."

"Lorelai, dear, the boy adopted your daughter after just three months of knowing the both of you, he bought you a diamond necklace after knowing you for four months, and he agreed to move in with you after five when his home went up in flames. It's been almost thirteen months now; I think he'll be fine with it." Lorelai contemplated this for a moment or two.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course sweetheart, I think if Rory wasn't involved, the two of you would still be going out twice or three times a week, but that little girl has put her foot right down on the accelerator and sped you right up. It wouldn't surprise me if the two of you got engaged sometime soon."

"Engaged?" she asked, her head shooting up at the word. "Has Luke said something to you about marriage?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," she assured her. "It's just...I can see the two of you getting married, and I'd like to think that it's not too far into the future." Lorelai looked down into her lap.

"So what should I do about the whole living situation?" she asked.

"Talk to him," she answered simply.

"That's it, that's your advice?" she asked incredulously.

"I don't know what else I can say to you," she said. "You have to figure this out on your own; I can't deal with your problems for you."

"Please Mia," she begged. "You usually do." The elder woman sighed.

"Just tell him that you don't want him to move back to the diner," she advised. "Communication is the key to a successful relationship."

"But how do I bring it up?" she asked. "I mean, obviously I have to do it at the right time."

"And only you can figure out when the right time is," she said as she patted her on the shoulder gently.

XXXX

"I'm home," Luke called as he entered the potting shed, immediately shedding his boots.

"Bathroom," replied Lorelai. 'Home,' she thought, that sounded good, it sounded right. Luke made his way over to the bathroom and walked in, surprised to see Lorelai and Rory in a tub full of steaming water and bubbles together.

"What are you both doing in the tub?" he asked, standing with his hands on his hips.

"We needed some pampering, didn't we Ror?"

"Yeah," replied the toddler. She grinned up at Luke before scooping up some bubbles and licking them off her fingers. Luke scrunched his nose up.

"Don't eat the bubbles," he scolded as he kneeled down next to the tub.

"They taste good," said Lorelai drearily. Luke could tell she was relaxed by the way her head rested against the side of the tub. He subconsciously ran his hand through her damp hair and leaned in to leave a light kiss on her cheek.

"What did you guys do after lunch?"

"We went back to the inn," she replied. "Rory hung out with Mia for a while then we came back here and took a bath." Luke narrowed his eyes.

"How long have you been in the tub exactly?" he questioned. Lorelai grinned and patted the back of his hand.

"That's for me to know, Lucas." Luke rolled his eyes and pulled her arm out of the water, admiring her wrinkled hand.

"Your hand is all shrivelled up," he said pointedly. "You've been in there too long."

"No I haven't," she protested, leaning her head against the edge of the tub. "You worry too much." Luke reached for Rory's hand and found that to be wrinkled too.

"Come on, Rory, let's get you dried off." He lifted the girl out of the water, causing her to kick her legs in protest.

"Noooo," she whined, trying to lean down towards the water again. Luke ignored her and proceeded to wrap her in a towel.

"What do you say we order some food and watch a movie?" he asked the toddler, gaining a toothy smile from her. "Ok, come on." He began to walk out of the bathroom with Rory in his arms.

"Hey," said Lorelai. "I wanna watch a movie and order takeout!" Luke turned back to look at her, she was still sitting in the full tub of water.

"You'd better get out of the tub and choose what you want then, hadn't you?" She scowled at him as he turned away again and walked the rest of the way out of the bathroom, leaving Lorelai to get dressed.

She walked out of the bathroom dressed in sweats ten minutes later to find Luke looking over some menus and Rory sitting on the couch watching the news. Lorelai shook her head at her daughter's unbelievable level of intelligence for her age, then went to see what Luke was looking at.

"Which have you decided?" she asked. He looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders, holding out the Chinese menu he had just been looking through.

"Which do you want; Chinese, Al's or pizza?"

"Definitely not Al's," she ruled out. "I'd go for Chinese."

"Chinese it is, any preferences?"

"I'm easy," she answered with a mischievous wink.

While they waited for their food to arrive, the girls opted to choose a movie to watch. They were looking through their small collection of video tapes; they had not really had the funds to build it up yet, and they couldn't decide which one they felt like.

"Which do you think, sweets?" asked Lorelai. Rory narrowed her eyes in thought before pointing to The Wizard of Oz. "Hmm, Luke do you wanna watch this one?" She held the tape up to him and he shrugged his shoulders, not really caring what they watch. "Go put it in then." Rory eagerly took the tape and rushed over to the TV, slotting the tape into the VHS. Luke settled down on the couch next to Lorelai after he'd retrieved the take out and handed her a cardboard container.

"Chicken chow mein," he dictated as she eagerly accepted it.

"Did you get the sweet and sour too?" she asked.

"Why don't you just eat the one I gave you first?" he suggested. Lorelai pouted.

"But that's not how you do Chinese takeout," she protested. "You lay it all out on the coffee table and help yourself to whatever you fancy."

"Just eat," he grunted, holding two chopsticks out to her. She hesitantly took them from him and narrowed her eyes.

"I hope you know you're ruining my system," she pointed out.

"You'll get over it," he shrugged. She pouted again.

"Rory, tell him he's breaking the rules," she whined. The toddler looked round from her place on the floor and switched her focus between the two adults.

"Shh," she hushed. "Movie." And with that she turned back around, leaving Lorelai to shake her head at her in disbelief.

"See, even Rory wants you to shut up," Luke whispered to her as he settled back into the couch cushions. Lorelai hit him with a chopstick then took her attention to the TV, munching on her Chinese as she did. "Hey Ror, I got your egg noodles," he said, holding out the container with a fork stuck in it. He had chopped them up for her so they were only short and she'd be able to eat them.

"Fank you," she said, taking them hurriedly before looking straight back to the TV.

"So I was thinking..." He was cut off by Lorelai.

"No talking during the movie," she reminded him.

"Can I..."

"Ah." She held her finger up and he shut his mouth, figuring that he'd have to wait until the movie ended to ask her what he wanted to.

He sat patiently throughout the length of the film, rolling his eyes when they starting singing, 'We're off to see the Wizard'. When it finally finished, he sighed with relief and turned to Lorelai.

"So," he began, but she had already beaten him to the punch.

"What did you think?" she asked, speaking over him.

"Probably the most annoying thing I've ever seen," he said with a nod. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

"How can you say that? It's a classic!"

"You think every movie is a classic," he said pointedly. "And if I'd have known there'd be singing, I wouldn't have agreed to watch it in the first place."

"Admit it, you enjoyed it."

"Never," he replied while shaking his head. She smiled then looked down at Rory, who was still on the floor in front of the couch.

"She's asleep," she whispered. The girl was still sitting up, but her head had drooped forward and she was drooling shamelessly.

As Lorelai tucked Rory up in her crib, Luke went about tidying up the living room, discarding their empty Chinese containers. He thought about earlier that day when he had told Lorelai he was thinking of moving back into his apartment. She hadn't even seemed bothered about it, and that surprised him. He had been hoping that she'd protest and ask him to stay at the potting shed with them, but she hadn't and he was not looking forward to sleeping alone at all.

"She didn't even stir when I changed her," she said as she came out of Rory's room and closed the door behind her. "Must have been exhausted." Luke simply nodded in reply, thoughts still swimming around in his head. "You ok?" she asked, noticing how quiet and distracted he was.

"Yeah," he answered. "I was wondering if you wanted to go furniture shopping with me tomorrow?" he asked. Lorelai stopped dead in her tracks to the couch and swung round to look at him.

"Furniture shopping?" she asked. Luke nodded. "What do you need furniture for?"

"Well if I'm moving back into my apartment, I'll need a new bed, and a table or something." He knew he needed a lot more than that to move back into the apartment; a couch, new utensils, a fridge, a stove, a waste disposal and all sorts of other things. And he knew that there was no way he could afford all of those things, not until the diner got back up and running.

"Right," she said in realisation; he was talking about the apartment. She really wished he would just stay put with her and Rory, but it seemed like he was fed up of living with her annoying habits and wanted is own space again. "Sure I'll come with you," she agreed, although her heart was screaming for her to tell him how she felt about the matter.

"Good," he said, his remaining hope that she'd tell him to stay with them completely shattered. "How about we go during lunch? Then you won't miss much of work." She nodded in agreement.

"Ok, pick me up at the inn."

XXXX

As promised, Luke parked up in front of the Independence and honked the horn, gaining the attention of Lorelai and Rory who were going back and forth slowly on the porch swing.

"Hey," he greeted her as they settled into the car and Lorelai fastened Rory up. He leaned across and kissed her briefly before looking down at Rory. "Good day so far?" he asked her. She nodded tentatively in reply.

"Hugry," she told him, rubbing her stomach as she said it.

"I thought you would be, we can stop along the way," he allowed. Rory smiled, as did Lorelai, and they set off to the furniture store.

When he pulled into the car park, Lorelai looked up at the large building and immediately knew that this was where she didn't want to be. She didn't want to go into furniture store and choose new furniture for Luke's 'new' apartment. She didn't want to help him choose a bed that he'd be sleeping in without her the majority of the time. She liked the way things were now and she didn't want it to change.

"Here we are," he announced, beginning to unstrap Rory. Lorelai pulled herself out of her thoughts and climbed out of the truck, taking hold of Rory's hand to make sure she didn't stray away in the parking lot.

"What kind of bed are you looking for?" Lorelai asked once they made it inside. She wanted to act as normal as possible, so Luke didn't suspect that there was something on her mind. He was good at that usually.

"Uh, I dunno," he shrugged.

"Well you could have a double, or a king size!" she said excitedly. She actually wouldn't mind sleeping in a king sized bed.

"I think a king size would be too big," he said logically. "My apartment is small remember?" She nodded tentatively before glancing around the store. "How about a twin?" Her whole face dropped at the suggestion. A twin bed spelled commitment-phobe, he had a twin bed before the diner burned down but she'd never commented on it before, mostly because they spent most of their nights at her place in her comfortable queen. "Lorelai?" he asked, wondering why she had gone quiet all of a sudden.

"Huh?" she asked, bringing herself from her thoughts once again.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, why?"

"You just seem quiet today," he shrugged. "It's weird." She broke a smile for his benefit and he took her hand into his. "What do you say we go look at some beds?" he asked coyly.

"I thought that's what we're here for in the first place." He began to lead her towards a selection of beds, which she noticed to be twins. "Um, don't get a twin, ok?" she asked. Luke furrowed his brows.

"Why not?"

"Just..." She paused for a moment. "A twin says there's only room for one person in this bed," she blurted out.

"I had a twin before," he reminded her.

"I know, and I didn't say anything then, but I don't know...I just..." Luke noticed her hesitation and wondered if she was feeling insecure about something.

"I guess I could stretch to a double," he told her, watching as her face lit up a little.

"That's all I ask." Luke wrapped his arm around Lorelai's waist and steered them in the direction of the larger beds.

"There's room for you in my bed," he said as they approached the new area of the store. "And for Rory too." She nodded, knowing that he meant more than what he had said.

"This is more like it," she said as she patted the frame of a leather-look bed. Luke scrunched his nose up at it. "You don't like it?" she asked.

"It's not really me," he dismissed before moving onto the next one.

"Do you like this one, sweets?" she asked Rory. The toddler walked over to the bed and climbed up onto it, getting into a comfortable position.

"Comfy," she said. She laid back and sprawled her little body out on the mattress, sighing at how comfortable she was.

"I wanna try," said Lorelai, falling onto the mattress next to her daughter and lying down next to her. "It is comfy," she agreed, turning onto her side and looking at Rory.

"What the hell are you two doing?" asked Luke. He'd come back to see where they'd gotten to when he noticed they weren't following him.

"We were just discussing how comfy this bed is," she replied, rolling over and pulling Rory with her, causing the girl to giggle.

"It's not the bed that's comfy, it's the mattress," he said pointedly. "If you're that bothered, I'll make sure I buy that exact mattress."

"But it just goes so well with this bed, don't you think?" Luke simply rolled his eyes. "Don't you think so, Rory?"

"Yeah, good bed," she said with a nod. Lorelai smiled widely at Luke, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"I'm going to look at the others," he said before walking away. Lorelai's face fell again and she looked down at Rory sadly.

"You don't want daddy to move out either do you?" she asked. Rory's face had softened at the fallen look on her mother's face and she reached up to stroke her cheek.

"No sad," she said, shaking her head slowly.

"I'll get over it," she sighed. She got to her feet and set Rory down on her feet, following after Luke.

"How about this one?" he asked her as they approached him. Lorelai looked down at the simple wooden frame and frowned.

"It's your bed, so you pick which you want," she shrugged. Luke looked down at his selection again.

"I'm just thinking of the financial side, I can't afford big fancy furniture right now."

"Well it doesn't have to be right now," she said frustratedly, before clamping her hand to her mouth.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"Just...forget it," she sighed. "I like this one."

"Lorelai, what's going on?" he asked. "You've been acting strange since you got in the truck."

"I have not," she protested, before turning around and walking away from him. Luke got even more confused as he followed her, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"Tell me what's bothering you," he pressed. Rory was staring up at them curiously, wondering what was going on.

"There's nothing bothering me, can you just buy the damn bed so we can go?" She wasn't looking at him, and Luke was at a loss on what to do. He took her hand and guided her to a nearby bed, sitting down on it and gesturing for her to do the same. She obliged and he held her hand tightly in his as he looked at her.

"I know something's wrong," he told her. "This isn't you, getting upset in furniture stores." She laughed a little, but she was soon back to frowning again. She sighed and prepared herself to tell him what was going on with her.

"Ever since you showed me the apartment, I...I don't know, I just..."

"What? Tell me what's wrong," he pleaded. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I don't want you to move out," she admitted. Luke looked surprised at first, then slowly let out a puff of air. Lorelai looked down at the floor, guessing that she had probably just made things weird between them.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked.

"Cause I didn't wanna mess things up," she told him. "You looked really happy when you were talking about moving back into your own place and I didn't wanna say anything to screw it up." She looked up at him and noticed he was staring off into space. "You should just do what you want to, I know my place is cramped with three of us and you probably want more time to yourself, I mean, you're a guy so..." Luke leaned in and kissed her, shutting her up effectively.

"Works every time," he said when he pulled away from her. "When I showed you the apartment, I was hoping you'd say you'd prefer it if I stayed where I am now, but you didn't so I thought you were happy for me to move out. I don't wanna live by myself again, I've gotten used to living with two girls," he said, nudging her side to get a reaction out of her. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Sorry for not talking to you about it," she apologised.

"There's no need to be sorry, just promise you won't keep things like this from me again."

"Promise, no more secrets." He grinned and left a kiss on her forehead before looking around for Rory.

"Where did Rory go?" he asked, beginning to internally panic when he saw his daughter wasn't standing where they'd left her.

"Huh?"

"She was right here, where's she gone?" He quickly stood up from the bed and began hurrying around the store, weaving in and out of the beds. "Rory?" he called, Lorelai struggling to keep up with him.

"Excuse me, sir," addressed a sales assistant.

"What?" he spat as he spun around. The man cleared his throat and pointed over to a selection of children's beds.

"Does this belong to you?" Luke followed his finger and saw Rory curled up on one of them, fast asleep. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed Lorelai over to her.

"She's a mischief," he said when they got to her.

"No she's not, we just got carried away and she happened to wander off," she corrected him. She bent down next to the bed and stroked Rory's fine brown hair with her fingers.

"I can't believe she fell asleep on a bed in the furniture shop," he chuckled. He looked down at his daughter and couldn't help but notice how fast she was growing up. She looked so big sleeping on a proper bed rather than in her usual crib, and it sparked an idea in his mind. "Hey, you know her birthday's coming up soon?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed.

"Why don't we buy her a proper bed for her present?" he suggested.

"Isn't she a bit young to be sleeping in a bed by herself?" she asked.

"She was in one at the cabin, she was fine then." Lorelai twisted her mouth thoughtfully, looking down at Rory sleeping soundly on the new mattress.

"I guess, it's a good idea."

"Let's get this one; it's the one she chose to sleep on." Lorelai smiled down at Rory, but there was a hint of sadness there.

"She's not a baby anymore," she sighed. Luke came over and put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"She's growing into a proper little girl, it's only gonna get better from here." She stood up to meet his height and nodded in agreement.

"I know, it's just kinda sad," she shrugged. Luke grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze before bending down and lifting Rory up carefully, trying not to wake her.

"Come on, let's go buy a bed."

XXXX

"You bought her a bed for her birthday?" asked Emily at dinner.

"Yep," Lorelai confirmed.

"What possessed you to do such a thing?" she asked incredulously. "It's not usually something you'd buy for a two year old, they expect toys and games."

"It just seemed like a good present," she replied. "Now I'm starting to doubt it."

"It's a very thoughtful gift, Lorelai," assured Richard, giving Emily a pointed look.

"Well what if she rolls off in the middle of the night and hits her head?" the elder woman asked.

"We're gonna buy one of those removable barriers that attach to the side," said Luke. "She slept in a twin bed when we went on vacation this year and she was fine." Emily looked between the two of them before Richard changed the subject completely.

"So, how is the renovation work coming along?" he asked curiously.

"Really good," replied Luke with a confident nod. "It's almost ready for painting. I cleared the apartment out too."

"Oh, so I assume you'll be moving back up there soon?" he questioned. Luke and Lorelai shared a quick glance.

"Actually..."

"Luke's gonna live with me from now on," Lorelai cut in. She thought this would be better coming from her rather than Luke. The elder Gilmore's were speechless for a few awkward moments before Richard spoke up.

"Well...the place is a little small for you all isn't it?" he asked.

"We've managed so far," she shrugged. "We'll be fine."

Emily pursed her lips to stop herself from saying something she'd regret later. She was not happy at all about Lorelai living with Luke permanently.

XXXX

"You told me it was only temporary, Richard," said Emily as Richard entered their bedroom that night. She was sitting up in bed, and she couldn't stop thinking about her daughter's life choices.

"And I thought it was at the time, Emily," he replied calmly.

"But it's not!" she exclaimed. "It's now permanent and our eighteen year old daughter is going to live with her boyfriend. I can't believe we let her take him in in the first place."

"Now Emily, that young man would be living on the streets if Lorelai hadn't asked him to live with her. Is that what you really want?"

"She is too young to be making decisions like this Richard, she doesn't know what she's getting herself into."

"Well let her find out then," he told her. "Lorelai is not a child anymore, she's a mother, and she is acting in Rory's best interest."

"How exactly?"

"Luke is her father, maybe not biologically but the law states he is. It's only right that the mother and father of a child live together, for the child's sake."

"It's too soon," she said, shaking her head.

"Emily," he said as he climbed into bed next to her. "You have to let her make her own decisions." Emily looked up at him sadly.

"I don't want to lose her," she admitted.

"You're not going to, we're still her parents, she's just progressing in her life and we have to accept that." Emily nodded and looked down at the bedcovers. "We have to accept that Luke and Lorelai are connected by Rory and their relationship is going to progress faster because of that."

"Ok," she agreed.

"I think we should get some sleep, you'll feel better in the morning." Emily settled under the covers and buried her head in her pillow, as Richard shut off the light and did the same.

"I do like Luke," she admitted. "I know he loves Lorelai very much." Richard reached over and pulled his wife closer to him, leaving a soft kiss in her hair.

"She picked a good one," he agreed before they both drifted off to sleep.

**So I feel the need to add in a 'FINALLY' here. I still can't believe how long this took to complete. Please spare a little time to review and let me know there are people that have been waiting for an update, it's always nice to hear from you and I've missed getting reviews from you readers!**

**I promise I will update as soon as I can!**

**Emily.**


	65. Becoming Two

**Hello again!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, it was nice to know that everybody is still interested in reading this, and all your comments gave me motivation to write a new chapter. So that's exactly what I did. **

**I know it's a little shorter than usual, but I really just wanted to post this, so here it is. **

"I got it!" Lorelai announced as she met Luke on the sidewalk. He took the certificate from her and examined it.

"Lorelai Gilmore, a motorist," he said with a grin, opening his arms out to her. She excitedly jumped into them and he spun her around a few times, not something he would usually do but the look on her face broke his gruff exterior.

"Can I drive home?" she asked hopefully, she knew it was a long shot but it was worth a try.

"Nope," he answered. "You drive Mia's car now, remember?" She nodded as he settled her on her feet again.

"But, maybe I could just drive the truck this one time, please?" she begged.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? The answer is no."

"But..."

"N-O, no," he denied. "You don't know how to drive a stick, and I'd rather you didn't break my gear box."

"Dirty," she giggled. Luke rolled his eyes and handed her certificate back to her. "Come on, we have some celebrating to do," she said, clapping her hands together as she did.

"Uh, you have to go to work, and so do I," he reminded her.

"I know, but who's to say we can't stop for a celebratory coffee on the way home?" Luke narrowed his eyes at her.

"We're not stopping for coffee," he denied.

"But...I just got my driver's license!" she exclaimed. "I think that's worth at least one cup of coffee." Luke watched her as she contorted her lips into a pout, and he growled in frustration.

"One cup," he agreed, holding up his index finger to emphasise his point.

"Thank you," she squealed as she jumped into the truck and quickly buckled her seatbelt. "Now step on it, Lucas. Coffee awaits." He rolled his eyes at her dramatics, then started up the truck to get the coffee crazed woman next to him her fix.

XXXX

"Fancy place," said Lorelai as they walked into a restaurant in Litchfield late that evening.

"We're celebrating," he shrugged.

"We could have celebrated at Sniffy's, or Burger King." Luke rolled his eyes, just as a waiter approached the two of them.

"Hello there, do you have a reservation?" he asked politely.

"Yes, it's Luke Danes." The waiter nodded and grabbed two menus, before leading them over to their table.

"Right here, sir." Luke nodded and sat down as the waiter pulled Lorelai's chair out for her. She thanked him, they gave him their drink orders, then he disappeared to tend to another table.

"It's kinda snobby in here," Lorelai whispered to Luke across the table. "Don't cha think?"

"Sorry, we should have just gone to Sniffy's like you said," he muttered. He thought she would have liked it, but obviously she preferred to stay in her comfort zone.

"No, it's a nice place," she assured him. "It's just...it's a little expensive, can we afford this?"

"Of course," he assured her. She still looked uncertain, but before she could question him further, the waiter returned with their drinks. Lorelai took a tentative sip of her lemonade, eyeing Luke over the rim of her glass.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly. She didn't want to damage his pride or anything, but she didn't want them to become broke just because they went out for a fancy meal. "Cause we did just buy a bed," she pointed out to him.

"Lorelai," he said, taking hold of her hand over the table. "You don't have to worry about money, the diner's getting pretty close to being finished, I have a little bit of money that I put aside for living expenses, and I got that bed on credit, I don't have to start payments till next month." Lorelai nodded, taking in all this information he was giving her. "Now will you sit back, relax and choose what you wanna eat?"

"Ok, I was just making sure," she mumbled as she picked up her menu and began perusing the options. After they'd ordered, she peered over at Luke and smiled softly. "So the diner's almost done, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," he beamed. "I just need to order the tables and chairs, pick out some new appliances and give the place a few coats of paint." He squeezed her hand. "The electrician's coming in next week to wire the place up, and then I've got some guy from the gas board coming the day after. It's finally coming together." He looked so relieved, and Lorelai couldn't stop her smile from widening into a grin.

"I can't believe it," she told him. "How long has it been now?" Luke counted up the months from the beginning of January in his head; he would never forget the date his diner was burned down by a couple of jealous exes.

"Almost ten months," he replied. Ten months, he couldn't believe it either. It had gone unbelievably quickly, but he'd managed to achieve so much in that time.

"Wow," she gasped. "And my dad said it'd take years," she chuckled.

"I think he was exaggerating a little."

"Nah, he just doesn't have as much faith in you as I have, or as much as you have in yourself." He smiled shyly at her compliment, then lowered his eyes to the table.

"You know, things are gonna be different when the diner reopens," he told her.

"Different how?" she asked, hoping it wasn't something bad different.

"Well, I'll have to get up at a quarter to five every morning." She smiled slightly.

"Ah, that's what Ben and Caesar are for," she informed him. "You won't have to open up every morning."

"I guess, I think I will at the beginning," he decided. "You know, just so I can get back into the swing of things."

"I understand," she said with a nod. "Anything else gonna be different?"

"I might get home later," he shrugged.

"Luuuuke," she whined.

"What?" he snapped.

"You're thinking up all the negative things," she frowned. "Surely there're gonna be some benefits to your business being back up and running." Luke had to smile at her pouting face; the positives were what he was looking forward to the most.

"Course there will be," he assured her.

"Care to venture some?"

"Well, we'll have money again," he enticed. Money wasn't the most important thing to either of them, but it sure was nice to have some. "We can buy Rory's clothes instead of you having to make them all the time; you've been sewing an awful lot lately."

"Tell Rory to stop growing then, her clothes barely fit her a month before I have to make new ones."

"My point exactly, we can just go to the store and buy her a few outfits to keep her going until she grows out of them."

"Hmm, anything else?" she asked, already liking this game.

"I can put more money into Rory's college fund, then she'll have more to keep her going when the time comes. And we'll be able to afford to go out more, you know, for dinner and stuff."

"Exactly like tonight?" Luke nodded and smiled affectionately at her.

"You know, there's something else I wanna start saving for," he began. Lorelai's interest peaked and she raised her eyebrows suggestively, silently telling him to continue his train of thought. "Seeing as we're living together...permanently," he said, seeming quite nervous. "I was thinking that we could, you know...I mean, the potting shed is small, and it's not like we can stay there forever, so..."

"Luke," she asked, finding it hard to follow his ramblings.

"Yeah?"

"Spit it out already, would ya?" She smirked at him, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. His palms were becoming sweaty and he hoped she didn't notice.

"I want to save up for a house," he burst out, causing Lorelai's eyes to widen momentarily.

"Um, a house?" she asked, she wasn't actually expecting that. As much as she wanted to live with Luke permanently, she never thought about living anywhere but the potting shed. She did realise that the shed was a tad small for the three of them, and Luke's apartment wasn't much bigger, but her thoughts always stopped there. She'd never thought about a house before.

"Yeah, I know we're not gonna be able to afford one overnight, but it'd be good to save up to put a deposit down. What do you think?" Lorelai looked up to meet his gaze, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"I think it's logical," she said with a nod. Luke narrowed his eyes.

"Does logical translate to good in any way?" he asked hopefully. Lorelai's smile got bigger.

"I think it's a great idea," she assured him. Luke smiled back and leaned across the table to kiss her, but not before checking that nobody was watching them.

"Nobody knows us here, Luke," she told him right before their lips met. She pulled away and grinned at him. "Look at us, we're like proper grownups," she said excitedly.

"You'd better get used to it," he smirked, thanking the waiter as he put their food in front of them. Things were finally coming together.

XXXX

"Luke wants us to buy a house," Lorelai told her best friend the next day.

"Really?" asked Sookie, not expecting that Lorelai would come to work with news like that today.

"Yup, he thinks the potting shed's too small for the three of us."

"I'll second that," she said with a nod. "Isn't it gonna take time to save up for one though? Houses aren't cheap; it's not like shopping for new pants."

"I know, he said he wants to start saving as soon as the diner reopens, I can't wait!" Sookie smiled at her friend's excitement.

"I'm really happy for you hon, you're one lucky lady." Lorelai giggled.

"Tell me about it."

XXXX

It was October seventh; Lorelai had climbed into bed just over an hour ago and she hadn't stopped tossing and turning since her head hit the pillow. Luke kept awaking when her hand would land on his chest, or her knee would collide with his hip, and he knew that if he didn't wake her and find out what was bothering her soon, then he'd be badly bruised in the morning.

"Lorelai," he sighed as he turned towards her and rested his hand on her stomach. She didn't stir. He repeated her name and shook her slightly. She groaned and turned towards him, opening her eyes slowly.

"What?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"You can't lay still; you've been tossing and turning since we got in bed. What's on your mind?" he asked, his voice softening near the end of the sentence.

"Nothing," she brushed off, moving to turn away from him. He stopped her though.

"It's something," he said surely. "I know it is." Lorelai groaned again and dug her face in her pillow. "What happened to no more secrets?" he asked, reminding her of their conversation just a couple of weeks ago. She raised her head and looked him in the eye, sighing as she did so.

"Rory's birthday is tomorrow," she told him.

"I know," he confirmed.

"She's gonna be two."

"Got that memo," he nodded. He shook his head slightly, wondering why Lorelai was so worked up about Rory's birthday.

"Two, Luke, two!" she said frustratedly. Luke furrowed his brows.

"Lorelai, what's the problem?"

"She's growing up," she said sadly. "Really fast." Luke sighed. He should have known that she would get sentimental about Rory's birthday; she'd voiced her fears about Rory growing up too fast in the past, and he'd always managed to soothe her worries.

"Look," he began. "Rory's a great kid, and she's gonna grow up, there's nothing we can do to stop that." Lorelai looked down at the duvet cover sadly. "Hey, but you know how amazing she is now?" She nodded. "She can only get better. Just think, as she gets older, she's gonna get smarter, and before we know it she'll be beating us at Scrabble." Lorelai looked up at him strangely.

"We've never played Scrabble," she pointed out to him.

"It was just an example," he muttered as he slung his arm around her shoulders. "Just think of all the things we still have to come; having proper conversations with her, taking her to school, helping her with her homework, not that we'll be much help." Lorelai smiled as she thought of Rory getting her backpack ready for school.

"She's gonna be something great in this world," she said confidently. She knew that the moment she laid eyes on her newborn daughter, and she hadn't doubted it once in the last two years.

"Yeah, she is," he agreed. "But to be something great, she has to grow up first. Are you ok with that?" Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, leaning into him.

"I guess I'll have to be," she replied. "Like you said, there's nothing we can do to stop it from happening." Luke nodded and dropped a kiss on her head.

"Good, are you gonna stop kicking me in your sleep now?" he half-joked. Lorelai smirked and settled into her pillow.

"Go to sleep, Lucas, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." She patted his chest then began to drift into unconsciousness. Luke's voice caught her just before she fell over the edge.

"Lorelai?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm."

"What time was Rory born at?" The question caught Lorelai off guard, and she wasn't expecting Luke to ask her something so specific. It just showed how much he cared about the little girl.

"Three minutes past four in the morning," she replied before falling asleep. Luke lay on his back and stared at the ceiling in the darkened room. In a little less than five hours, Rory would be two, and he had never felt so overwhelmed before. He just hoped the rumours about two year old children didn't apply to Rory, some wishful thinking on his part.

XXXX

Lorelai slipped out of bed and crept into Rory's room. She didn't bother turning the light on, it would shine through into the rest of the shed and wake Luke, and that wasn't what she wanted. This was her and Rory's private time, a time that marked an amazing experience for both of them.

She stared down into the crib that her daughter would only sleep in for a few more hours before it was dismantled and replaced with a real bed. Rory was lying on her back, and she looked to be in a similar position to how Luke was laying when Lorelai left him just a few minutes ago.

"Rory," she whispered, smoothing the girl's dark hair out of her face and smiling at her contented expression. Seeing that look on Rory's face made her reconsider her choice to wake her up. She looked so peaceful, and she didn't want to be the one to ruin that. She reasoned that this was a tradition of theirs though, and she continued to try to wake her slumbering two year old.

Rory stretched her arms out to the side and yawned, slowly opening her eyes. She orientated herself in the darkness then focussed on the dark figure leaning over her crib. It took her a minute or two to properly wake herself up, but she soon smiled when she noticed that it was her mother standing there.

"Mama," she said sleepily.

"Hey sweets," she cooed, running her fingers through her daughter's hair again. Rory held her arms up to her and Lorelai lifted her up, carrying her over to the rocking chair. She settled the girl in her lap and smiled down at her affectionately.

"Dark," said Rory confusedly as she pointed to the window in her room. She was currently wondering why she'd been woken up at such an ungodly hour.

"Yeah, it's still dark out," she agreed. "Do you know why?" Rory shook her head. "Cause it's just a little after four," she whispered, like it was a secret. "Wanna know why I woke you up?"

"Yeah," she answered almost immediately, nodding her head along.

"Cause exactly two years ago to the minute, you were born." Rory looked confused for a moment but then she looked up at her mother and smiled.

"Baby," she said.

"That's right, you were a tiny, perfect baby," she confirmed. She brushed her nose against Rory's a few times, making the toddler giggle. "But look at how much you've grown," she sighed. "You're weirdly smart too, I don't know where you get that from cause it's certainly not from me, and I doubt it's from..." She stopped herself before she said his name; Rory's biological father. Rory didn't know a thing about him, and she wasn't ready for her to find out either.

"You're gonna be a superstar one day, hon," she said knowingly. "You're gonna go to Harvard, graduate top of your class and then you'll move on to an amazing job. You're gonna have it all, everything I never got the chance to have, and you'll deserve it. Then when you're loaded, you can support your little old mom and dad in our old age." She smiled sadly, Rory was gonna leave her someday, a day she was dreading.

"Sad," Rory frowned.

"It is sad," she admitted.

"Mama aways sad." Lorelai looked down at her daughter, who was obviously wondering why her mother always seemed to be down lately.

"I'm not always sad, baby," she sighed. "I've just been thinking about you growing up a lot lately, and thinking about that makes me sad, that's all." Rory leaned back into her and sighed contentedly. "So," she said, injecting some excitement into her tone of voice. "Guess what day it is today?"

"What?" Rory asked, smiling a little at Lorelai's sudden excitement.

"It's Rory's birthday!" she exclaimed. The girl in question giggled and looked up at Lorelai again.

"My birfday?" she questioned, just to make sure she wasn't hearing things.

"Yup, and we're gonna have a little party at the inn, and there'll be cake and balloons," she listed. "Guess what else there'll be," she coaxed. Rory looked to be thinking for a few moments; she could vaguely remember her last birthday, and she just seemed to recall some weird shaped items with a colourful pattern around the outside.

"Presents!" she said excitedly, clapping her hands together.

"That's right; there'll be lots of presents. Can mommy help you open them?" She pouted at Rory, causing the corners of the little girl's mouth to turn upwards into a smile.

"No, my presents," she protested.

"But...that's so unfair."

"Your birfday," she told her. Lorelai smiled a little.

"I guess I'll have to wait till my birthday," she sighed.

"Yes," Rory agreed. The girls went into silence for a few moments, where Rory played with the drawstring on Lorelai's pyjama pants.

"Hey Ror?" she asked. Rory looked up at her, showing that she had her attention. "Can you believe that we've come so far in a year? I mean, when we moved here just before you turned one, we didn't know anyone except Mia, we spent our nights sitting around doing nothing, and we didn't have any money. But now look at us, I have a Luke, you have a proper dad, we have friends." She paused for a moment. "We have a really good life here; I never would have thought it would have turned out like this so quickly."

Luke chose that moment to stumble into Rory's room; the sound of their voices must have woken him up.

"What's going on in here?" he asked, rubbing the side of his head tiredly.

"We were just talking," Lorelai shrugged. She was a little peeved that Luke had interrupted their alone time, but she knew she had to share Rory and couldn't keep her all to herself.

"Hey birthday girl," Luke grinned, holding his arms out to Rory. She gladly accepted and allowed him to lift her into his arms. "Look, you're two already," he said, noticing the time, "Happy birthday." He kissed her cheek then laughed when she made a face and wiped the area with her hand. Lorelai watched the two of them; she couldn't wish for a better father for her daughter. "How long have you been up?" he asked as he squeezed onto the rocking chair next to Lorelai.

"Since three minutes past," she told him quietly. There was a quiet understanding between the two of them and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

"Is this one of those traditions you guys have?" he questioned, knowing that Lorelai had a few things she liked to do with Rory every year that were created before he came into their lives.

"Yeah, I did the same thing last year," she confirmed. "I wake her up at the exact time she was born and tell her the magical story of her birth."

"I'm guessing you already told her the story just now." Lorelai shook her head.

"I haven't actually gotten round to it yet," she told him. "We were talking about something else before you came in." Luke turned his head to look at her.

"Well, if you wanted to you could tell both of us, I wouldn't mind hearing it." She met his gaze and grinned.

"Luke Danes, you wanna hear a story about childbirth?" she asked in mock-surprise. "It'll probably freak you out." Luke shrugged.

"Normally it would, but this concerns you and Rory. I wanna hear about it."

"You sure? Cause once I get started there's no turning back," she informed him.

"Just tell the story, Lorelai," he growled frustratedly. Lorelai smiled, nestled closer to him and slung her arm over Rory as she prepared to start the miraculous story of Rory's birth.

"So it started on a Monday night, I was watching TV and I think I was eating a sandwich or something..." She looked on thoughtfully. Luke nudged her to bring her back to the present and she shook her head dazedly. "I got this pain right about here." She rubbed her abdomen. "And I thought it was nothing at first, but when it happened again, I realised that Missy over here was ready to make her entrance into the world." They both smiled down at Rory, who was trying her hardest to stay awake but her eyes kept drooping.

"So I drove myself to the hospital, even though I didn't have a license, which I do now," she beamed, before carrying on with her story. "There I was..."

"In labour," Luke filled in for her.

"Yes, and while some have called it the most meaningful experience of your life, to me it was something more akin to doing the splits on a crate of dynamite." Luke grimaced, then chuckled slightly at her description of it. "And I was screaming and swearing and being surrounded as I was by a hundred prominent doctors, I just assumed there was an actual use for the cup of ice chips they gave me."

"There wasn't?" he guessed.

"Nope, but throwing them at the nurses sure was fun," she smiled.

"Sounds like..."

"Shh, I'm getting to the part where they see her head!" she hushed him.

"Ah jeez," he complained. And she went on from there, with Luke flinching and scrunching his nose up as she reencountered the best experience of her life so far.

XXXX

"Hey Liz," Luke greeted his sister as she arrived at the party. He looked down and noticed Jess was trying to escape his mother's clutches and head over to the small ball pool that had been set up in the corner of the room, but Liz had too tight of a hold on his hand. "Oi, where do you think you're going?" he asked, hoisting Jess in the air and holding him above his head.

"Ball," Jess explained, pointing over to where the fun was happening.

"We can go there in a minute, give Rory her present first." Luke put Jess back on his feet and took hold of his hand, before Liz handed the wrapped gift to the little boy.

"Happy birthday, Rory," said Liz as she lifted the young girl and swung her around. Rory giggled, and once she was on her feet again, she looked up at her Aunt.

"Happy birfday," she replied. Liz smiled and bent down to Rory's level.

"No it's not my birthday," she said while shaking her head. "It's just Rory's birthday today." Rory nodded then noticed Jess standing next to Luke, an instant smile lit her face.

"Jess," she greeted.

"Hi Rory," he replied. Luke gave him a gentle nudge and Jess looked up at him questioningly.

"What do you say to Rory?" he prompted. The boy twisted his mouth thoughtfully before looking down at the present in his hands.

"Happy birfday," he said shyly as he held the gift out to her. Rory's eyes lit up and she eagerly took it from him.

"Fank you." She was just about to rip into the paper when Lorelai approached them and took it out of her hands. "Noooo," whined Rory, reaching for it back.

"Later," she said firmly before going to put it with the other gifts. Rory pouted, and Jess realised that she was upset.

"No sad," he told her as he took hold of her hand. "Ball." He pointed over to the ball pool again and Rory nodded her head in agreement, before the two rushed off to play.

"They get on so well, don't they?" Liz asked, watching as Jess and Rory threw plastic balls at each other.

"Yeah," agreed Luke.

"Do you think they'll be friends when they're older?"

"They will be, it's not like either of us is going anywhere, is it?" Liz shook her head.

"So I have a job interview next week," she told him proudly.

"Really? That's great," he answered. "Where is it?"

"It's at a bar in Woodbridge; they need someone to work a couple of nights a week."

"Well, congratulations," he said. "I'm proud of you, Liz." Liz smiled shyly at her big brother and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She had never heard those words from him before, or from anyone for that matter, and it made her feel good knowing that she had done something right for once.

XXXX

The party came to an end a little after six, and people began to leave. Lorelai collapsed into one of the couches and surveyed the mess they had to clean up. She'd had a great time, but more importantly, so had Rory. She could tell because her daughter was snoozing on the couch next to her, obviously tired from all the fun she'd had that day.

Her stomach rumbled and she sighed. She'd been so involved in making sure everybody had a good time that she'd completely forgotten to eat something, except the slice of cake she'd indulged in earlier.

"You ok?" Luke asked as he came to stand in front of her.

"Yeah, just hungry," she answered while rubbing her stomach.

"What do you say we clean this mess up then I'll make you a burger?"

"Sounds so good right now." Luke held his arms out to her and she took hold of his hands so he could pull her up.

"We're leaving, Lorelai," said Emily as she approached them.

"Oh, well thanks for coming mom, dad," she said gratefully. "Rory had a really good time."

"We can see that," Richard chuckled, pointing to the sleeping toddler. All the adults smiled at Rory, marvelling at how she could sleep through all the commotion of cleaning up.

"We'll see you on Friday night," Lorelai told them. The elder Gilmores gave Rory a kiss, said goodbye to Luke and Lorelai then left the inn. They got the cleaning up done in no time, with help from Mia and some of the kitchen staff.

"Ready to go?" Luke asked. Lorelai nodded and watched him carefully pick Rory up. She stirred and opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings sleepily.

"Welcome back, hon," said Lorelai quietly.

"Tired," Rory sighed.

"I know, babe, and you get to sleep in a whole new bed tonight. Wait till you see it." Rory found the energy to smile and rested her head against her father's shoulder as they took the short walk home.

"Here," said Luke as he handed Rory to Lorelai once they reached the shed. "I'll go get her some PJs." Lorelai took her over to the couch and began undressing her, as Luke reappeared with a small pair of pyjamas. Once Rory was dressed and had been to the bathroom, Lorelai carried her into her room and watched her confused expression when she noticed the bed where her crib used to be.

"Do you like it?" she asked, setting the girl on her feet so she could look at it properly. Rory nodded and started to climb onto the bed, laying down on it once she had made it. "Get under the covers," said Lorelai as she pulled them back and allowed Rory to get comfortable, before tucking her in.

"Comfy," Rory mumbled tiredly as she began to close her eyes.

"Yeah, you're actually allowed to sleep on this one," joked Luke. Lorelai leaned down and kissed her daughter goodnight, as did Luke, then they stood and simply watched her sleep in her 'big girl bed'.

She was definitely growing up too fast.

**I know the party wasn't as detailed as it could have been, but I already wrote a long chapter for Rory's first birthday party, so I thought it might become a little repetitive if I wrote another. **

**I hope you liked this, and I hope you'll review :D I was overwhelmed by how many people reviewed the last chapter...thanks again guys!**

**See you next time, which won't be that far away. **

**Emily.**


	66. A Question of Grandparents

**Oh look, back so soon! This has been completed for like a day, but my mother hid the router for the internet cause my brother uses it too much for Xbox Live. So I have to suffer too :/ it's a bit unfair, but there's nothing I can do about it unfortunately. **

**Thanks for the reviews and such =), I love reviews, but who doesn't? This is quite a dramatic chapter, well towards the end anyway...I will say no more about that though, you'll have to wait and see :P **

**A few reviewers asked if I could include more of Jess, because he is their favourite character and they like the cute little Jess/Rory moments. So here is a chapter mainly based around little Jess, hope you enjoy it, it was fun to write!**

When Rory woke up the next morning, she was more than a little confused. She looked around the room, noticing that she was still in her bedroom, but she was sleeping on a foreign object.

"Bed," she said to herself as she ran her hand over the mattress, which was covered with princess sheets. She rolled over, noting as the mattress dipped slightly. That's when she realised that this new bed was bouncy, exactly like a bouncy castle. And boy did she love bouncy castles.

She giggled with excitement as she stood up on her new bed, steadying herself on the safety side bar that Luke had attached, then began to bounce up and down, squealing every time the mattress sent her higher into the air.

"What's going on in here?" Luke asked as he pushed the door open. He had obviously heard the screams and squeals from the rest of the shed.

"Wook daddy!" she told him, bouncing a little higher. She landed on her bottom, giggling as it jiggled her about a bit, then got back to her feet and started again.

"Lorelai, come look at this," he called. She was still in bed, and she groaned in reply.

"What's with all the screaming?" she asked.

"Just come and look." She sighed, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and slipping her feet into her cosy slipper boots. She entered the room and stopped next to Luke, a smile coming to her lips when she saw what all the fuss was about.

"Ha, that looks like so much fun!" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She's gonna break the bed springs," he complained.

"Babe, if we haven't broken our bed springs doing what we do in it, then I don't think a two year old will break them by jumping on it."

"Jeez, did you have to say that?"

"It's true," she shrugged. "Anyway, just look at how much she loves her present."

"Yeah, I guess seeing how much she's enjoying herself, I wouldn't be able to bring myself to tell her to stop."

"Look at her little face," she cooed. Luke smiled proudly at Rory as he wrapped his arm around Lorelai's shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"She can't say we never buy her anything," he said gruffly. Lorelai laughed and rested her head against his shoulder, as they simply stood there watching their daughter have fun on her new bed.

XXXX

"TJ," Liz called from her living room. She had a job interview in Woodbridge, and she had asked TJ to babysit Jess while she was gone.

"Yeah?" he asked as he entered the room, shirtless.

"I'm leaving now," she told him. "Are you sure you'll be ok with him?" She looked down at her son, who was playing with his building blocks.

"Don't worry sweetheart, we'll have some laughs, play some cards, it'll be a blast." Liz giggled.

"If you can get Jess to play cards, I'll take my hat off to ya."

"You're not wearing a hat," he said in confusion. Liz was too busy getting her stuff together to pay any attention to his last comment.

"Ok Jessie, you gonna say bye to momma?" Jess got to his feet and wrapped his arms around Liz's legs, as she bent down and squeezed his little shoulders. "Be a good boy for TJ, ok? I don't wanna hear that you've been naughty when I get back." Liz tried to step away, but Jess held her legs tighter and buried his face in them. "Jess," she warned.

"Stay momma," he whined. The toddler was definitely not looking forward to spending an afternoon with his mother's love interest. He hated the man, and avoided any contact with him at all costs.

"I can't stay, honey, I have to go get a job," she told him.

"Me come too," he suggested.

"I wish you could, handsome, but it's in a bar and little boys aren't allowed in." She noticed his face fall, and she ruffled his hair. "Come on Jessie, let go."

"No!" he protested. Liz sighed heavily, Jess was getting really demanding in his twos.

"TJ, could you take him?" she asked, gesturing down to the child clutching her legs like they were a stuffed bear.

"Uh, sure," he agreed. He managed to pry Jess away from Liz and lifted him to his hip. Jess came face to face with him, and stared at the man for several seconds, before letting out a screech and breaking out into a full on crying fit. "Liz," said TJ, unsure of what to do next.

"It's ok, just hold him till I've gone then give him a popsicle or something, that should calm him down."

"If you say so," he shrugged. Liz began to walk towards the door, and Jess' screams got louder.

"Momma," he screamed, trying to hold his arms out to her.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she told him, waving slightly as she slipped out of the door. Jess continued to scream, so TJ set him on the couch and turned the TV on, before going to get a popsicle for him. Jess wasn't having any of it though, and he ran towards his bedroom, going straight for his closet. He climbed into it and closed the door after him, collapsing into the pile of clothes he was sitting on.

"Jess?" TJ asked as he entered the room. Jess had stopped crying and was trying to be as quiet as possible, hoping that it would make the strange man go away. "Where are you, buddy?"

"Rory help," he whispered, barely audibly.

"Oh so you wanna play hide and seek, huh?" he asked. "I'm good at hide and seek." He began searching around the room; under the bed, behind the open door, behind the dresser. Then he decided to check the closet, it being a place that most people would go to hide. Jess peeked through the gaps in the doors and saw TJ approaching him, so he started to internally panic.

"Uh oh," he whispered to himself again. He crawled right to the back and started rearranging the clothes that were surrounding him, so they would hide him. TJ opened the closet door and glanced in there, not seeing any sign of the boy in question.

"Not in this room then," he noted. "Ready or not here I come." And then he left the room. Jess waited a few minutes until he couldn't hear shuffling anymore, then crawled back to the front of the closet, peeking through the gaps again.

"Phew," he sighed, brushing his hand across his forehead as he'd seen his uncle do many times. He settled back down on his bum and looked around the closet aimlessly. Now he just had to sit and wait in here until his mommy came back. He just hoped she wouldn't be too long.

TJ meanwhile had looked everywhere. He'd turned the house upside down looking for his girlfriend's son who seemed to hate him. He wasn't in either of the bedrooms, or the bathroom, and he was currently looking through the kitchen cupboards even though there was no chance he could be in them.

"Jess," he called. "You are really good at this game." He shook his head then resigned to the couch. Jess would come out when he was ready to; all he had to do was wait. He got up and went to the fridge, popping open a beer before heading back to the couch and switching on the TV.

XXXX

Almost two hours later, and Jess hadn't reappeared. TJ was starting to get a little worried, it was unusual for a two year old to stay silent for this long, and he was beginning to wonder if Jess was even in the house still. He began to panic, and started pacing back and forth in the living room, mumbling to himself about what he should do.

"Luke," he said in realisation as he bolted for the front door. He didn't bother locking it, and sprinted right towards the diner, bursting through the door when he got there.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked in annoyance as he looked up at the breathless TJ, who was shirtless by the way. "And why aren't you wearing a shirt?" TJ tried to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees as he crouched down slightly.

"Jess," he breathed. Luke's paternal instinct immediately kicked in.

"What about Jess?" he asked, beginning to worry.

"I can't find him," he shrugged.

"You can't...you..." Luke couldn't believe it. "You lost my nephew?" he bellowed.

"Now Luke," he drawled. "Don't freak out."

"Don't freak out, you come in here to tell me you lost my nephew then tell me not freak out," he said incredulously. "Of course I'm gonna freak out," he ranted. "Where's Liz?"

"She had that job interview today; I offered to watch the kid."

"Where did you last see him?"

"The apartment..." And Luke was off; he dropped his tools, and hurried across the square to Liz's place. "Luuke, he was crying, then Liz left and I went to get him a popsicle but he went to hide somewhere and..."

"How long has he been missing?" he asked.

"Well uh...I don't..."

"TJ," he growled frustratedly.

"A couple of hours," he shrugged.

"And you just thought to tell me now?"

"I thought he was playing hide and seek, I figured he'd come out when he got bored." Luke grunted as he raced into Liz's place, immediately calling for Jess.

"Jess?" he called from the doorway to his nephew's bedroom.

Jess thought he recognised that voice, and he peered through the gaps to find out who it was. When he saw his uncle standing there, he grinned and pushed on the door, but it wouldn't open. He raised his eyebrows worriedly and began hitting the door.

"Uncle Luke!" he shouted, hoping they could hear him.

"Jess?" Luke asked. "Jess, where are you?" He began pacing around the room, trying to figure out where the tiny voice had come from.

"Here," he replied. "Uncle Luke." Luke realised it was coming from the closet and pulled the door open with force. Jess grinned wider and held his arms out to his uncle, as TJ stood in the doorway helplessly.

"Hey buddy," he sighed with relief as he lifted the boy into his arms. "What were you doing in there, huh?"

"Hiding," he replied as he turned to scowl at TJ. "Mean man."

"What did I do?" asked TJ innocently. "I was just taking care of him like Liz told me to."

"Well you weren't doing a very good job," Luke spat. "You let him sit in a closet for two hours with no food or drink and no entertainment while you did what, watch TV?" Luke pushed his way into the living room with Jess still attached to him. "And what are you doing drinking beer while you're watching a kid?"

"I just had two, Luke," he defended himself.

"You may be old enough to buy that stuff, but Liz certainly isn't and I don't want her getting into all that stuff again. So you can get that beer out of my sister's house and take yourself with it, cause you're not wanted here." TJ's eyes widened at Luke's words.

"Luke come on, what about Jess?" He gestured to the young boy, who was clinging onto his uncle for dear life.

"Oh he's coming with me," he informed him. "At least I won't leave him on his own while I run across the town square."

"I didn't know where he was!" Luke shook his head.

"We're leaving; tell Liz I'll talk to her when she gets back." And with that he left. He stormed over to the diner and slammed the door shut behind him.

"You mad?" Jess asked hesitantly. He didn't want to provoke him even more so he was unsure of whether he should speak or not.

"Not with you, bud," he assured him. "Are you thirsty, or do you want a snack?"

"Yes," he agreed.

"What's the magic word?" Jess smiled, showing off his teeth in all their glory.

"Pwease," he said sweetly. Luke chuckled.

"Good boy, let's go to Doose's and get something." Jess clapped his hands together and Luke put him on his feet, grabbing his hand just in case. The boys got back to the diner and Luke set up a little picnic area for them away from the tools and the dust.

"Can't do it," Jess grumbled, holding his juice drink out to Luke. He popped the cap off and pulled the dispenser up, before handing it back to Jess, watching as the boy drank most of it in one go.

"Here, eat some grapes," he told him as he passed him a small bag full of them. Jess took them and smiled his thanks at his uncle, before tucking in greedily, the stuff with TJ seemingly forgotten. Luke wouldn't forget though, and he planned to have a little chat with Liz when she returned from Woodbridge.

XXXX

Luke left the diner earlier than usual, as he always did on Fridays because of dinner with the Gilmores. Jess was still with him, and the boy was getting hungry. After heading back to Liz's place and finding that she was still in Woodbridge, Luke knew he'd have to take Jess home with him with the hope that she'd be back before they had to go to Hartford.

"Hey," Lorelai greeted him when he entered the shed. She looked down and noticed Jess next to him, looking up at her nervously. "Hi Jessica," she giggled. Jess stuck his tongue out at her but couldn't resist the urge to step forward and hug her legs tightly. "Aw, what's the matter hon?" she asked softly, ruffling his hair between her fingers.

"He had an unfortunate experience with TJ," Luke sighed. "That bastard."

"Whoa, what happened?" she asked concernedly. Luke ran his hands through his hair.

"Liz had that job interview today and she asked TJ to watch Jess. I don't know what she was thinking. Anyway, obviously Jess hates TJ so he hid in the closet and the guy just sits down to watch TV with a few beers, not even worrying about the whereabouts of him. Then he came over to the diner, leaving Jess alone in the house, to tell me that he'd lost my nephew!" Luke was ranting, and Lorelai looked sympathetically down at the innocent little boy.

"Come here, sweetie," she cooed as she lifted him into her arms. "You're getting heavy." Jess wrapped his arms around her neck and sighed into her shoulder, enjoying the affection he was receiving. He'd hardly had any all day having been stuck in a closet for two hours.

"Where Rory?" he finally asked. The little girl was jumping on her bed again, and she had been doing for the last twenty minutes they'd been home for.

"She's in her room," Lorelai answered. "Why don't you go in and see her?" Jess nodded and Lorelai put him on the floor, watching as he scurried away. "Poor kid," she muttered.

"Tell me about it," he sighed. "TJ didn't even really seem to care, he'd rather drink his beers."

"What did you do?"

"I told him straight that I want him to get himself and all of his alcohol out of my sister's house and that he's not wanted around here. I don't want her to go back to drinking and smoking, Lorelai; she's been doing so well with Jess lately."

"I know babe, she's not gonna do anything to mess that up," she assured him.

"How do you know that though? She was addicted to that stuff before Jess, what's to say she won't get like that again?" Lorelai shook her head as she brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders.

"You've just gotta trust her, Luke." He sighed and wrapped his arms around her for a hug. She'd better not get into alcohol and drugs again, cause he'd make sure she didn't have any contact with Jess until she was sober again. The boy didn't deserve to go through something like that.

Jess entered Rory's room and his eyes lit up when he saw her bouncing on her bed. He ran over to it and jumped up and down on the spot, begging for attention.

"Rory," he called. She stopped bouncing and landed on her bottom, looking down at Jess with a gleam in her eyes.

"Hi Jess," she replied. "Bounce!" she said happily. Jess nodded and started to climb up onto the bed with her.

"I try?" he requested. When Rory nodded her consent, he got to his feet and started to bounce slowly. He soon got into it, and laughed louder each time his feet left the mattress.

"Fun," Rory said as she watched him.

"Yeah, Rory try," he told her. She did as she was told and stood up also, taking hold of Jess' hand as they bounced in sync with one another. Luckily, the children didn't weigh much together, because the bed would definitely be ruined by now if they did.

XXXX

"She's not back yet," Luke sighed as he came back to the car with Jess. They were going to drop him off on the way to dinner, but Liz still wasn't home.

"He can come with us to dinner," said Lorelai.

"Your mom probably won't like that," he said, scrunching his nose up.

"Well what else are we gonna do, we can't leave him by himself." Luke took a deep breath as he put Jess back in his seat in the back. Lorelai was driving Mia's car to dinner tonight, because she wanted to practise more, plus the truck was really crowded with three of them in there, never mind four.

"Will there be enough food left for Jess, your parents don't know he's coming," said Luke worriedly. He thought this was a bad idea altogether.

"Of course, mom always has extra."

"Where momma?" Jess asked about halfway to the Gilmore house. He had been wondering why he hadn't seen her since she left him with the 'mean man' earlier, and he was beginning to worry about her.

"She's getting a job," Luke replied as he looked back at his nephew. "You'll see her later."

"Ok," he settled before looking over at Rory, who was staring out of the window.

"Rory," he whispered, though the two adults in the front could still hear him, they pretended they couldn't.

"What?" she whispered back.

"Where we going?" he asked.

"See granma n granpa," she replied before turning back to the window again. Jess furrowed his brows in confusion; what was a grandma and a grandpa? He wondered. His grandparents were in a better place, and Liz never spoke about them, so he had no idea what Rory had just said to him.

"Uncle Luke?" Jess asked tentatively. Luke's head swung around to look at him again, noticing the confused expression he wore.

"What's up?" he questioned.

"What's grandma n grandpa?" Luke blinked three times before speaking; he didn't know what to say to him. Jess didn't have a grandma or a grandpa, not anymore, and he didn't know how to explain that to his two year old nephew.

"Well..."

"Rory's grandma is my mommy," Lorelai cut in, noting that Luke seemed to be having trouble speaking. "And Rory's grandpa is my daddy." She felt weird calling her parents 'mommy' and 'daddy', but it was the easiest way to explain it to the boy.

"My grandma momma's mommy?" he asked, latching onto the idea quickly.

"Exactly," Lorelai smiled. This boy was extremely smart for his age, just like Rory was. The kids were obviously having an influence on each other.

"My grandpa momma's daddy?" He seemed proud of himself as he said it, and that made both Luke and Lorelai smile.

"Yup."

"And Uncle Luke's too?" he questioned. Luke turned round and held his hand up to Jess.

"Got it in one, high five buddy." Jess grinned and smacked his hand against Luke's considerably larger one. "Rory, high five?" Luke asked. Rory looked round and copied what Jess had done, causing both kids to giggle.

They arrived at the Gilmore's a little while later, and Lorelai parked up in the driveway. She got Jess, while Luke got Rory, and they made their way to the huge front door, the two kids standing in front of the adults, holding tightly onto each other's hand.

"Hello," Emily greeted them as she swung the door open. She took them all in, stopping when she noticed a little boy holding his granddaughter's hand. "She's a little young to have a boyfriend, isn't she?" she asked in disgust.

"Mom this isn't her boyfriend," replied Lorelai, rolling her eyes to say it was the most stupid insinuation in the world.

"Who is it then."

"He is my nephew, Jess," Luke answered, putting emphasis on the word 'he'. The four of them piled into the lobby and the maid took each of their coats.

"And what is Jess doing here?" Luke shifted from foot to foot awkwardly.

"Luke's sister had a job interview, so we're taking care of him for her," Lorelai informed her. "These two get along really well anyway, they're best friends."

"Oh, well I guess I can have the maid set up an extra plate for him," she said as she turned and walked in the general direction of the kitchen.

"Told you she wouldn't like it," Luke whispered in her ear.

"She doesn't mind," she protested, taking his arm and leading him into the living room. They sat down on the couch and put Rory and Jess between them so they couldn't cause any mischief.

"Hello Lorelai, Luke," Richard greeted them. "There's my favourite granddaughter," he cooed before noticing the boy sitting next to her, gripping her hand. "This isn't her boyfriend, is it?" Lorelai shook her head in disbelief.

"She is two years old," she answered incredulously.

"Thank heavens for that," he sighed with relief. "And who are you young man?" he addressed Jess. Jess gulped down the big load of saliva that had formed in his mouth at the sight of the big, important man in front of him.

"Jess," he replied uneasily.

"He's my nephew," Luke filled in. "My sister's busy tonight."

"Ah, well it's good to have you here Jess," he told him, holding his hand out for the boy to shake. Jess examined it for a short moment before smacking it the way he had with his uncle's on the way here.

"High five!" he squealed, laughing slightly. Richard looked taken aback at first, but soon went along with it.

"That was a good one," he chuckled. He held his hand out again, but took it away as soon as Jess lunged for it. "Too slow," he said with a laugh. Jess giggled and smiled at his new found friend, and Luke was pleased that Richard was at least being friendly to his nephew.

"Zelda is making up a plate for Jess," Emily announced as she entered the room. "Richard, why do they not have drinks yet?"

"I'm sorry Emily, I was just getting to know our guest here," he apologised. She glanced down at Jess, who seemed to be happy where he was for the moment. She had to admit, he was very cute, and Rory seemed to like him a lot. She smiled at the boy as she handed him a beaker of juice and he returned it, showing off his pearly whites.

As they sat down to dinner and the first course was served, Richard looked over at Jess who was set up in a high chair next to Luke.

"So Jess," he began. The boy in question looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. "Do you like books?" he asked. Jess nodded enthusiastically.

"Love books," he told him, smiling to emphasise his point.

"My kind of man," said Richard with a nod. "Does he read a lot?" he questioned Luke.

"Well, he likes it when people read stories to him, but he won't just settle for one, you have to read him three or four before he'll go to sleep," he replied.

"Hmm, just like Rory then," he countered.

"They definitely spend too much time together," Lorelai added, wanting to be part of the conversation.

"So it seems." They went into silence, where they chewed their salads thoughtfully. When the main course was brought out, Jess' eyes lit up.

"Wooow," he breathed when he saw what had been put in front of him.

"Do you like it, Jess?" Emily asked, watching his eyes dance over his food.

"Yes," he replied, smiling his gratitude.

"What do you say Jess?" Luke nudged him.

"Fank you," he said shyly before tucking into his food like everybody else.

"Granma," Rory addressed, looking over at Emily. There was that word again; Jess had heard it many times after the conversation he'd had with Luke in the car, and he was beginning to wonder if these two people were his grandma and grandpa too.

"Yes Rory?"

"More carrots," she said, rubbing her stomach to show that she'd eaten them already.

"Zelda," Emily called. As the maid was spooning carrots onto Rory's plate, Jess looked over at Emily curiously.

"Grandma?" he asked. Lorelai eyes flew up from her plate and looked at Jess, as did everyone else in the room, except Rory, for she was too busy shovelling carrots into her mouth to care about her surroundings.

"Excuse me?" Emily asked kindly.

"Grandma," he repeated, pointing over to her. "Grandpa," he said while pointing to Richard.

"No Jess," Luke told him, shaking his head as he did so. "This isn't your grandma and grandpa." Jess furrowed his brows as he stared at his uncle in confusion.

"Where grandma n grandpa?" he questioned him. Luke glanced up at Lorelai; she was twisting her mouth nervously as she awaited Luke's answer. He then looked between the elder Gilmores, who were watching the exchange curiously. Luke sighed, knowing he'd have to tell Jess the truth, right here, right now.

"Your grandparents, um..." Luke paused, not knowing what to say. "God, how do I explain this to him?" he asked the adults in the room.

"If we change the subject he might forget about it," Emily suggested. "Children have short memory spans." Luke shook his head.

"Not Jess, unfortunately," he told her. "He remembers every little detail."

"Oh well..." Emily was at a loss on what to do.

"Uncle Luke," Jess reminded him. Luke looked back at him to find his nephew's little face staring back at him, eyes wide, as he waited for an answer to his question. He definitely wasn't gonna forget this.

"Maybe you should tell him the truth," said Lorelai. Luke sighed.

"He won't understand," he said knowingly.

"Well, can I try?" she asked. When Luke nodded, Lorelai turned her attention to Jess. "Hey Jess, you know in Casper there are lots of ghosts?" she asked. Jess nodded.

"You can't see your grandma and grandpa anymore; they're ghosts now, just like Casper," she explained.

"Nice ghosts?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, they're really nice ghosts, they wouldn't hurt anybody." She smiled at Luke, then looked at Jess again. "So even though you can't see them, they're always near you and they'll always be watching over you to make sure you're ok." Jess' eyes widened.

"Now?" he asked, just above a whisper. Lorelai nodded, and Jess began looking around the room cautiously, like he was expecting something to happen if he moved too quickly. "Hi grandma, hi grandpa," he said into thin air, a smile coming to his lips as he said it. He then sighed and picked up his spoon, scooping some mashed potatoes into his mouth. Luke looked over to Lorelai; he was slightly overcome with emotion but managed to choke it back to avoid embarrassment on his part.

"Thank you," he mouthed to her across the table. She shrugged in return then picked up her knife and fork, as everyone continued eating their meals.

XXXX

Lorelai parked up outside Liz's apartment and watched as Luke got Jess out of the back seat. He was nearly falling asleep so he carried him over to the front door and knocked a couple of times. When Liz answered, she looked a little panicked.

"There you are!" she exclaimed as she took her son from him and hugged him close. "Hey Jessie, momma's here." Jess huddled close to her and closed his eyes contentedly. "Why did you take him? TJ was looking after him."

"Well TJ is a moron," he retorted, raising his voice straight away.

"He's not Luke, he's my boyfriend and I left my son with him. If I'd have wanted you to take care of him I would have asked you, but I didn't so you had no right to take him with you," she shouted.

"He's not capable of looking after Jess, Liz."

"How do you know? You don't know anything about him; you don't even know his real name!"

"Yeah and I don't wanna," he bellowed. "I know enough from what I saw today, do you have any idea what happened while you were gone?"

"Jess was playing hide and seek," she shrugged. "And TJ couldn't find him."

"First of all, Jess wasn't playing hide and seek, he was hiding from your idiotic boyfriend cause he hates him so much. Second, TJ left Jess to hide for two hours while he watched TV and drank beer, and then he came over to the diner, leaving Jess in the house by himself, to tell me that he'd lost Jess and couldn't find him. He's irresponsible!"

"Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about," she argued.

"No, I know exactly what I'm talking about. Jess hates that guy and you know it. How can you stay with someone your son despises, are you trying to make him unhappy?"

"How can you say that? I've given everything up for my kid, everything. And you have the nerve to tell me that I'm making him unhappy? Who are you? Cause you're definitely not my brother." Luke inhaled deeply.

"I'm just looking out for you Liz, I don't want you to get hurt the way Jimmy hurt you, or the way that guy when you were fourteen broke your heart," he said. "Please listen to me."

"I can make my own decisions, you know, I'm not like Lorelai who depends on you for everything and has you playing daddy to her kid." Luke froze; no way was she dragging Lorelai and Rory into this mess.

"You leave Lorelai out of this, you hear me? She has worked so hard to keep Rory in clothes and diapers; she's made sure she's as happy as she can be. She does not depend on me for everything, she's been earning more money than me this year and she's been the one to pay for things we need. She's made Rory's clothes because she can't afford to buy her new ones, and she's sewn up our old ones so we can keep wearing them." He took a deep breath.

"And if you think that she's forcing me to be Rory's dad, then you're wrong, cause it was my decision. I wanted to be able to say that Rory's my daughter, and I care more about the two of them than I do about myself. So don't you dare stand there and badmouth her to me, you have no right." He was fuming with his sister right now; if she was a guy, he would have punched her by now.

"Look at you, Mr Sensitive," she spat. Luke took a deep, heavy breath to cut his anger a little bit.

"You know, we took Jess to dinner tonight at Lorelai's parents' house," he told her, his voice still slightly raised. "And Jess picked up on the whole grandparent thing from Rory, so he started asking where his grandma and grandpa were." Luke seemed to have hit a nerve, because she wasn't saying anything, she was focussing on a spot on the floor.

"So Lorelai, being the kind person that she is, explained to him that his grandparents are ghosts now, just like Casper or something, and that they're always watching him to make sure he's ok." Liz's eyes had filled up with tears and a few were running down her cheeks. "You should have been the one to tell him that, Liz. Rory knows about mom and dad; we took her to see their headstones last year, so why didn't you tell Jess? Why did he have to find out from somebody else that his grandparents are dead?"

He looked down at the floor himself as he said that last part, and he sniffled slightly, trying to hold his tears in. "I can't deal with this, you need to sort your priorities out, Jess should always come first, not some useless boyfriend you've known for two minutes." He turned around and headed out of the door.

"Uncle Luke?" Jess asked quietly as he watched his male role model leave. Luke didn't hear him though, and continued walking to the car, closing the front door behind him. He climbed into the passenger seat, and Lorelai immediately noticed how drained he looked.

"Everything ok?" she asked.

"Let's just go home, ok? I'll tell you about it tomorrow." Lorelai nodded and turned the engine on, before driving in the direction of the Independence, while Luke sat next to her wondering if his sister would ever speak to him again.

**I actually can't wait to write the next chapter :D It's a shame I have to work on Saturday and Sunday so I won't be able to write then, it'll have to be next week. I hope you all liked it, it took a lot of thinking to find something that I could base the chapter on that would include a lot of Jess, but I did it! **

**Please leave a review if you liked it, if you didn't, don't :P. See you in the next chapter.**

**Emily.**


	67. Making Amends

**I know it's been a few weeks since I updated, but I've been mega busy in that time and I've just finished this off quickly before I have to go out again. **

**Thanks for everyone's reviews in the last chapter, much appreciated :D **

**I hope you enjoy this, the next chapter is going to be good, and the one after that will be even better...I promise!**

Liz Danes had grown up a lot in the last two years. She had spent the majority of her teens rebelling against her father; drinking, smoking, taking drugs and sleeping with any man that would take her, all to make her father understand her better. None of it worked though, because the crazier Liz became, the more he wondered what was causing her rebellion, and all he wanted to know was why his baby girl was turning into such a monster.

But then Jess was born, and Liz calmed down a little. William thrived as he watched his daughter act so motherly, and he loved his grandson very much. When he died though, Liz went off the rails a little bit and found it hard to take care of Jess on top of her grief. Her brother helped her out though, and he made her realise that Jess was the most important thing in her life, and that she should pull herself together for his sake. So that's exactly what she did.

Now though, now she was rebelling against her brother because he didn't like the guy she was seeing at the moment. She didn't want to fight with Luke and no longer speak to him, but he was overreacting and dragging TJ's name through the mud, and she wouldn't stand for that. It had been eight days since that fight, eight days since she had last seen her brother and eight days since she had left her apartment.

"Momma," Jess addressed her, pulling her out of her thoughts. He was sitting on the couch next to her as they watched some TV show about sea creatures.

"Yes baby?" she asked. She looked down into her son's innocent brown eyes, and her heart melted.

"Where Uncle Luke?" he questioned her. He looked so lost and confused, and she knew that she was doing the wrong thing by keeping him away from his uncle, especially since Luke was the only proper male role model in her son's life.

"I don't know, Jessie," she answered after mulling it over. She didn't know what to tell him, he wouldn't understand what was going on even if she told him.

"Miss him," he murmured sadly.

"I know, I miss him too," she replied.

"Auntie Lolai too," he said with a nod. He sighed heavily as he averted his gaze to the TV. "Rory," he added.

"It'll be ok, buddy, we'll see them soon," she lied.

"Torrow?"

"Maybe tomorrow," she nodded. She took her attention back to the TV, letting Jess know that that was the end of the discussion.

XXXX

Luke had been grumpy since the fight, and Lorelai was fed up of it. He had snapped at Rory on several occasions when she didn't deserve it, and it was making the little girl miserable having her father be so mean to her. Lorelai had just got off for her lunch break and she was making her way to the diner to talk to him. She needed to make him see sense.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when she entered his workplace.

"I wanted to talk to you," she told him as she removed her scarf from around her neck.

"Yeah, well I told you I didn't want you in here while the work was being done, it's dangerous." His tone was sour, and Lorelai snapped. She didn't like being treated like crap for no reason and she wasn't gonna put up with it anymore.

"Look, I know Liz isn't speaking to you at the moment and I know you miss her, but there's no need to take it out on Rory and I." Luke looked up at her, the edge in her voice catching his attention.

"I...I haven't," he replied.

"Yes you have!" she argued. "You come home and start moping around the shed, then you snap at Rory when she hasn't even done anything wrong." Luke looked down at his feet ashamedly; he didn't mean to snap at Rory, he didn't even realise he was doing it sometimes. This thing with Liz was really getting to him.

"I'm sorry," he shrugged. "It won't happen again." He turned and rounded the counter, picking up a piece of sandpaper as he went.

"Luke," she sighed. "This isn't about Rory; it's about your relationship with your sister." He shook his head.

"It isn't," he declined.

"Yeah, it is," she told him. "It's affecting you, I can see it. You've been moping around since that argument you had."

"I'm fine."

"You're not..." Luke cut her off.

"Just leave it, Lorelai," he warned her. "She's the one in the wrong, and she'll be the one running back to me when she's come to her senses." Lorelai's shoulders slumped. She wished Luke would stop being so damn stubborn and make up with Liz already, Jess had to be missing his uncle.

"Ok, fine," she agreed. "I have to get back to the inn." She turned around to leave, but Luke rounded the counter and gently grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, I'll see you when I get home, ok?" he asked.

"Ok," she answered. Luke gave her a quick kiss, and watched as she walked along the street.

Lorelai had no intention of going back to the inn just yet; she still had forty five minutes left of her lunch break, and she could only think of once place she'd like to spend it. She walked across the town square, heading straight towards Liz's apartment. She didn't know what she was gonna say when she got there, but she had to try and stop the siblings from warring with each other, and get them back to how they were before.

"What are you doing here?" Liz asked when she answered the door. She looked like she'd just rolled out of bed; her hair was sticking up, no makeup on and she was wearing her pyjamas.

"I was hoping we could talk," she replied.

"I'm busy," she said, before making a move to close the door. Lorelai put her hand in the way to stop her and looked at her pleadingly.

"Please Liz, this is important." There was a pause where Liz decided what to do. Finally, she opened the door slowly and moved to the side to let Lorelai in.

"So what is this about?" she asked as she watched Lorelai take a seat on the couch.

"I think you know," she said matter-of-factly.

"I don't wanna talk about Luke," she mumbled.

"Liz," she started. "He's only looking out for you and Jess; he wants what's best for you."

"He doesn't know what's best for me though," she said in frustration. "If he did, he'd know how much TJ means to me and he wouldn't have said those things about him." Lorelai sighed.

"Look, he's just trying to keep you safe," she told her. "After what happened with your last boyfriend can you really blame him?"

"TJ is nothing like Jimmy," she muttered, defending her boyfriend.

"I know that, but I think Luke's worried you're gonna get your heart broken all over again. He cares about you so much, and I think he'd struggle to live without you in his life."

"Yeah, well, he's gonna find out what that's like soon enough," she admitted quietly.

"What do you mean?" Liz sighed.

"TJ, Jess and I are moving to New York," she informed her. Lorelai's jaw dropped to the floor.

"What, when?"

"As soon as we find a place to live, I can't stand this town anymore, I need a fresh start."

"But, what about Luke?" she asked frantically. "And Jess?"

"It'll be good for Jess, and Luke'll get over it," she shrugged. Lorelai began shaking her head; there was no way this could go ahead.

"No, it'll kill him," she told her. "You're the only blood relative he has left, you can't just leave. He's been miserable the last eight days; I can't even begin to imagine what he'd be like if you left for good."

"I don't care," she said honestly. "He's the one in the wrong, and I'm not speaking to him until he comes and apologises to TJ."

"Well I don't think that's gonna happen," she said.

"Then it looks like I'm moving to New York," she said nonchalantly. "Bye Lorelai." She held the door open for her to leave, and Lorelai slowly walked past with her head bowed. She turned around when she was on the doorstep, not bothering to hide her sadness over the whole situation.

"You're making a mistake." Liz simply shrugged her shoulders before closing the door in Lorelai's face. She had never known Liz be so rude to her, but she hoped that the brother and sister would stop being so stubborn and just make up already.

XXXX

Lorelai left the bathroom later that night to find Luke situated on the couch with Rory sitting on his belly. She stopped when she heard her daughter ask Luke something, and she didn't want to interrupt their conversation so she stayed quiet.

"Daddy?" Rory addressed as she took her attention away from the television.

"Yeah Ror?" he asked, beginning to stroke through her hair with his fingers.

"Where Jess?" Lorelai heard Luke sigh heavily, before shaking his head.

"He's at home, with Aunt Liz," he answered her. Rory seemed confused by this.

"See Jess?"

"No, we can't go see him," he refused.

"Pwease?" she asked sweetly.

"Look, Aunt Liz is mad with daddy right now, so we can't go see Jess." Rory pouted.

"Soon?"

"Hopefully," he sighed. "Hopefully we'll see them both again soon."

Lorelai listened as he tried to explain to their daughter why she hadn't seen her best friend in over a week, a tinge of sadness swimming in her heart. She didn't know if she should tell Luke about Liz's plans; it would surely upset him, but if she did tell him then he might be able to stop it from happening, talk her out of it in some way.

"Hey," said Luke, obviously just noticing her presence. "Good shower?"

"Hmm, oh yeah," she replied as she made her way over to the couch and plopped down next to him.

"You ok?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm fine," she shrugged. "Just tired."

"Wanna get an early night?"

"You know what'd be better?" Luke shook his head, asking her to continue. "Coffee."

"Should have known," he chuckled. "Hang on, I'll make some." He got up and put Rory on the couch, before heading over to the kitchen area to make a pot of coffee. Lorelai settled back into the cushions and pulled Rory into her lap, wrapping her arms around the girl tightly. Luke noticed this and furrowed his eyebrows, wondering if she was still upset about their minor argument earlier.

As the last of the coffee dropped into the pot, he grabbed a Lorelai's mug and filled it generously, before walking over to the couch and resting it on the coffee table.

"Thanks," she muttered with a quick smile as she picked up the mug and took a few gulps. Luke sat down next to the girls and glanced over at his girlfriend as she focussed on the TV again.

"So what's going on with you?" he asked hesitantly. Lorelai turned her head to look at him, a frown sitting on her lips.

"Nothing," she replied brightly. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "You just seem quiet is all." Lorelai kept the smile on her lips to avoid suspicion on Luke's part, as she turned her attention back to the TV.

"I'm fine," she assured him, before they went into silence. For Luke it was comfortable, and he slouched further into the couch, but for Lorelai it was nothing but awkward, as she worried about Luke's reaction to Liz's decisions. She squirmed in her seat, causing Rory to give her an annoyed glance.

"You know what?" she asked after a few minutes of the unbearable silence. Luke looked at her, but didn't answer, mainly because she didn't give him a chance to get a word in edgeways. "I'm not fine, I'm so not fine," she blurted, before she could stop herself. An immediate look of concern flashed across Luke's face, and he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Is it about earlier in the diner?" he questioned. Lorelai shook her head insistently and Luke's expression changed to one of confusion.

"I went to see Liz today," she told him. "After I left the diner." Luke looked down at Rory for a moment or two, trying to process what she had just told him.

"Why?" he eventually asked.

"I...you were hurting, I could tell, and I wanted to try to make the two of you see sense." She took a deep breath. "But she wouldn't listen to me."

"She's being stubborn, she'll come around eventually," he said surely. "And until she does, I don't want anything to do with her." Lorelai blinked a few times; that was exactly the problem here.

"Luke," she began. "She wants you to apologise for what you said about TJ."

"I have nothing to apologise for!"

"I know, but it's the only way to stop her," she pleaded. Luke was confused again.

"Stop her from doing what?" he asked. This was it. Lorelai took a very deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. That was when he started to worry. "Lorelai," he warned.

"She's gonna move to New York with TJ and Jess," she said in a rush. "And the only way we can get her to stay is by apologising, she just wants everyone to get along." Luke was fuming by the end of her admission, and he jumped up from his seat quickly.

"There is absolutely no freaking way she's moving to New York," he said angrily as he threw on his coat.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to stop this, Lorelai," he shouted. "She can't leave." Lorelai got up from the couch and placed Rory back on it, before hurrying over to stand in front of the door.

"Don't go over there," she warned him.

"I have to, she's gonna leave if I don't," he said frantically.

"But you'll just make things worse if you go round there all guns blazing."

"Well I need to do something, I'm not just gonna sit here and let this happen." Lorelai took hold of his hand and ran her fingers over the back of it.

"You could apologise," she suggested. Luke shook his head incredulously.

"It's not me that needs to though," he muttered frustratedly. "What do I have to apologise for, huh?" Lorelai laced her fingers through his and led him over to their bed, perching on the edge of it and gesturing for him to do the same.

"Look, the whole thing with Jess and TJ got blown way out of proportion, and you may have...overreacted a little." Luke's eyebrows rose as she spoke.

"You think I overreacted?" he asked. She rolled her eyes in return.

"Just hear me out." She cleared her throat before continuing. "I know TJ wasn't exactly the best babysitter in the world, and it's obvious that Jess has some issues with his mom's new boyfriend, but maybe you were wrong to take him with you. I mean, Liz put her trust in TJ to take care of her son; she chose to leave Jess with him all afternoon so you should have respected that decision."

Luke couldn't believe she was telling him all of this now, after eight whole days of not talking to his sister. He stared at her intently as his mind once again processed everything she was saying to him. He didn't want to admit that he was in the wrong, he hated being wrong and he knew that he'd be made a fool out of if he broke. He shook himself out of his thoughts and thought about how he should respond.

"I thought he was in danger," he told her. "He'd been in that closet for two hours with no food, drink or entertainment; do you blame me for being angry?"

"No, you had a right to be mad, but all I'm saying is you should cut the guy a bit of slack. He doesn't smoke, or do drugs like her last boyfriend did and he doesn't drink excessively. I know he didn't do a great job of looking after Jess but that was his first babysitting experience. Do you remember the first time I left you alone with Rory for the day?" Luke sighed begrudgingly.

"Yeah, I admit I was a little nervous that day," he mumbled, having a hard time admitting that he might have been wrong to attack TJ like he did.

"Exactly, and Rory's probably the easiest kid in the world," she told him. "Jess is a little harder to control than she is, not because he's badly behaved or whatever, but because he's a guy and they tend to be a bit more complex." Luke scoffed.

"Please, I will never fully understand you women," he retorted. Lorelai smiled slightly.

"Just give the guy a chance," she shrugged. "He's twenty one, he's not used to dealing with kids, but I'm sure he'll learn, just like you did." Luke exhaled loudly before nodding his head ever so slightly. "Is that a yes?"

"Ok," he muttered.

"And you're gonna apologise?" she asked, just to make sure.

"Huh? You said to give him some slack, there was nothing in there about apologising." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Luke, do you really want your sister and two year old nephew to move to a whole other state?" she questioned. "Wouldn't you rather they were in the same town so you can keep TJ in line?" Luke exhaled again; he hated it when she was right, and it happened a lot.

"Yes," he admitted.

"So in order for that to happen, you have to apologise to your sister's boyfriend," she finished for him.

"Fine," he agreed. He hated this, but if it would get Liz to speak to him again, he'd do it.

"Pinkie swear?"

"I am not doing that," he said, pushing her hand away. "But I promise you I will go see Liz tomorrow."

"Good," she said happily as she stood up from the bed and made her way back over to the couch. It was nearing eight thirty and Rory was still watching TV. "Are you getting a little sleepy, hon?" she asked as she plonked down next to her daughter. Rory shook her head and pointed to the screen.

"TV," she said with a nod.

"It's past your bedtime, missy," she sighed. "Let's get your PJs on, huh?" She began to move the girl, but Rory protested.

"Noooo," she whined, trying to cling onto the arm of the couch. Lorelai rolled her eyes; she'd had a really long day and she didn't need a temper tantrum from Rory right now.

"Rory," she said sternly. "It's time to go to bed." Rory pouted as Lorelai lifted her to her hip, and she grabbed hold of a handful of her mother's hair, tugging on it insistently. "Ouch, don't pull mommy's hair," she warned, trying to pry her hand away. Rory began whining again, so Luke stepped in and took her from Lorelai.

"Stop it right now," he told her in his 'don't mess with me' voice. Rory immediately stopped her whining but proceeded to squirm in his arms instead. "So I guess we haven't managed to dodge the terrible twos after all."

"I think she's just tired," she guessed. "It's already past her bedtime."

"It's just getting her to bed that's the problem," he said thoughtfully.

"Hey Ror?" she asked, catching the attention of the squirming two year old. "If you don't do as daddy tells you, he won't read you a story tonight." Rory seemed to ponder over this statement, before her mood changed abruptly.

"Story daddy," she pleaded as she looked up at him with the 'Rory' face that he couldn't say no to. He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, causing her to smile to widen a little more.

"If I read you a story will you go to sleep?"

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Promise?"

"Pinkie," she said as she held her little finger out to him. Luke rolled his eyes and looked at Lorelai, who was smiling proudly at her daughter.

"I taught her that," she gushed, before joining her pinkie with Rory's and squeezing it gently. Rory giggled then looked up at her father, urging him to hurry up.

"Story," she prodded as she pointed towards her bedroom. Luke nodded and began walking in that direction, before looking back at Lorelai.

"You coming to read the story?" he asked her.

"You guys go ahead, I'm gonna watch TV for a little while." Luke accepted that and watched as she said her goodnights to Rory, before disappearing into the next room.

"Ok, what story shall we read tonight?" he asked as he perused her book collection. They had read each of the books there at least twice, and he didn't feel like going through The Hare and the Tortoise again, so he chose to make his own story up. He watched Rory climb onto her bed and pull back the covers, before patting the space next to her.

"Way here," she told him tiredly. Luke smiled slightly and climbed onto the bed next to her, watching in amusement as she threw three quarters of her duvet over him, leaving a sufficient amount for herself. He lay next to her and slung his arm around her, as he thought of a suitable story to tell her.

"Ok, I've got a story," he said as he shuffled a little to get more comfortable. "Once upon a time, there was a grumpy old man, well he wasn't old but let's just go with that. Anyway the grumpy man owned a diner and he hardly ever spoke to anybody, he lived alone and he liked it that way." He looked down at Rory and found she was listening intently. "One day, a lady went into his diner and started annoying him for a cup of coffee."

"Princess?" she asked.

"Yeah, she is a bit like a princess," he agreed. "The grumpy man noticed how beautiful the princess was, but he knew she was way too pretty to go out with a guy like him. The next day, the princess went into the diner again, but this time she brought her baby with her, and do you know what her baby was called?" Rory shook her head. "Her name was Rory," he told her.

"My name," she said happily. Luke smiled down at her before carrying on with his story.

Lorelai switched the TV off then made her way over to Rory's room. She would have thought they'd have finished with their story by now, but it was obviously a long one.

"And the princess, the grumpy man and the baby lived happily ever after," she heard him finish. He sighed and looked down at the sleeping Rory, as Lorelai poked her head around the door.

"Hey," she whispered, catching his attention. He smiled in reply then carefully shuffled off of Rory's bed, tucking the covers around her the way she liked them. "That was a long story," she observed.

"I guess," he shrugged before leaving a kiss on Rory's forehead. Lorelai did the same, they whispered their goodnights, then left the room, heading back into the living room.

"Did I hear something about a princess and a grumpy man?" she asked him as they settled back on the couch.

"Maybe," he replied. "What's it to you?" He had a gleam in his eye and Lorelai smiled mischievously.

"Am I the princess?"

"Someone's getting a little big-headed," he chuckled as he put his arm around her and pulled her against him.

"Well I know for a fact that you were the grumpy man," she pointed out. Luke put on a hurt expression and she giggled slightly. "Ok, so you're not that grumpy anymore, but you do have your moments."

"I am shocked," he said seriously. Lorelai leaned down to kiss him, then moved her mouth to his neck.

"So if you're the grumpy man and Rory's obviously the baby, that makes me the princess," she said between kisses and nibbles.

"Yes it does," he agreed, not able to form a coherent sentence with the attention she was giving his neck. Lorelai pulled her lips away abruptly and grinned again.

"Aw, you think I'm a princess?" she cooed. "You're such a softie, Luke." He rolled his eyes, before he flipped them over on the couch so he was hovering over her. "Ooh, someone's keen," she giggled.

"Stop talking," he demanded, putting a finger to her lips.

"Impossible."

"Just for a second," he bargained. Lorelai looked up at him with a glint in her eye, one that sometimes worried Luke, but also excited him.

"I hope this is gonna last longer than a minute, Lucas," she said in all seriousness.

"It won't happen at all if you keep rambling," he threatened. She smiled again and opened her mouth to speak, but quickly decided against it. Instead she pulled his head down to hers, and what started out as just a conversation, now turned into a race of who could undress each other the quickest.

XXXX

After his talk with Lorelai about Liz the previous night, he knew he had to be nice so she wouldn't move to New York. He definitely didn't want her to move, he'd watched her come so far in the past year and he didn't want to see that progress being thrown away over a stupid fight. So as he neared Liz's apartment, holding onto Rory's hand, he went over in his head what he was gonna say.

"Luke," Liz greeted in surprise when she answered the door. She looked down and noticed Rory standing next to him. "What are you doing here?" Luke sighed resignedly.

"I came to uh...can we come in? It feels weird doing this on your doorstep." Liz looked uncertain for a moment, but she finally nodded and stepped aside to let him in. Luke immediately noticed TJ sitting on the couch, and Jess sitting next to him, surprisingly they were getting along.

"Luke," said TJ when he noticed Liz's brother standing there. Jess' head snapped around at the mention of his one and only uncle, and the largest grin imaginable took over his face.

"Uncle Luke!" he screeched, shuffling off the couch and scurrying over to him. Luke smiled warmly and hugged his nephew, as the boy squeezed his legs tightly. "Miss you," he mumbled into Luke's knees.

"I missed you too, bud," he assured him. The little boy pulled away and smiled widely again, before noticing who was standing next to his uncle.

"Rory!" he said excitedly. He bounced on the spot for a moment or two before bounding over to his best friend and smashing into her.

"Hi Jess," she replied, just as happily. She returned his hug as both of them giggled and jumped on the spot slightly, while all the adults watched them in amusement.

"Come play," he told her, taking hold of her hand and guiding her over to his pile of toys. Rory gladly followed and the two plopped down onto the floor, shutting out the world around them.

"So what did you come here to say?" Liz prompted. Luke turned his attention to his sister and swallowed thickly.

"I wanted to ap...uh..." He paused. This was really hard for him to say; he still believed he was right and she was wrong, but he knew he had to apologise or else she'd move away. "I came to apologise," he said quickly, sounding as sincere as he could.

"Really?" she asked, once again surprised.

"Yeah, I was uh...out of line before, I shouldn't have taken Jess and shouted at you like I did," he mumbled. Liz nodded as her eyes clouded with tears; she was always an emotional person.

"I missed you, big brother," she said as she moved forward to hug him. Luke hugged her back and rested his chin on the top of her head, glad to be reunited with his crazy little sister.

"Listen, I...I don't want you to move to New York," he admitted. "You're the only real family I have left and I don't know what I'd do if..." Liz cut him off by placing her hand over his mouth.

"We're not moving," she clarified.

"You're not?" She shook her head. "But Lorelai said..."

"There was a change in plans," she shrugged. "Anyway, I could never take Jess away from his favourite uncle."

"I'm his only uncle," he pointed out.

"Exactly," she grinned. "I'm sorry for what I said about Lorelai and Rory; you know I didn't mean it right?"

"I know," he said, smiling softly. "I didn't tell her about it anyway, so you're ok." Liz sighed with relief.

"Thank god, I don't know what I'd do if she hated me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Luke chuckled then looked over at TJ.

"Hey TJ," he said as he stepped closer to the couch. The man looked up at him questioningly, and Luke simply held his hand out to him. TJ didn't understand at first, and he just stared at him, but he finally caught on to Luke's gesture and jumped up from his place on the couch, rushing to shake his hand.

"What is this, Luke?" he asked in his gormless tone. Luke simply shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"I can tolerate you, for Liz's sake," he shrugged. A small smile broke out on TJ's face, and it soon broke out into a full on grin. He let go of Luke's hand and wrapped his arms around him instead, patting his back in a typical manly hug. "Jeez," he muttered.

"Hey, you know what TJ stands for?" he suddenly asked, pulling out of their hug. Luke shook his head. "Go on, take a guess," he prodded.

"Uh...Thomas Jefferson," he said off the top of his head.

"Wrong," he said. "Guess again." Luke sighed heavily.

"I don't know, TJ," he replied.

"Go on, just take a wild guess."

"I have to get back to the diner, will you just tell me already?" he asked tiredly. TJ paused dramatically before revealing his real name.

"Gary," he eventually uncovered. Luke creased his brow as he processed the information, then shook his head.

"Ok, well we should be getting back," he told them, gesturing for Rory to go over to him. He looked at TJ and put on his 'serious' face. "I want you to look after them," he said. "If you hurt either of them, I'll hunt you down, understand?" He saw TJ gulp, before mechanically nodding his head. "Ok, glad we're on the same page here."

He turned to Liz and saw she had a smile on her face from the words just spoken between her brother and her boyfriend. "I'll come round and see you guys soon," he told her as he fastened Rory's coat up. "Say bye to Jess, Rory."

"Bye bye," she muttered, waving her hand around randomly. The boy went over to them and left a light kiss on her cheek, before shyly looking up at his uncle.

"Bye Uncle Luke."

"See ya, buddy, keep those hands to yourself," he warned him with a chuckle.

He left Liz's apartment contented with the way the conversation had turned out, he just hoped that TJ didn't mess up and hurt two of the people he cared about the most.

XXXX

Luke made it back to the diner with Rory after leaving Liz's place, and stopped just inside the doorway. He looked around what was so close to being his establishment again, and smiled to himself.

"We're almost there, Ror," he said as he looked down at her. She smiled up at him then tried to break free from his hand, but he kept a tight grip on it. "Now we just need paint."

Everything was falling back into place for him, and he couldn't have been happier.

**Hope you all liked it...I will try to update quickly this time, I am quite excited about the next chapter :P There will be seven more chapters of this before we reach the end and it will get better from here.**

**Please review, I hope you're all still there! I promise I will see you soon.**

**Emily.**


	68. The Grand ReOpening

**Hello lovely readers :D **

**So it's been twelve days, I counted, but it isn't all that long really. I was having a bit of trouble with this chapter and things to include in it, but I finally managed to finish it ten days after I started. **

**Thanks for the reviews, I love love love reading them! And also, a celebration is in order cause I've had a little over 100, 000 hits for this story in total! That is actually unbelievable, I am so grateful to everyone that has ever read, reviewed, subscribed and favourited this story, thaaaaaaanks.**

**Anyway, the show must go on...**

"Luke, where are you taking me?" Lorelai asked as he guided her along the street. She was blindfolded and had no idea what was going on, all she knew was that Rory was having a sleepover at Mia's that night.

"You'll see in a minute," he replied patiently. She heard the jingle of bells above her head, and her forehead creased.

"What was that?" she asked confusedly. "Was that a bell?"

"Yes it was a bell," he sighed. He was beginning to get tired of this blindfold thing already, and she'd only been wearing the damn thing for five minutes.

"Well where did it come from?" She paused for a moment, taking in the smell of freshly sanded wood. "Are we in the diner? Did you get a new bell for the door?" He couldn't take it anymore; he brought his hands up to the back of her head and untied the knot, letting the scarf fall from her face. "I knew we were in the diner!" she exclaimed. "And you got a new bell above the door, that's so cool."

She looked around the room, taking in all the little features around the place. Luke had worked so hard on it, and it had paid off, for now the once destroyed diner was looking better than it had ever done before. "The place looks great Luke, you've done an amazing job here," she said approvingly. She noticed the floor and the countertops were covered with old sheets, and she looked up at Luke questioningly. "What are all these for?"

"I thought I'd surprise you with this tonight," he began. "It's finished." Lorelai furrowed her brows.

"What, the diner's finished you mean?" she asked to make sure.

"Yup, all that needs doing is the painting, and you remember how I promised you..." He was cut off by Lorelai bounding into him, almost knocking him to the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped up and down.

"We're painting tonight?" she questioned through her giddiness.

"Yes we are," he confirmed. She pulled away to look at him, a look of confusion on her face again.

"But...we never decided on a colour."

"I looked through that catalogue you left out and saw the ones you circled," he explained. "I narrowed it down from there then." Lorelai rubbed her hands together, wondering which he had picked.

"So, which one?" she asked eagerly. Luke held a finger up to tell her to wait a moment, then he disappeared into the storage room. He returned a few minutes later carrying two tins of paint, and he set them down on the covered counter. "Aw you chose the teal, I love the teal," she gushed. "Where are the rollers and the brushes and every other painting tool we're gonna need?"

"Behind the counter," he told her. She went behind and pulled everything out, tossing a brush at him.

"This is so cool," she ranted. "I can't believe you planned this for us to do tonight."

"Well I promised you could help with the painting," he shrugged. "I was just keeping true to my word."

"So it's almost finished huh? When do you think it'll reopen?"

"I'm aiming for Monday," he said with a nod, causing Lorelai's eyes to nearly bug out of her head.

"Really, that soon?" she asked in shock.

"Yeah, all we have to do is paint, get the smaller appliances in and arrange all the tables," he said. "I have a big food order coming in tomorrow so I can get that into the store room and the tables are being delivered on Sunday. Taylor's printing up fliers to put up around town too."

"Wow, you've got it all planned haven't you? Why didn't you tell me you were planning on opening the diner in five days?" she mock-questioned. She actually couldn't believe it.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he shrugged.

"Well it worked; I am super surprised, look at my eyebrows." She pointed to her plucked brows and raised them considerably, causing Luke to chuckle.

"Come here Crazy Lady," he said as he pulled her into a hug and kissed her soundly. Lorelai smiled into the kiss, but pulled away after a short while as they were wasting valuable painting time.

"Less canoodling, more painting," she said firmly as she turned around to pick up a roller and watched as Luke poured the smooth paint into a tray. She covered the tool generously, then glided it up and down the walls, smiling as she did so. "This is fun," she gushed, running it over the wall more enthusiastically.

"Glad you think so," he chuckled, picking up his own roller and starting on the opposite wall. She turned around to watch him.

"What are you doing all the way over there?" she asked as she pouted at him.

"Well I thought we'd get it done quicker if we each painted a different wall," he shrugged. "There's no point in painting the same wall at the same time."

"But...you're too far away," she whined. Luke rolled his eyes and picked up his paint tray.

"I'll do this wall instead if it'll make you happy," he grumbled.

"It will," she confirmed. She stood and watched him for a moment, noticing how his shirt rode up when he painted near the ceiling, and how his jeans became tighter around his ass as he stretched. She smiled smugly to herself, while Luke sighed, not turning to look at her.

"Are you actually gonna do some painting tonight?" he asked her. "Cause so far all you've done is stare at my ass." Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, unable to stop the blush from creeping into her cheeks.

"I was admiring my reward," she told him.

"Reward for what?"

"For finishing the painting of course," she said, like it was obvious. "We finish this, clean the diner up then leave it to dry. When we leave it, I get to have my way with you, as a reward."

"Oh really?"

"It's only fair, Luke," she shrugged. "And I highly doubt you'll be able to say no."

"I wouldn't decline if my life depended on it," he said, without missing a beat. She smiled and turned back to face the wall.

"Glad we're on the same page." Luke grinned and turned back to his wall too, proceeding to cover more of it with the teal paint. They went into a comfortable silence where the only sound to be heard was the squelching on the paint as it was rolled onto the walls. They quickly finished their respective walls and moved on to the remaining ones, smiling at each other as they went. "How many coats do we need?" Lorelai asked as she set her roller down and watched Luke finish off the last little bit.

"We could probably do with another one, just to deepen the colour a little," he guessed.

"Ok, so what do we do while we wait for it to dry?" she asked slyly. Luke turned around and deposited his roller, before shaking his head warningly.

"Not whatever you're thinking of."

"How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"You've got that gleam in your eye, the one that either means I should be worried, or you're up to something," he said knowingly.

"I'm not up to anything," she told him innocently. "I was just trying to think of what we could do to pass the time!"

"And you have a one track mind, so it's not hard to guess what you would have come up with." Lorelai scowled at him, narrowing her eyes as she stared him down.

"So is this your way of telling me we're not having sex until we get home?"

"That's exactly what it is," he confirmed with a nod.

"Well what should we do then? I don't just wanna sit here and watch paint dry."

"Hang on a second," he said, walking around the counter and going into the kitchen. He returned with two bottles and a white box. "Beer?" he asked, holding one out to her. Her mouth dropped open in mock-disgust.

"Lucas Danes, where did you get beer from exactly?"

"TJ," he shrugged. Lorelai gasped. "What? He's gotta be useful for something." She laughed slightly and allowed Luke to pop the cap off her bottle, before doing the same with his own. They took tentative sips, both revelling in the chilled liquid as it travelled down their throats.

"What's in the box?" she asked after a moment or two. Luke looked down at the plain white box then lifted the lid off, revealing a familiar mat with coloured circles on it. "Twister," she exclaimed. "Where did you get this, it's not mom's is it?"

"No, I bought it at a second hand shop," he replied. "They didn't have the original box so I got it cheaper."

"Cool!" she gushed as she pulled the mat out and laid it on the floor. "This is gonna be fun."

"Ok, right hand blue," he told her.

"You're supposed to spin the pointer," she pointed out.

"But there are only two of us so we won't have enough hands to do it."

"What, so we just make it up?" Luke nodded, shrugging his shoulders to show there wasn't another way to do it. "Ooh this could be interesting," she said coyly as she rubbed her hands together mischievously.

"Right hand blue," he repeated, gesturing towards the mat. Lorelai complied and placed her hand on a blue circle.

After a lengthy game, Lorelai had both hands on red, her right foot on yellow and her left on green. Luke had his left foot on blue, his right on red, and both hands on green. They were facing opposite ways on the mat, and Luke's body was hovering above Lorelai's, both were facing downwards. Luke's head was hanging very close to Lorelai's rear end, and his crotch was just above her head, causing him to be feeling very warm right about now.

"How did we end up like this?" Luke asked, referring to their strange positioning.

"No idea," she lied, although she had planned it to turn out exactly like this. She moved her head up slightly so the top of it brushed against his jeans, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Please stop doing that," he warned her, trying to shuffle away from her but his foot slipped and he ended up toppling to the ground. Lorelai went with him, and he landed on top of her, his thighs sandwiching her head.

"Luke!" she gasped, a laugh bubbling up from her at their even weirder position. He quickly got up and held his hand out to her, urging her to her feet.

"Did I crush you?" he asked.

"Just a little."

"Good, serves you right for being so sneaky." She leaned forward and kissed him, before bending down and dabbing her finger in the paint, smudging it across his forehead.

"You're gonna pay for that," he said coyly as he picked up a paintbrush from the counter top. And that's how the paint fight started...

XXXX

Sunday evening brought Luke and Lorelai back to the diner, this time to set the layout for the tables that had been delivered that afternoon. Luke was busy taking all the protective plastic off them, while Lorelai examined the brand new coffee maker that Luke had installed the previous day. The room was looking like Luke's diner again, not just a construction site.

"Luke, this is awesome," she gushed as she mindlessly pressed buttons on the machine.

"Yeah, don't break it before I've had a chance to use it," he mumbled.

"No chance of that, my main goal before I die is to sample the first batch of heaven from this amazing piece of technology," she said, patting the plastic proudly. "God I wanna make love to this machine, that's how great it is."

"Not in the diner, it's unsanitary." He disposed of the plastic covering then started getting the tables down, placing them in random places until he could work out where to put them. Lorelai finally abandoned the coffee maker and strolled around behind the counter, coming across a piece of charred wood attached to the end of the counter.

"What's this?" she asked, running her fingers over it. It seemed to have something written on it, but she couldn't make out what it was.

"What?" he asked, coming around the counter. He spotted what she was talking about and sighed, before sitting on the floor next to the slab of wood. Lorelai did the same and waited patiently for him to explain it to her. "This was from the hardware store," he began. "It was a busy day and dad was taking an order over the phone, but he couldn't find any paper so he wrote it on the side of the counter." Lorelai smiled, admiring the piece of wood.

"It's nice that you've got it in here," she said.

"Yeah, I found it when I destroyed the remains of the counter, so I cut it up and sanded it down. I thought it'd be good to have something that belonged to him in here, seeing as I don't have all his tools and stuff anymore," he finished sadly.

"It was a good idea," she assured him, shuffling over to wrap her arm around his shoulders. She waited a beat before speaking again. "He would have been really proud of you." Luke shook his head.

"I doubt it," he muttered.

"No, he would," she insisted. "You've achieved so much since I met you, what's not to be proud of." Luke sighed and nodded, before leaving a kiss on her forehead.

"Come on, let's get this stuff sorted out," he changed the subject, dragging Lorelai to her feet. They lifted the tables into suitable places and surveyed their progress.

"Looks good," she said with a nod.

"Yeah," he agreed. He walked over to the two piles of chairs and started unloading them.

"How many chairs to a table?" asked Lorelai as she lifted two and placed them at the nearest table.

"Four at each," he replied. She nodded and placed them neatly around each one, with help from Luke. They brought the stools over to the counter, then looked over the dining area, pleased with the layout of things.

"It looks great," said Lorelai excitedly, clapping her hands together for added effect.

"There's a box full of mugs in the storage room," he told her. "Do you wanna grab it and start setting them out while I clean the tables?"

"You mean I'm actually allowed in there?" she asked in surprise.

"Just this once," he smiled a small smile, before she hurried out of the room. She returned with a cardboard box and set it on the counter, before opening it up and pulling out the first mug. It was a large round one, much like the one she used to drink out of before the fire, but it had her name printed just inside the rim.

"You got me my own mug?" she asked, smiling softly at the white porcelain.

"It was no big deal," he shrugged.

"That's so sweet," she gushed. Luke waved her off and went back to disinfecting the tables, while Lorelai got on with placing the mugs in the cabinet Luke had made above the coffee maker. She was unable to wipe the grin off her face as she eyed 'her' mug, touched that he had gone to the trouble of getting one customised for her. She placed the final cup in the cabinet then rounded the counter and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend from behind.

"What's that for?" he asked, startled by her sudden show of affection. He put the cloth and disinfectant on the table in front of him and turned around, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"For being such a great boyfriend," she replied as she snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Luke was in so much of a daze that he didn't seem to realise she had turned them around and was now perching on the edge of the table. Only when she urged him to step between her legs did he realise what her intentions were.

"We can't do that...on here," he hissed, trying to pull away from her. Lorelai had other ideas and quickly wrapped her legs around his hips, stopping him from moving anywhere. "Lorelai," he growled.

"Live a little," she whispered close to his ear. "The new diner needs christening." Luke felt himself begin to give in to her demands.

"But...we never christened the old diner," he muttered as she sucked on his earlobe.

"We never got the chance," she replied. "But we do now, and if we do it right here, on this table, it can be our table forever, and I'll be able to sit here and remember what we did on it." Luke was long gone, so he didn't put up a fight when she undid the buttons on his shirt, or when she released his belt buckle. The only coherent thought he could make out in his hazy mind, was that he was glad the blinds were closed, or else they would have given the residents of Stars Hollow a show they would never forget.

XXXX

The young family arrived at the diner early the next morning. They would be opening the doors at eight sharp, and they still had some arranging to do before the grand opening. They decided to walk into town, so they could truly enjoy the morning that marked the beginning of their new and improved lifestyle.

"Don't go too far ahead, Ror," warned Luke, as Lorelai walked at his side, clinging onto his arm.

"She's ok," Lorelai said. "It's six o clock in the morning in Stars Hollow." Luke nodded and looked over at her.

"Are you ok?" he asked, noticing how she was leaning against him as they strolled towards town.

"Hmm, need coffee," she mumbled as she laid her head on his shoulder. Luke chuckled and patted the back of her hand.

"You can have the first cup," he told her, before taking his attention back to Rory who was toddling along in front of them. They soon reached the diner and Lorelai and Rory stood back while he unlocked the door. They entered the newly refurbished establishment and Lorelai had to smile at how great it looked with all the tables and chairs in place.

"What do you think, sweets?" she asked as she looked down at her daughter. Rory simply looked up at her and smiled before going back to glancing around the diner confusedly. Luke made his way towards the counter and picked up the things they had left there the night before.

"What are these?" he asked, picking up a carrier bag full of stuff.

"Centrepieces," she stated. "For the tables." Luke raised his eyebrows; what the hell did they need centrepieces for?

"This is a diner," he said. "There is no use for centrepieces here."

"But they're so pretty," she gushed, pulling one out of the bag. They were made up of tiny flowers, and were arranged in a small round pot, definitely not Luke's kind of thing. He shook his head insistently, before going to pull the chairs off the tables.

"You are not putting those on_ my_ tables," he told her.

"Oh, so now they're _your _tables? Let me remind you who picked them out." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Lorelai," he said warningly.

"Come on Luke, the town will love centrepieces." He gave her a stern glare, and she gave him a pout in return. They stayed like that for several minutes, until Luke finally sighed and felt himself giving in.

"Fine," he breathed heavily. "You can put the centrepieces out, but just this once."

"Thanks babe," she said excitedly as she ushered Rory over. "Ok hon, we've gotta put the flowers in the middle of the tables," she coached, demonstrating how to do it. Rory nodded and took another one, going over to the next table and climbing up onto a chair. As she leaned on it to get to the middle, it wobbled and she almost toppled off her chair.

"Whoa," she said in surprise. Both Luke and Lorelai spun around when they heard the table move, and Lorelai was trying not to laugh as she remembered what occurred on it just a few nights ago.

"I think you need to fix that," she pointed out. He scowled before turning around and heading towards the kitchen, his face turning a nice shade of red.

"Mommy wook," Rory said as she pointed proudly to the centrepiece she had neatly placed in the middle of the table.

"Wow, well done," she praised, leaving a kiss on the top of her head. Rory grinned then moved on to the next table, while Lorelai rummaged through the carrier bag for the other decorations she had bought. Luke came out of the kitchen after firing the grill up, and made his way over to the coffee maker, beginning to prepare the first pot.

He couldn't believe how weird this felt; preparing the diner for when the customers arrived. He couldn't believe there'd actually be customers in here today. He smiled to himself as he turned around to see what the girls were up to, but his smile soon faded when he saw what Lorelai was hanging from the ceiling.

"What are those?" he asked in irritation. Lorelai turned around and smiled, trying to warm him up to the idea.

"Streamers," she simply replied. Luke rolled his eyes.

"And why are they hanging from the ceiling?"

"Cause they're decorative," she answered. Luke shook his head but left her to it, it was only for one day after all, tomorrow all the decorations would be gone; he'd make sure of it. Lorelai finished hanging the streamers up, then noticed the coffee was in the process of being made, so she rushed over to the machine to watch it make it's descent into the pot.

"You're crazy," said Luke.

"I'm excited," she squealed. "Aw just look at how nice it looks," she gushed. "And the smell!" Rory rushed over to her mother and tugged on her pant leg, urging her to pick her up. Lorelai complied and both Gilmore girls watched as the remains of the dark liquid dropped into the pot. "It's done," she announced, moving her hand forward to reach for the pot.

"Don't pick it up," he scolded, making his way behind the counter. He removed her hand from the handle and pushed her around the counter. "You don't pour your own coffee, and you're not allowed behind the counter."

"Yes sir," she joked as she perched Rory on the edge of the counter and sat herself on a stool. "Can I get some coffee then?" She looked at him expectantly and Luke couldn't help but say yes. He turned around and grabbed her customised mug, before picking up the pot and filling it to the brim with coffee.

"There you go," he said as he slid it across the counter to her. She lifted the cup to her face and inhaled deeply, revelling in the aroma of the beverage she had missed so much.

"Mmm thanks," she hummed as she brought it to her lips. She took a few tentative sips, before gulping the rest of it down, not stopping to take a breath. "God I've missed that," she said breathlessly as she exhaled deeply.

"I can see that," he said, reaching across the counter to take her cup away.

"Refill?" she asked hopefully.

"Nope, that stuff will kill you," he told her before placing her mug next to the coffee maker for later.

"Just like old times."

XXXX

When eight arrived, Luke walked over to the door and moved his hand up to flip the sign around. He took a deep, calming breath and glanced outside. There was a line of townspeople waiting on the sidewalk, each looking forward to seeing the new Luke's and getting their free coffee. Luke flipped the sign and opened the door, watching as people filed through the door and found a table. Ben and Caesar were the first ones through the door, both seemingly happy to have their jobs back.

"Hey boss," Ben greeted, patting Luke on the back.

"Hi Ben, looks like it's gonna be a big crowd this morning," he said, gesturing to the people filing past them.

"Yep, want me to get started with orders?"

"Yeah, I'll do coffee." Caesar stepped in and pointed towards the kitchen.

"Can I go see my kitchen, boss?" he asked eagerly.

"Yes Caesar, you can see your kitchen," he replied. The chef rubbed his hands together then sauntered behind the counter, gasping when he saw the giant stove and grill that Luke had purchased.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, catching the attention of some customers. Lorelai giggled and covered Rory's ears in case Caesar had another outburst.

"Caesar," warned Luke sternly.

"Sorry boss, it's just, this stove is unbelievable." Luke nodded then grabbed the coffee pot, beginning the rounds.

"Oh my god, this is amazing!" said Babette as she, Morey and Patty made their way through the door.

"Yeah Luke, the place looks great," called Patty to the busy diner owner. They chose a table by the window and sat down, waiting to be served.

"Coffee?" he asked as he approached their table, pot in hand. They nodded enthusiastically and Luke filled their cups, before strolling away to the next table.

"He's worked so hard for this," Patty said, glad that Luke's life was back on track.

"Yeah, he's done well too," added Morey. "Just look at the craftsmanship in here." Lorelai sat at the counter observing the room as they took in the brand new diner, waving at the people she knew. She watched Luke; he looked so in his element and he was obviously enjoying himself. It was good to see him like that, she thought, he definitely deserved it. Somebody came up and tapped her on the shoulder, catching her by surprise.

"Sook!" she exclaimed when she swung around on her stool. "You made it."

"Yeah, I couldn't miss the grand re-opening," she grinned. "Hi Rory," she cooed to the girl still sitting on the counter.

"Hi Sookie," she replied with a smile, before going back to glancing around the room. Lorelai shook her head then watched as Luke came back behind the counter, about to pour the coffee in the bottom of the pot away.

"Don't waste it," she gasped, lunging forward to stop him.

"I'm gonna make more," he told her. She shook her head and pointed to her mug.

"I'll drink that last bit," she offered, looking at it longingly. Luke sighed and gave in, placing her cup in front of her.

"If you must," he said, pouring the liquid into the cup and watching as she inhaled it. He placed the pot back on the machine and went about making a new batch.

"Cool coffee cup," said Sookie, noticing that it had Lorelai's name printed on the inside.

"Yeah, Luke got it for me," she replied.

"He's such a big softie," she chuckled. "You're a lucky girl."

"I know," she said with a nod. "Where's Jackson today anyway?"

"He had a produce delivery this morning," she answered. "He wanted to come."

"I'm here," Kirk announced when he entered the diner, gaining the attention of almost everybody in the crowded diner.

"Sit down, Kirk," growled Luke, not willing to let Kirk ruin his day.

"But...you've moved the tables around," he said.

"I completely redid the diner; I couldn't put the tables in exactly the same place."

"Now I don't know which my table is," he whined.

"Just sit at the counter, Kirk," he told him. Kirk walked over to the counter with Luke watching, he was doing his head in already and he'd only been in the diner a few minutes.

"Excuse me, Lorelai," Kirk addressed her.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning away from her conversation with Sookie.

"Could you move, it's just, you're sitting in my seat." Lorelai's eyes shifted from Kirk's to Sookie's, not sure how he figured out that the stool she was sitting on was his.

"Kirk!" Luke bellowed, making his way over to the group.

"You sound mad, Luke," he said, stating the obvious.

"That's cause I am mad," he shouted. "Just sit there on that vacant stool and leave Lorelai and Sookie alone." Lorelai was smiling at Luke and Kirk's banter, it was so much like before and she couldn't help but be ecstatic that things were the way they should be.

As Luke and Kirk continued to argue until the younger man finally relented and sat on the stool Luke told him to, Ben was bringing plates of pancakes, French toast and waffles out to the hungry customers. Lorelai and Sookie's order was brought out to them, and they moved to a table so Rory would be able to eat properly.

"These waffles are amazing," she gushed, shovelling them down like there's no tomorrow.

"So are the pancakes," Sookie agreed. "What about yours, sweetie?"

"Yummy," she answered, rubbing her tummy to emphasise her point. The bell above the door rang and the girls looked round to see who had entered.

"Big brother!" Liz called, holding her arms out to Luke. He walked over to her and embraced her briefly, before nodding to TJ who was hovering behind his sister.

"Uncle Luke," Jess squealed, running up to hug his legs tightly. Luke chuckled and patted his head, before looking over at Rory.

"Hey Ror, look who's here." Rory's eyes lit up when she saw Jess, and she lowered herself from her chair and rushed over to him, grinning the whole time.

"Hi Jess," she greeted jollily. Jess grinned and took hold of her hand, leading her to a quiet corner and pulling two toy cars from his pocket. He handed one to her, and Rory smiled in return before taking it from him and running it along the floor.

"Rory, you haven't finished your breakfast," Lorelai called.

"Not hungry," she replied before taking her attention back to Jess' cars. Lorelai rolled her eyes as she looked at Rory's half eaten breakfast, then proceeded to eat it herself.

"Luke, more coffee!" Lorelai hollered. Luke approached with a full pot and began pouring into her cup.

"How many cups have you had already?" he asked.

"I don't know," she shrugged, trying to get Luke off her back about the coffee she was practically inhaling.

"Four," interrupted Sookie, causing Luke to widen his eyes as he glared at Lorelai. "And that was just since I got here."

"So you've had, what, six cups of coffee and it's only nine o clock in the morning."

"Calm down, Luke, I'm celebrating," she said brightly. Luke shook his head disbelievingly then stalked off to refill the other customers' mugs. Sookie smirked at Lorelai knowingly, and Lorelai simply shrugged her shoulders. "What? The coffee's free today!" she exclaimed.

"I bet it's always free for you, you're in with the owner," she nudged. Lorelai grinned and took another greedy sip of her coffee.

"You know," Miss Patty began, loud enough so Lorelai could hear. "I can tell you've had some input with the diner this time, Lorelai."

"Oh yeah?"

"Hmm, it's a lot brighter," she observed. "And these centrepieces, I bet these weren't Luke's idea."

"Nope, and it took a lot of arm twisting to get him to agree to putting them out," she told them. "But I can get him to do anything."

"We bet you can," said Babette with a sly wink. Lorelai smiled and blushed slightly, before a slight bang caught everyone's attention. They looked over to find Kirk on the floor, and not one person could hold in their laughter.

"What are you doing down there?" Luke asked, obviously still annoyed with the guy.

"I fell," he complained.

"Well when you fall, you generally get back up again." Kirk sprang to his feet and placed his hands on his hips assertively.

"It was your table Luke," he accused. "It's broken."

"It is not broken, it's brand new," he spat. Kirk leaned on the table lightly and demonstrated how loose it was, and how it wobbled so easily. Lorelai let out a little snort at the scene, as she once again thought about why it was in such a bad condition.

"What's up with you?" Sookie asked her, noticing she was biting back the urge to giggle uncontrollably. She ushered Sookie closer to her, and whispered in her ear, causing her eyes to widen and her giggling began. "Seriously?" When Lorelai nodded, Luke looked at her incredulously.

"Lorelai," he said in a slightly high pitched voice, Lorelai put it down to embarrassment. By this point, Luke's face was bright red and he rushed towards the storage room, muttering something about onions. Babette and Patty shared a confused glance while Lorelai and Sookie giggled.

"Luke, are you going to fix this table?" Kirk called, being as insistent as ever. Luke simply ignored him though, and camped out in the storage room until his face had gone back to it's normal colour.

XXXX

"Mom, dad," said Lorelai as she noticed them enter the diner. Lorelai had taken the day off so she could spend her day in the diner with Luke, Rory, Jess and Liz, and there was currently a lull. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Yes well we've heard so much about the place that we wanted to check it out ourselves," said Richard, giving his daughter a brief hug. Lorelai smiled and turned back to her table, gesturing to Liz.

"This is Liz, Luke's sister," she introduced. "You remember Jess."

"Ah yes, very bright little boy," Richard confirmed.

"Thank you, Mr Gilmore," said Liz gratefully. She loved getting compliments when it came to Jess, it showed she was doing something right.

"Please call me Richard." Liz nodded and smiled shyly. Luke came out of the store room with Rory and Jess trailing along behind him.

"I told you guys you weren't allowed in there," he scolded as he went around the counter. "What do you say?"

"Sorry Uncle Luke," Jess mumbled.

"Sorry daddy," followed Rory. Luke nodded then dismissed the kids, before noticing the elder Gilmore's seating themselves at Lorelai's table. He grabbed the coffee pot and made his way over to their table, offering each of them a drink. "Granma!" Rory squealed when she saw her grandmother there. Emily smiled and lifted her into her lap.

"Hello darling," she cooed. "What have you been doing today?"

"Diner," she replied, gesturing to the room around her.

"Yes, it's very nice isn't it?" Rory nodded then looked up at her father.

"Donut daddy," she said. Luke shook his head.

"Later," he told her. "You didn't eat all your breakfast, so you'll have to wait till lunch." Rory pouted and buried her face in Emily's shirt, while Luke rolled his eyes at her dramatics.

"So business is good, Luke?" Richard asked. Luke nodded.

"Yeah, it was full in here this morning," he answered. "Looks like this place is gonna be a success."

"If it's anything like it was before it will be," added Lorelai. Luke took a deep breath and plunged into the question he had been waiting to ask for a few days now.

"Richard, could I uh...maybe talk to you for a minute?" he asked nervously. Richard looked taken aback at first, but quickly agreed and followed Luke into the back, where they could have some privacy.

"What's that about?" Emily asked her daughter. Lorelai simply shrugged her shoulders; she was equally as confused as her mother was.

"You're guess is as good as mine." The lunch crowd started to file in, and Ben came out to fill in for Luke until he was available.

The two men finally emerged from the store room, both with smiles on their faces, which made Lorelai even more curious about what they had discussed. Richard came back over to their table and reclaimed his seat, not acknowledging that he had even left the table.

"What did Luke wanna ask you?" Lorelai asked eagerly. Richard looked up at her and smiled softly.

"Just about insurance for the diner," he brushed off. Lorelai had this feeling that it was something else though, and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she wondered what it could possibly be.

Meanwhile, Luke claimed his spot behind the counter and looked around the once again bustling diner. He couldn't believe it; he'd done it, he had a business again, he had money again and he had something to do every day. He had this uncontrollable grin on his face, as he watched business go on as usual. His life was almost complete; there was just one more thing he had to do to bring the jigsaw puzzle together.

**I hope you liked it, I didn't read through it when I finished writing it cause it's late here and I wanna go to bed, so if you saw any silly spelling or grammar mistakes, I apologise. **

**I also recently watched the episode where Lorelai and Sookie get Luke to take a look around the Dragonfly to find out how long it's gonna take to turn it into an inn, and he said only five months, which made me wonder if I had the diner take too long to be completed in this fic. But then I thought, well this is set in 1986, so the tools and stuff might not have been as advanced back then. So I've been having this argument in my head. I know I can't change it now, what's done is done, but your thoughts on the subject would be appreciated. **

**Anyway, please leave a review if you have the time, I'll look forward to hearing from you :P **

**Emily.**


	69. Back In the Swing of Things

**Hello my wonderful readers, I know it's been a good few weeks again, but I seem to just have a mental block when I sit down to write these chapters. Or something like Facebook distracts me. **

**Anyway, thank you for all your reviews, I was overwhelmed by how many of you responded to Richard and Luke's little talk :P And I think you'll be pleased to know that I have included their talk at the beginning of this chapter, if any of you were curious. **

**I hope you like this chapter, I know I do!**

"So what is this about, Luke?" asked Richard as Luke closed the door to the storage room behind them. Luke took a deep breath to calm his nerves, that had suddenly arisen after he'd asked the man if he could talk to him.

"Well uh, you see." Luke cleared his throat to stall for time, before continuing his train of thought. "Lorelai and I have been together for a while now, over a year, and I know it's not all that long but..." He took a breath; he wasn't good at speaking so much. "We've been through a lot, uh, we have Rory and it feels like there's only one thing standing in our way before we become a proper family."

"Ok," was all Richard said. He was becoming aware of the possible route of this conversation, and he was on high alert.

"What I'm trying to say is...I um...I'd like to ask your permission to, to ask Lorelai to marry me," he stuttered. That was harder than he thought it was gonna be, and as he looked at Richard's face, he couldn't tell whether there was a good or bad reaction on it's way. Finally, after a good few minutes of nobody speaking, Richard responded.

"Are you sure it's not too soon?" he questioned. Luke swallowed thickly; was this going in the direction of 'no'?"

"Uh, like I said, we've been through a lot in the time we've been together, and it just feels like it's time, you know?" Richard nodded.

"I understand that, but marriage is a big commitment," he explained. "It takes work to make a marriage a successful one; do you think you'd be ok with that?"

"I am ok with that," he said surely. "I have the diner up and running again, I have a daughter, now the only thing I really want is a wife to complete everything."

"I see," he said. "I must say, Lorelai couldn't have found a better boyfriend than you, I'm definitely pleased with her choice this time around."

"Is that a yes?" Luke asked with a wince. It was Richard's turn to take a deep breath now.

"Before I give you my blessing, Luke, I need to make sure my girls are going to be well taken care of."

"They will be," he assured the elder man. "I'd never let anything happen to them, I..."

"I know, Luke," Richard cut him off. "But you have to see this from my point of view. My daughter is only eighteen, it's most certainly no age for a girl to be married unless there are certain circumstances." Luke's whole face fell visibly, and Richard noticed. "However, you and Lorelai have been moving quickly since you first started dating, and I can see why you want to propose at this moment in time." Luke breathed a sigh of relief, he hadn't said no yet, that was a good sign.

"I know we're still young, Lorelai especially, but I want us to be more permanent," he told him. "And I promise I won't break her heart, I love her too much," he admitted sheepishly. His cheeks were tinged with red and he was avoiding Richard's stare.

"You can do it," he said. "You have my blessing." His head shot up at hearing that, and an instant smile lit his face.

"Thank you, Richard, you have no idea what this means to me." The elder man nodded and held his hand out to his future son-in-law.

"Welcome to the family, son," he greeted. Luke chuckled.

"She hasn't said yes yet," he pointed out.

"Oh come on now, there's no chance that she'll turn you down, she's probably thought about it just as much as you have." Luke shrugged his shoulders.

"I doubt it," he mumbled.

"Believe me, this is all women think about; marriage, babies and of course, shoes." Luke froze momentarily at the mention of babies, that was another thing that came with marriage; children. He thought this over for a second, before coming to the conclusion that there was nothing that would make him happier than to have a child with Lorelai, in the future of course. He grinned to himself before following Richard back out to the diner, where the girls were waiting for them.

XXXX

"Luke, can I have more syrup on my pancakes?" Kirk asked the next day. It was the first normal working day of the brand new diner, and Luke was thriving in his place of business. That was until Kirk had arrived at six fifteen, and had been bugging him ever since.

"Syrup's bad for you," he grumbled. "Here." Luke poured a generous amount of syrup onto Kirk's already soaked pancakes, then walked off back behind the counter.

"Thanks Luke," he called after him, before digging into the sugary plateful he called breakfast.

"Lucas!" Lorelai called as she stepped into the diner.

"What are you doing here so early?" he asked, noticing that it was only seven thirty, normally she wouldn't get in till at least nine.

"Well first you woke up really, really early." She gave him a quick kiss over the counter. "Then Rory woke up earlier than usual, so of course I had to get up early and then we got hungry so..." He cut her off by giving her another kiss, effectively shutting her up. He pulled away from her with a smile, before turning around and pouring her a cup of coffee. "Ooh thanks," she said happily as she took it and gulped it down.

"Rory, what are you doing?" Luke asked, placing his hands on his hips. Rory smiled shyly before looking back at Kirk's pancakes, licking her lips longingly.

"Luke, she's crowding me," whined Kirk. "I need space while I eat my pancakes." Luke rolled his eyes and looked at Lorelai, who was too interested in her coffee to take notice of what was going on around her.

"Come here, Ror," he said, holding his arms out to her over the counter. She shook her head stubbornly and continued to stand on a chair next to Kirk. "Why not?"

"Want those," she told him.

"If you come and sit over here with your mom, I'll make you pancakes," he promised her. Rory seemed to weigh up her options, before she lowered herself to her feet and sauntered around the counter, slamming into her father's legs.

"Hewwo," she said as she looked up at him with a cheesy grin.

"Hi sweetie." He bent down and removed her coat, taking in her outfit. "What are you wearing?" he questioned.

"She chose it," interjected Lorelai, before he could comment on her bad fashion sense. Luke took in the mismatched outfit and frowned.

"You look like a clown," he said as he stared at the bright colours. Rory giggled then struck a pose, excited by all the attention she was receiving.

"Rory chose cwoves wike mommy," she told him. Lorelai smiled victoriously.

"See, she wants to be just like me," she gushed.

"Heaven forbid," he muttered. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Um, I'll have the works," she answered. "I've got some making up to do." She patted her stomach then held up her coffee mug, indicating that it needed refilling.

"Coffee's not free today you know," he informed.

"I thought everything was free for me," she said flirtatiously.

"Give me a good reason why you shouldn't have to pay."

"Uh, cause I'm your girlfriend maybe?" Luke shrugged his shoulders and filled her mug, before going into the kitchen.

"Pacakes daddy!" Rory shouted after him, making sure her breakfast wasn't forgotten about.

"Coming up, Ror," he assured her as he got to work on the girls' breakfasts. It was all back to normal, finally.

XXXX

"I don't know what to get him," whined Lorelai. It was lunchtime and she had ended up in the inn's kitchen gossiping with Sookie.

"Well you managed to get him something last year," she pointed out. "What was that?"

"The blue baseball cap," she replied. "I can't buy him another one."

"That's true," she agreed. "Well you've only got two days left to decide."

"I know, I can't believe I left it this late," she said disbelievingly. "I was always waiting for the perfect present to come along, and I figured I had plenty of time to find it. Now it's just around the corner and I'm still waiting."

"What does he like?"

"Um...he likes the diner, and he likes salad, and Rory," she listed. Sookie rolled her eyes.

"Well you can't buy him a diner, he has one already, and you can't buy a Rory cause he has one of those too." Lorelai's shoulders slumped.

"This is hard," she complained.

"Look at the amazing Christmas gift you got him though, why don't you buy him something like that again?"

"I don't have that kind of money at the moment," she sighed. "And I just remembered that I have to get something from Rory too."

"Ooh why don't you buy him something from Victoria's Secret? Men dig stuff from there."

"I could, but it seems a bit pointless. Clothes don't really stay on for long in those types of situations." Sookie giggled.

"Well, I'm stumped," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"What did you get Jackson for his birthday?" she asked.

"Just some stuff for his vegetable patch," Sookie replied.

"Like what?"

"Nothing Luke would want," she told her, putting a stop to her questioning.

"Ugh I hate gift shopping," she sulked. Sookie patted Lorelai's shoulder, before proposing an idea.

"Here's a thought; why don't you ask Luke what he wants, then we can go shopping and buy it for him."

"But I want it to be a surprise; it's boring if he knows what I'm getting him."

"I thought Luke wasn't big on birthdays, so he won't mind," Sookie pointed out.

"I mind," she clarified. "Why are men so hard to shop for?"

"Look, if you ask Luke what he wants tonight, we can go shopping tomorrow," she suggested. Lorelai sighed, knowing that she'd have to give in or else she'd never find a gift for Luke.

"Fine," she agreed. "I'll ask him later."

"Good, it's the only way."

"I guess," she nodded. "Anyway, I kinda need a favour."

"What is it?"

"Well, you know it's Luke's first proper day at the diner today?" Sookie nodded. "I thought I could have dinner ready for when he gets home, you know, as sort of a celebration. Slight problem though, I have no idea how to turn the oven on, or how to even prepare anything for that matter, so..."

"You want me to make dinner for you and Luke tonight?" she filled in for her, causing Lorelai to nod enthusiastically.

"That would be so helpful, seriously, you're an angel."

"I know," she said smugly. "What do you want me to make? Oh my god, I could do the pork loin with pesto and roasted vegetables, or goulash." Lorelai smiled at Sookie's excitement, before patting her friend's lower arm.

"Go to town Sook, we'll love whatever you make," she assured her. "Just make sure it's easy to warm up, okay? I don't wanna give him food poisoning."

"Of course," she said with a nod, taking out a pen and paper and scribbling down ideas.

"Right, I'm gonna go see if Rory's ok with Mia, then I'm getting back to work. I'll pick the food up at the end of my shift." Sookie was too busy muttering to herself as she filled the paper with her scrawl, planning the menu for their little meal thoroughly. She didn't want to let her best friend down after all.

XXXX

"Hey Sook," Lorelai greeted her as she and Rory entered the kitchen at the end of her shift.

"Ooh you're gonna love me," Sookie squealed as she rushed over to the fridge.

"Why's that?" She pulled out a few dishes covered with tin foil and placed them on the counter.

"Okay, for the starter we have a simple Caesar salad with croutons and my homemade dressing. For the main course there's roasted trout fillet with sage butter and root vegetables braised in white wine, and now for the best part." Lorelai was already amazed by the effort Sookie had put into the meal, and she wasn't sure how it could get any better. "For dessert, tiramisu," she exclaimed. "I know Luke hates coffee, but he doesn't eat dessert anyway so I really made this just for you." Lorelai grinned and gave Sookie a hug.

"Thanks for doing this for me, Sook; I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh please, this was nothing," she chuckled. "I live for cooking remember." She picked up two of the dishes then gestured for Lorelai to pick up the other. "Come on, I'll show you how to warm this up for later." The girls walked down to the potting shed together, with Rory ahead of them running around in circles.

"So how are things with you and Jackson?" Lorelai asked as they approached her home.

"They're going good," she answered. "Although things are getting, I don't know."

"What?" she pushed.

"It's nothing, forget it."

"No Sook, whatever it is you can tell me." Sookie took a deep breath as Lorelai let her into the potting shed and the two made it over to the small kitchen area.

"I'm getting a bit...bored," she admitted.

"Bored...of Jackson?" she asked.

"No, no, not of Jackson, just...of our routine I guess," she shrugged.

"Well, what's wrong with it?"

"It's boring!" she said frustratedly. "We get up in the morning, he goes to work, I go to work, then we come home from work, shower, eat, watch TV then go to bed," she listed. "Where's the fun in any of that?"

"That's all Luke and I pretty much do," she admitted. "We each come home from work, have dinner, take care of Rory then rather watch TV or a movie."

"Don't forget the part about having sex on tables in the diner." Lorelai blushed slightly.

"Sookie!" she exclaimed. "That was just a one time thing, I'm surprised he even agreed to it in the first place."

"Did he have a choice?"

"You make a good point." Sookie giggled before turning deadly serious again.

"Do you find the whole routine thing boring though?" she asked.

"Sometimes, but it's nice, you know. I like snuggling up on the couch to watch a movie, but it's nice to go out to dinner now and again," she admitted.

"Jackson thinks it's pointless going to a restaurant when I'm a qualified chef and could cook for him at home," she grumbled. Lorelai patted her shoulder gently.

"Maybe you could go out and watch a movie, instead of staying in every night," she suggested. "You've gotta mix it up a little." Sookie nodded, but she still seemed uncertain.

"I'll talk to Jackson about it later, he probably won't even care," she said sullenly.

"Of course he'll care, he loves you."

"I know, I'm probably just being silly," she brushed off, before changing the subject completely. "Ok, you need to warm this up in here for ten minutes, on gas mark 5." Sookie demonstrated how to turn the oven on, as Lorelai drew herself a picture to help her remember. She didn't want to screw this meal up, she wanted it to be perfect.

XXXX

It had been a long day for Luke. He had been up since his usual early time of four forty five, and the diner had been open since six. It was now five thirty, and he couldn't wait for Ben to arrive to take over, for all he wanted to do was go home, shower and relax on the couch with his girlfriend. He had been going over different ways he could propose to her, but he still had no idea when he was gonna do it, he guessed he'd just know when the right time was, and he'd have to make sure he had the ring with him at all times, just in case.

"Hey boss," Ben greeted as he entered the diner and made his way behind the counter.

"Hey," he said in return. "You all set for tonight?"

"Yeah, it's good to be back in a job again," he replied. "Has it been busy today?"

"There were the usual lulls, but apart from those the place has been packed. I've had people waiting for tables to become available."

"Wow. It seems Luke's has been missed, huh?"

"You bet," he said with a nod. There was a moment or two of silence between the two men, while Ben observed the room.

"Are you headed home now?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, the girls will be waiting for me," he answered. "I'm sure they're hungry by now."

"There's no doubt about it," he said with a slight chuckle. "You'd better get going, their dinner's not gonna make itself."

"Don't I know it?" Luke cleared a few plates from a nearby table and left them on the counter for Caesar to take, before going behind the curtain and grabbing his coat. "If you have any problems, give me a call."

"I will, but I'm sure we'll be just fine here," he assured his worried boss. It was only right; it was the first time the guy was leaving the diner when it was open, he was only right that he was apprehensive.

"Ok, are you coming in tomorrow morning? I might need you, it was hectic today."

"Sure thing, do you want me to help you open up?"

"That'd be great," he told him. "See you just after five."

"Ok, have a good night." Luke nodded and walked towards the door, stopping when his hand rested on the handle as he turned around to watch the dinner crowd. "Go," Ben ordered, snapping Luke out of his stupor.

"Alright, I'm gone," he said in surrender as he finally left the diner. He walked towards his truck and climbed in, taking a minute to smile at how much he had enjoyed his day. As exhausted as he was, he wouldn't change his daily routine for anything; he enjoyed it way too much. He turned on the engine and put the truck in gear, before pulling onto the road and heading home.

He entered the potting shed just under ten minutes later, and was met with Lorelai and Rory sitting at the table, reading a book. He kicked his boots off by the door and padded over to them, and exhausted smile on his face.

"Daddy!" said Rory happily, holding her arms up to him from her place on the chair.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted as he lifted her up and sat her on his hip. He kissed her forehead, before leaning down and giving Lorelai a kiss on the lips.

"Aw you think I'm beautiful," Lorelai cooed once he'd taken his attention back to Rory.

"I was talking to Rory," he pointed out to her, causing Lorelai to pout. "But I think you're beautiful too." She grinned in return and pulled him down for a slightly longer kiss.

"Yucky," said Rory, scrunching her face up at her parents' display.

"Sorry Ror," Lorelai giggled. "That's what happens when mommies and daddies love each other." Rory shook her head and tapped Luke on the shoulder.

"What?" he asked her, turning his head to look at her.

"We read a book," she told him, pointing to the book resting in Lorelai's hands.

"Yeah, I can see," he replied, giving her a smile. "Ok, well I guess I'll get dinner started, you must be hungry."

"No that's ok," she declined quickly. She was hoping to set it up while he was unwinding after work, and she didn't want her plans to be messed up. "You look worn out, why don't you go take a shower? We can wait for dinner."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll just finish off our book, won't we sweets?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Uh, ok, I won't be long then," he told her as he set Rory back on the chair. He made his way over to the bathroom, and Lorelai began to read to Rory again. When she heard the water turn on, she put the book on the table and got to her feet, pulling out plates and cutlery before setting them out on the table.

"Mommy, book," Rory reminded her.

"We can read it after dinner, ok? Right now mommy has to make dinner." Rory pouted and hugged the book to her body. "Can you set the plates out for me?"

"No," she protested. "Read a book."

"Rory, we can read the book later," she told her. "Now can you please help mommy?" Rory looked down at her book, before she lowered herself down from her chair and held the book up to her mother. "I'll leave it on here," she said as she put it on the counter. Rory nodded and climbed back up onto her chair, methodically moving the plates around and setting the cutlery out beside them.

"Finish," she announced. She turned around and saw Lorelai sharing the salad between three bowls, furrowing her brows in confusion. "Sawad," she said.

"Yeah it's the starter," she replied.

"Mommy hate sawad." Lorelai laughed slightly and turned round to look at Rory.

"This is special salad, Aunt Sookie made this."

"Oh," she said. "Rory wike sawad."

"I know, you little weirdo," she teased.

"No," she protested. Lorelai just smiled and handed a bowl to her daughter.

"Here, put this in daddy's place," she told her, watching Rory carefully place the bowl where Luke was going to sit. While Rory rearranged the plates, Lorelai took a bottle of wine out of the fridge, courtesy of Mia, since it was a special occasion. She poured two glasses, plus a cup of juice for Rory, then moved those over to the table as well.

"Daddy," Rory whispered when they heard the water shut off. Lorelai nodded and quickly grabbed the diagram of the oven. She turned the knobs to what it said on the picture, then lit the oven the way Sookie had shown her how to, before taking the dish containing the main course and shoving in, closing the door after it.

"Ok, that's it," she said in accomplishment. "Now all we need is your dad and we can get this show on the road." Rory smiled, and as if on cue, Luke walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"What's this?" he asked when he noticed the table was set and there were salads at each place setting.

"Dinner," she simply said. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, while he did the same with her waist.

"What's the occasion?"

"Well, you had your first full day at the diner today, I thought you'd be tired when you got in so I thought I'd make something."

"You made this?" he asked, noticing that there was something in the oven as well. Was he dreaming?

"Not exactly," she admitted. "Sookie prepared it all, I just have to heat it up."

"Thought so," he chuckled. He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly, silently thanking her for thinking of him. "Let me get dressed, then we can eat." Lorelai nodded and removed her arms from around his neck, letting him walk over to their closet. She seated herself at the table and watched as he let the towel fall from his waist while he pulled on his boxers. She was so busy admiring the view, that she didn't notice Rory was trying to catch her attention.

"Mommy," she almost shouted. Lorelai's head snapped round to look at her daughter.

"What?"

"I'm hugry," she whined.

"Ok, I guess you can start eating," she allowed as she watched Luke pull a t shirt over his head. He came to join them at the table and took notice of the wonderfully prepared Caesar salad in front of him.

"This looks good," he said, picking up his fork and tucking in.

"Yeah, Sookie makes the best salad ever," she agreed as she shovelled it into her waiting mouth. Luke chewed appreciatively; he was glad that he didn't have to cook for the girls after such a long day at work. It was gonna take a few weeks to get back into the swing of getting up early in the morning again. "So, how was your day?" asked Lorelai after a few moments of silence between them.

"It was good," he replied with a nod. "Busy."

"So it's picking up again?"

"It seems to be, I took eighty dollars at breakfast."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing for only the second day," she praised. "How much do you think you've taken so far today then?"

"Before the dinner crowd, I'd say about a hundred and seventy." Lorelai's eyes widened and Luke swore he saw dollar signs in her eyes.

"Oh my god, it's so great to know that we have money again," she said, clapping her hands together.

"I know, but we should still be careful with our spending, just in case something like this happens again," he said logically. Lorelai nodded in agreement, before the oven timer sounded.

"Ooh, the main course is ready!" she exclaimed, jumping up from her seat to take it out. She put her hands into the oven mitts and opened the door, inhaling the gorgeous smell coming from the meal.

"What is it?" Luke asked as she put the dish in the middle of the table.

"Uh, trout with some kind of vegetables," she answered, not remembering how Sookie had described it to her earlier.

"Well it smells delicious," he commented as he spooned some onto Rory's plate, then his own. Lorelai served herself then they all tucked in, savouring the rich taste.

"Daddy," said Rory in alarm as she stared at her fish fillet. She had been trying to figure out how to eat it, but it just looked like a big lump to her. Luke realised what she meant and he picked up her knife and fork, easily cutting through the succulent fish. Rory smiled in accomplishment and picked up a small piece, shoving it into her mouth.

"Is it nice, sweets?" Lorelai asked. Rory nodded and went in for more, taking no notice of anything around her.

"So, I was thinking we could go get some groceries in a little while," Luke suggested.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we haven't been to Walmart for ages, we could do with stocking the cupboards up a bit."

"That sounds like a good idea," she said, perking up at the prospect of getting to pick out some junk food. Luke nodded then focussed on his food again. "Hey Ror," she addressed the girl. Rory looked up at her, waiting for her to continue. "Do you remember when we went to the cabin, and we went fishing?"

"Yeah," she answered after a minute or two of thinking.

"Do you remember the fish you caught when we were on the boat?" Rory nodded.

"This is the same type of fish," she told her, pointing to the remaining fish on her plate. Rory stared down at it for a moment, before scrunching her face up.

"Lorelai, why would you tell her that?" asked Luke, knowing that there was no way she would eat it now that she knew what it was.

"I thought she'd be interested," she defended herself.

"Remember how she reacted when she saw me chopping the heads off? There's no way she would have eaten it back then if she'd have known what it was." They watched Rory push the fish to the side of her plate and focus solely on her veggies. Luke sighed at her behaviour before taking his attention back to his own food.

After dinner, Lorelai got to work on washing the dishes, while Luke got Rory ready for their trip to the grocery store.

"Ready?" he asked once both he and Rory had their coats and shoes on.

"Yep," she replied as she dried her hands on a towel. Luke held her coat out to her and she slipped her arms into it, before leaving the potting shed. "Can I get pop tarts?" she asked. They had just set off, and she was doing Luke's head in already.

"You know I wanna buy some proper food while we're here, right?" Lorelai nodded.

"Yeah, but we need snacks and stuff too," she argued.

"We don't _need_ snacks, you want snacks," he pointed out. "There's a difference."

"But you can't watch a movie without a wide range of snacks."

"Who says?"

"I say!" she answered. "It's against movie night rules to watch without a giant feast laid out on the coffee table."

"Ah, the infamous movie night rules," he sighed. "You can have one box of pop tarts," he allowed.

"Sixteen pack," she bargained. He paused, before gritting his teeth together.

"Fine," he mumbled.

"And mallomars."

"Don't push it," he warned.

"Tater tots," she listed. "Cookies, gummy bears..."

"Ok, just wait till we get there," he told her. A short while later, they pulled up at Walmart and Luke helped Rory out. "Are you walking round?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she replied, walking next to him as he wheeled the cart into the supermarket.

"Where to start," Lorelai wondered aloud. Luke had already decided that for her.

"Produce," he told her. She rolled her eyes and dragged her feet behind him as he began to examine a selection of zucchini.

"Need bananas," said Rory wisely as she walked forward to find them.

"Stay close, Ror," Luke told her, not wanting her to stray too far in the big store.

"I'll go with her, I should make myself useful till we get to the pop tart section," she said. Luke shook his head as he filled the cart up with various vegetables.

"Found bananas," said Rory, picking up a bunch.

"Is there anything else you want?" she asked. Rory looked around before noticing a stand full of grapes.

"Grapes," she squealed as she rushed over to them and picked up a bag of them. She handed them to her mother before picking a bag of apples and an orange. They took them back over to the cart, and Luke eyed their choices.

"Rory chose this stuff," Lorelai clarified as she dropped it all in the cart.

"I knew it couldn't have been you," he said sarcastically. Lorelai stuck her tongue out at him.

"Can we go look at the ice cream now?" she asked impatiently.

"In a minute," he replied, shaking his head at her antics. "Be patient."

"But this section is boring," she mumbled.

"Mommy wook," said Rory, pointing to a box of sugar cookies.

"Wow," she said. "Do you want them?" Rory nodded eagerly, before picking them up and giving them to Lorelai. "Rory wants these," she told him. Luke sighed; he was beginning to wish he'd never suggested a trip to Walmart, or he could have at least come when Lorelai was at work.

"Put them in," he gave in, before strolling off to the next aisle. God help him, and they hadn't even made it out of the produce section yet.

XXXX

After spending over a hundred dollars in Walmart, the young family returned home and put their many groceries in their respective places. Rory was beginning to get restless when they'd done, and she was getting cranky.

"I think it's bedtime, Ror," said Luke as he scooped her up into his arms. Rory shook her head tiredly.

"Not tired," she muttered, resting her head against her father's chest.

"I beg to differ," he chuckled. "Are you gonna say goodnight to mommy?" Rory nodded and held her arms out to her mother blindly.

"Come here, sleepy girl," she said softly as she brought Rory to her body. "Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning."

"Night night," she mumbled. Lorelai kissed her cheek, then her forehead before handing her back to Luke.

"I'll be out in a minute," he told her. She nodded and watched the two disappear into Rory's room.

"Ok Ror, time to get your PJs on," he said gently, laying her on her bed and beginning to remove her clothes. He put a diaper on her then redressed her, before tucking her in under the covers. "Night sweetie, sleep tight."

"Night daddy," she said almost incoherently, as she finally drifted off to sleep. Luke brushed her ever-growing hair out of her face and watched her for a while, content to just sit and watch his little girl sleep. When he finally left Rory's bedroom, he found Lorelai sitting on the couch watching TV, and eating something unfamiliar to him.

"What's that?" he asked as he sat down beside her.

"The dessert Sookie made, it's tiramisu, do you want some?" Luke scrunched his face up and shook his head.

"No thanks," he politely declined.

"Did she go down ok?" she asked as she leaned into him and relaxed against him.

"Yeah, she's out like a light," he replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Lorelai finished off her tiramisu and put her empty bowl on the coffee table, before returning to her snug cocoon in the crook of Luke's arm. "I enjoyed dinner tonight," he told her. "Thank you."

"Aw I didn't really do anything, I just heated it up," she brushed off.

"Yeah, and even that must have been a challenge for you," he said in his soft, gentle tone. It took Lorelai a moment to realise that he'd actually just insulted her, and she hit him in the arm.

"Don't be mean," she pouted.

"You know I'm only messing around," he chuckled. Lorelai looked up into his smiling face and couldn't help but smile back. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his, kissing her passionately. As he pulled away, Lorelai remembered the conversation she'd had with Sookie earlier that day, and how she only had a few days to get Luke a birthday gift.

"So um...it's your birthday in a few days," she said. Luke nodded, still with a goofy smile on his face.

"Yup," he replied monosyllabically.

"The big twenty."

"It's not that big of a deal," he brushed off.

"It is, it means you're not a teenager anymore," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's not that big of a loss," he shrugged.

"Hmm, I can't wait till I'm twenty," she said dreamily.

"Why?"

"I dunno, it's just a cool age," she answered. "Like you're finally growing up."

"Lorelai, I think we both grew up around the time Rory came into each of our lives," he told her. "Or in your case you grew up as much as nature would allow."

"Again with the insults," she exclaimed. Luke laughed and Lorelai followed suit, both enjoying the banter that went on between them. When they sobered, Lorelai remembered why she had started this conversation in the first place, and she quickly got back on track. "Luke?"

"Hmm?"

"I've been thinking about what to get you for your birthday, but I just can't decide, I mean, it's really hard," she complained. He turned his head to look directly at her.

"Well, what are your options?" he asked. She smiled slightly.

"See, that's the thing," she started. "There aren't really any options, at all."

"Huh," he said, seemingly surprised by this. He went into silence for a moment, where he seemed to be thinking, and Lorelai could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. After a good few minutes of silence, he spoke up again. "You know what would be the perfect gift?"

"What?" she asked eagerly. Luke took a deep breath, and Lorelai was slightly bewildered to why he was acting so strangely all of a sudden.

"Lorelai, I'd really like it if you'd become my wife." There, it was out in the open, and again it took Lorelai a few moments to really realise what he'd said.

"What?" She definitely was not expecting that.

**Duh, duh, duh :D Hmm I've had that part planned out in my head for a veeeeery long time, and I'm so glad that I've finally gotten to write it for all of you! **

**I would love to hear your thoughts, please leave a review. I promise I will try and write the next chapter as quickly as my brain will let me! Again, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**

**See you soon,**

**Emily.**


	70. Sharing the News

**Whoop it's the BIG 70! I can't believe I've got this far, it doesn't seem like two minutes ago that I started this. **

**Thanks to every single person who reviewed the last chapter! You didn't react very well to the cliffhanger, but that was my intention lol. I have to make you want to keep coming back for more :P So here it is, the chapter you've been not-so-patiently waiting for. I hope you enjoy it immensely. **

**Oh, and to an anonymous reviewer...I am going to update my other story, I just like this one a lot more at the moment! Sorry about the wait on it though.**

_Previously..._

_"Lorelai, I'd really like it if you'd become my wife." There, it was out in the open, and again it took Lorelai a few moments to really realise what he'd said._

_"What?" She definitely was not expecting that._

Her eyes had widened as she looked up into his intense gaze, and her breath was coming out in short spurts. Had Luke just proposed to her? She wasn't sure what to do or say; she'd never been proposed to before, and she had no idea how she was supposed to react. She'd seen this occur on movies so many times before, but right now, as she stared into Luke's eyes, for the first time in her life she was well and truly speechless.

"Lorelai," Luke prodded, noticing her silence. It was definitely out of the ordinary for her, and her reaction, or lack thereof, caused his heart to beat faster in his chest. Had he just made a terrible mistake? Lorelai finally blinked and shook her head to clear the mistiness, seeming to just realise that she was leaving him in the lurch, and he was waiting for her to say something, anything.

"Um," she paused, completely losing her train of thought, that's if she even had it in the first place. Luke's heart was sinking with every passing moment that she didn't say anything, and he knew that he had to end this awkward silence sooner or later.

"Look, uh," he scratched his head nervously. "I think we're at that point in our relationship where we should move to the next level, but..." He paused. "Obviously we're not there yet, so we can just forget this ever happened and go back to how things were before." Lorelai had so many thoughts running through her head that it took her a few seconds to take notice of what'd he'd just said, but when he began shuffling off the couch away from her, she caught up quickly.

"No, wait," she stopped him. "I don't wanna forget about this." Luke looked back at her from his half sitting, half standing position, waiting for her to say more. He let her pull him back down to the couch and she cupped his cheek in her palm. "You caught me off guard there," she told him. "I just needed a minute to process." Luke nodded in understanding.

"Can I just say something before you give me an answer?" he asked, and Lorelai nodded in allowance. "I know we've only been together for a year or so, but I love you and Rory so much and I want us to be a proper family," he admitted. "What d'ya say?" Lorelai looked down at her knees for a split second, before bringing her eyes up to meet Luke's again, a coy smile gracing her lips.

"Ok," she simply said. Luke's face lit up almost instantly and he blinked rapidly to make sure he wasn't imagining it.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that please?" He looked like a kid in a candy store, and Lorelai giggled.

"Luke Danes, of course I'll marry you," she said clearly, making Luke's grin become ten times brighter. Lorelai grinned back and he leaned forward to kiss her, pouring all his love and happiness into it. After a pretty long kiss, which was bordering on make-out material they managed to pull their lips away from one another's, and Luke took the opportunity to seal the deal.

"Wait here a second," he told her, before getting up from his spot on the couch. Lorelai watched after him as she wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the cold draft. Luke walked over to his nightstand and opened the bottom drawer, pulling out the all too familiar box. As soon as he opened the drawer, Lorelai knew what he was looking for, and her heart skipped a beat. He returned to his spot on the couch and she moved closer to him, tucking her legs underneath herself.

"What's that?" she asked, pretending not to know. Luke uncurled his fingers from around the small velvet box and a smile tugged on the corners of her mouth, just at the sight of it.

"It was my mom's," he told her as he opened the box to show her. "I found it in the apartment after the fire, the box is a bit of a mess but I managed to get the ring cleaned so it looks as good as new." Lorelai put her hand on lower arm and smiled softly at the meaningful piece of jewellery.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, still mesmerised by the thing even though she had seen it a few times before, especially after the journey it had been on through their daughter's digestive system.

"Here." He held out his hand and she sat it gently in his, as she watched him pluck the shiny ring from the box and carefully slide it onto her finger. Neither of them could wipe the smiles off their faces as their engagement was made official, and Lorelai couldn't resist leaning in to kiss her fiancé again. "Does it fit ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, admiring it on her finger once again. She thought back to April, when Luke was being distant with her just before their trip to New York, and that was the first time she discovered the ring. So much had changed since then; the diner was open again, Rory was growing into a beautiful little girl and to top it all off, Luke and Lorelai had just gotten engaged. She began chuckling to herself, catching Luke's attention.

"What's so funny?" he asked curiously.

"I have something to tell you," she said. Luke narrowed his eyes but let her continue. "Do you remember just before we went to New York, and things were a little weird between us?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Well, funny story," she began. "A couple of days before we left, you were in the shower and Rory happened to look in your nightstand. Anyway, she found the ring and showed it to me, and I thought it was beautiful," she admitted. "So the next day I went into the bathroom for a moment and when I came out, Rory was looking in your nightstand again. I went over and saw she was holding the ring box, and it was empty. Then the coughing started." Luke's eyes had widened considerably, and he seemed more alert.

"What?" he asked, not quite believing it.

"Turns out she swallowed the damn thing," she said, confirming his suspicions. Luke looked to be quite panicked now.

"She swallowed my mother's engagement ring?" he questioned incredulously. It sounded so ridiculous.

"Yup," she agreed.

"Was she ok?"

"Oh yeah, I admit I was so worried when it happened, but I took her up to Mia and she drove us to the emergency room. The doctor did some x-rays and managed to dislodge it, and it passed through her system." Luke was bewildered; how did he not know about this?

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "It was important."

"I didn't want you to know I found the ring," she admitted. "If you'd have wanted me to know about it, you would have showed me when you first found it."

"The reason I didn't wanna tell you about it was because of this," he said, gesturing between them. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Believe me, it was a huge surprise," she assured him. Luke smiled in return before looking down at the ring again.

"So this ring has been in a fire, and has been on a journey through our daughter's digestive system?"

"Yeah, shows how durable it is, huh?" she joked. Luke scrunched his face up slightly.

"Tell me you cleaned it before you put it back in my nightstand," he asked, just to make sure.

"Dad did," she told him.

"How does Richard know about it?"

"Well when we left for New York, the ring still hadn't passed through, so I had to tell mom to keep a lookout for it when she changed Rory's diaper," she said. "Believe me; the image of my mother digging through a soiled diaper is priceless." Luke chuckled and wrapped his arms around her tighter.

"I can't believe all that happened," he murmured.

"I know," she agreed. "But I can tell you, there is no way Rory is getting her hands on this baby ever again," she said, fingering her ring possessively. She admired it for at least the sixth time and a grin appeared on her face again.

"Are you happy?" he asked her, taking in her loved-up expression.

"You bet," she replied. "I am one lucky lady."

"Oh yeah?" he asked coyly.

"Hmm, I get to wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life," she sighed contentedly.

"Well you have no idea what I'm feeling right now," he admitted shyly.

"I think I've got a pretty good idea," she muttered before moving in to kiss him. Before they knew it, they were on their feet and Luke was walking Lorelai back towards their bed, where they consummated their engagement more than once that night.

XXXX

The alarm went off at it's usual time the next morning, but on this particular day, it was more of a burden than a helpful reminder.

"Turn it off," Lorelai mumbled into her pillow, still half asleep. Luke did as she requested then reached over and pulled her closer to him, leaving a kiss on her bare shoulder.

"Morning," he said, trying to coax her from sleep. It took a few minutes, but she eventually turned over and smiled at him.

"Good morning husband-to-be," she replied, moving forward to give him a proper kiss. Luke happily joined in and he pulled her naked body up against his.

"I don't wanna go to work right now," he said quietly, wrapping a lock of her hair around his finger.

"Then don't," she told him. "Stay here with me." Luke sighed.

"But...Ben's coming by to help me open up and get through the early morning crowd."

"Call and tell him you can't get in till later." Luke looked uneasy for a second, but as he felt her foot grazing up his calf under the covers, his decision was seemingly made.

"Ok, you've persuaded me," he said with a coy smile, before reaching over for the phone.

"Doesn't take much," she muttered slyly as she watched him dial the number.

"Hey Ben, it's Luke," he greeted. "Yeah, uh something's come up this morning and I was hoping you'd be ok in the diner by yourself for a couple of hours?" Lorelai began rubbing her foot higher up his leg, and he shot her a stern glare. "Great, I should be in for nine, yeah ok..."

Lorelai brought her hand forward and grasped the most sensitive part of him, causing Luke to almost choke on his own saliva. "Yeah I'm ok," Luke assured his concerned employee. "I'll see you at nine," he said in a rush before slamming the phone back onto it's cradle and looking over at Lorelai. "What did you do that for?" he hissed.

"I wanted some attention," she shrugged, looking down at a certain excited body part of his. "Looks like I got what I wanted." Luke swallowed before lunging forward and pinning her beneath him, before he began attacking her mouth.

As they lay catching their breath next to each other, Lorelai brought her left hand up so she could examine her engagement ring for the hundredth time since Luke had slid it onto her finger. She couldn't seem to hold her grin in whenever she looked at it, she just couldn't believe that she, Lorelai Gilmore, was engaged, at eighteen as well.

She noticed Luke's breathing even out in the silence, and she turned her head to find his eyes closed. She sighed, looked at her ring again, then slid out of bed carefully. She grabbed her favourite flannel shirt and put it on, making sure all the buttons were fastened, before padding quietly into Rory's room.

"Sweets," she whispered as she shook her daughter lightly. Rory didn't stir, she was a deep sleeper, which was pretty useful at times. "Rory," she said a little louder, causing the girl to blink her eyes open and furrow her brows.

"Mommy," she mumbled.

"Hi baby," she cooed. She pulled back Rory's covers and climbed into bed next to her, wrapping her arms around the girl tightly.

"I'm sweepy," she said, rubbing her eyes to prove her point.

"I know, babe, but I just have to tell you something first ok?" Rory nodded and looked expectantly up at her mother. "Earlier, daddy proposed to mommy," she informed. Rory stared up at her blankly. "Do you know what that means?"

"No," she replied. Lorelai smiled warmly at her little girl, this was every kid's dream, for their parents to be married.

"It means that mommy and daddy are getting married!" she said excitedly, causing Rory to perk up at her change of tone.

"Marry?" she asked. Lorelai nodded enthusiastically.

"Yep, check this out," she said, holding up her hand to show Rory the ring on her finger. The girl examined it before her eyes lit up in recognition.

"Ring!" she exclaimed. "From here." She patted her belly proudly.

"That's right, it's the ring that was in your tummy," she confirmed, surprised that Rory even remembered the event.

"Shh, no tell daddy," she whispered. Lorelai giggled.

"It's ok, we can tell daddy about it now." Rory took her attention to the ring on her mother's finger, and she fingered it lightly.

"Pretty," she said.

"It is pretty, isn't it?" Rory nodded insistently, before trying to pry it off Lorelai's hand.

"Me try." Lorelai shook her head stubbornly.

"No," she refused. "This stays on mommy's finger, and you don't touch it ok?" Rory pouted.

"Pwease?"

"No, I don't want any more ring swallowing incidents," she told her. "This belongs to mommy now." Rory nodded in defeat as she snuggled closer into Lorelai's side. "You know Ror, this used to belong to your Grandma Caroline," she said.

"Who that?"

"That's daddy's mommy," she answered. Rory looked thoughtful for a moment.

"See her soon?" she asked tentatively. Lorelai looked down at her sadly.

"Unfortunately we can't meet her," she said. "She's in heaven now, remember?"

"That sad," she muttered.

"I know hon, but we get to see her headstone in a couple of weeks," she told her. "You can talk to her then." Rory nodded, but she seemed to be losing interest in the conversation. "You still sleepy?"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Ok, give mommy a kiss and I'll let you get back to sleep." She crawled up and kissed Lorelai on the lips, before shuffling onto her mattress and digging her head in her pillow. Lorelai watched her for a moment, then carefully climbed off the bed and tucked Rory in the way she liked it.

XXXX

Lorelai hurried down the street towards Sookie and Jackson's place, eager to share her news with her best friend. Rory was spending a couple of hours at the diner with Luke while Lorelai and Sookie did some shopping for said man's birthday gift. She reached the door and pressed the buzzer for the correct apartment.

"It's open," came Sookie's voice through the receiver. Lorelai tripped up the stairs on the way up to the first floor, and when she got to the door, she didn't even bother knocking.

"Sook, you're not gonna believe it," she exclaimed as soon as she made it inside.

"What is it?" she asked, coming out of her bedroom, attempting to fasten a necklace around her neck.

"Here, let me do it," Lorelai offered, taking the jewellery from her friend.

"Continue," she prodded, wanting to know what the scoop was.

"So the meal you made for us last night was delicious, thanks for that by the way." Sookie nodded as she turned around and faced her. "We had a nice evening, we ate, had some wine, went to Walmart for groceries," she listed. "Then Luke put Rory to bed when we got back and we had some time to ourselves, so I took your advice and asked him what he wanted for his birthday."

"And, did he give you any ideas?"

"No, then this happened," she said, holding up her left hand for Sookie to see. She blinked three times, not quite believing what she was seeing.

"He proposed," she murmured in disbelief. "He proposed!" she finally exclaimed, pulling Lorelai into a tight hug. Lorelai laughed and hugged her best friend back, glad to share the news with someone other than Rory, who hadn't really understood what was going on. "How did he do it?" she asked eagerly.

"Well like I said, I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, and he said he wants me to become his wife," she said. "He said it so casually, I mean, it took me a minute to really realise what he'd said." Sookie clapped her hands together excitedly.

"God, you're so lucky," she gushed. "I wanna get married." Sookie said that at completely the wrong time, because Jackson just happened to be entering the apartment, overhearing her admission. "Uh, Jackson, what are you doing home?" she asked slightly uncomfortably.

"I forgot my lunch," he said awkwardly as he moved towards the kitchen.

"Nice timing, Sook," Lorelai whispered, causing Sookie to frown. Jackson reappeared holding a brown paper bag, and he smiled at the girls.

"Hi Lorelai," he greeted her.

"Hey," she replied. Sookie noticed the elephant that had made it into the room, and she hated the tension.

"Luke and Lorelai are getting married," she told him, making Lorelai grin even wider than she already was. Her face was going to stick that way if she wasn't careful.

"Oh, wow, congratulations," said Jackson sincerely. Lorelai nodded.

"Thanks Jackson, it was a little unexpected," she chuckled.

"Yeah, well." There was a silence for a moment or two, where Lorelai glanced between the couple. "I'd better get back to work." And with that he gave Sookie a quick peck on the lips then left the apartment.

"Things seem weird with you and Jackson," Lorelai observed. "Did you talk to him yet?"

"Yeah, last night," she answered. "He understood where I was coming from and he said we can try harder to go out to different places every week, he was totally fine with it."

"So what gives?" Sookie shrugged.

"I don't know, I guess I freaked him out with my announcement just now," she shrugged. "I'll talk to him later."

"Poor Jackson," she giggled. "You probably gave him an aneurysm or something." Sookie narrowed her eyes at her best friend.

"Are you ready to go shopping?" she asked, changing the subject entirely. Lorelai nodded, and the girls made their way out to Sookie's car, ready for a hard day's shopping spree.

XXXX

The diner was busy once again, and Luke was glad that he had Ben to help him today. He hadn't actually gotten to the diner until nine thirty, mainly because Lorelai couldn't keep her hands off of him. Luke sighed as he watched Rory practically inhale her milkshake; she had chosen chocolate flavour today, completely ignoring her dad when he tried to get her to choose banana instead.

"Daddy, want cake," she told him, looking at the cake stand just down the counter from where she was sitting. Again, that was chocolate flavoured, and there was no way was she having both.

"No," he refused. "You've already got a chocolate milkshake, I'm not giving you cake as well.

"Pwease?" she pouted.

"No," he said sternly. "Now drink your shake." Rory continued to pout as she slurped from her straw and watched Luke rally around the diner. It wasn't particularly busy, but Ben had gone on his lunch break and it seemed that everyone wanted something at the same time. Rory watched the customers curiously, scanning the crowd to see if she recognised any of them. She noticed Babette and Miss Patty sitting at a table near the window, and she eagerly slid off her stool to go see them, taking her milkshake with her.

"Hi," she said shyly when she reached them. The two women pulled themselves out of their hushed conversation and looked down at the little girl.

"Well hello sweetheart," greeted Patty.

"What's the matter doll?" Babette asked. Rory frowned.

"Boring," she sighed. "Want chocwate cake."

"Aw, do you wanna sit up here?" questioned Patty as she patted her knee. Rory nodded and soon she was perching on Patty's lap, smiling at her father as he walked by.

"Is your mean old dad not letting you have any cake, sugar?" asked Babette.

"Yeah," Rory replied. "Want cake."

"Maybe he'll let you have some later, sweetie," Patty assured. Rory looked up at her curiously, then took her attention to Babette's cup of coffee. "Isn't she adorable?" she asked Babette.

"Hell yeah, do you think Luke'll notice if I take her home with me?"

"I think he'd realise she was missing," she said sarcastically. They looked down at the little girl again, both admiring how much she resembled her mother.

"What have you been doing today so far?" asked Babette. Rory looked thoughtful for a moment before answering the question.

"Mommy n daddy marry," she told them. Babette and Patty did a double take.

"Sorry sweetie, what was that?" Rory cleared her throat.

"Mommy got ring," she told them, tapping her finger as a visual aid. The ladies' eyes widened to triple their usual size.

"Oh my god," they gasped, looking around the busy diner for Luke. When they spotted him heading into the kitchen, Patty put Rory on her feet and Babette followed them over to the counter. When Luke came out of the kitchen, he was met by two grinning faces belonging to the town gossips themselves.

"What's going on?" he asked cautiously. Did he really wanna know? Patty couldn't control herself any longer.

"You're getting married!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, ya finally did it, you asked Lorelai to marry you, you big softie." Luke rolled his eyes, and as the women continued to gush at him, he leaned forward over the counter and found Rory standing at their feet, giving him a cheeky smile. He shook his head at her before looking up at the two ladies.

"Alright, you can stop it with the happy dances," he complained.

"But this is so great," Patty gushed. "Can we sing at the wedding?" Luke rolled his eyes again, they never gave up.

"No," he declined.

"Oh come on, at least consider it."

"Fine," he paused. "Thought about it, and the answer's still no." Babette huffed.

"We thought that when you and Lorelai finally made it to this point, that you'd at least lighten up a little, guess we were wrong, huh Patty?"

"Oh definitely," she agreed before the two women made their way back over to their table, where they continued to chat excitedly to each other. Luke watched them for a few moments then looked down at Rory, who was still grinning up at him.

"I can't believe you told them," he accused her. "Worst thing you could have done," he muttered as he went around the counter and sat her back on her stool. She continued to smile at him as she banged her hands on the counter top.

"Cake pwease?" she asked politely, not even noticing that she had done anything wrong. Luke shook his head and put a sliver of cake on a plate in front of her. Rory grinned triumphantly and began to dig in, leaving Luke to think about how their news would be all over town in less than an hour.

XXXX

"Lucas!" Lorelai called as she entered the almost empty diner later that afternoon. Luke came out of the kitchen when he heard her voice, and he smiled affectionately at her.

"Hey," he greeted, leaning over the counter to give her a longer than necessary kiss. She pulled away smiling, before she set her shopping bags on the stool next to her. "Good day?"

"Yeah, I got everything I needed at the mall," she said happily.

"Plus everything else they were selling," he added, eyeing her many bags. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders.

"I just bought some other stuff while I was there," she told him. "I got Rory some new shoes, the ones she has now are getting a little worn." Luke nodded, watching as Lorelai seemed to notice something. "Where is Rory anyway?"

"Right over there," he said, pointing towards the window. Lorelai looked around and saw her daughter asleep on a chair by the window, sprawled across it in the most awkward position she could be.

"Aw, she looks so cute," she gushed, putting a hand to her heart. Luke chuckled.

"She may look cute now, but she's been a monkey today," he informed.

"Oh yeah?"

"First she wanted a chocolate milkshake, then she started bugging me for cake," he complained. "You turned our kid into a chocoholic," he accused.

"It's the best way," she winked.

"She used to like bananas," he said. "But today she was set on having chocolate flavour, no matter how much I tried to change her mind."

"What do you expect, she's related to me." Luke narrowed his eyes.

"You have a fair point," he agreed with a nod.

"So, what does one have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?"

"Show me your hand," he retorted. Lorelai smiled and held her left hand out for him to see. Luke examined it for a moment before nodding approvingly. "Looks good," he said. "Suits you."

"I know," she said smugly. "I love it so much." And she found herself admiring her ring again; she just couldn't stop looking at it. Luke smiled to himself and poured her a cup of coffee.

"Coffee's free for my fiancées," he told her.

"And how many fiancées do you have exactly?" she joked.

"Oh a few," he brushed off. Lorelai grinned.

"Speaking of which, Taylor was putting a banner up outside Doose's when I came past," she said. "It said something like 'Congratulations Luke and Lorelai'. Do you happen to know anything about that?" She knew it must be Luke's doing, because she had been out of town since before lunch.

"Uh, it's a funny story actually," he began.

"Uh huh," she nodded.

"Rory kinda let it slip to Miss Patty and Babette earlier," he admitted.

"What?" she asked. "God that kid is way too smart for her age."

"Tell me about it," he mumbled.

"So the town knows?"

"Yup, I'm sure the gossip mill told the last person over two hours ago." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"But I wanted to keep this to ourselves for a little while, at least until we had the chance to get used to it."

"Yeah well...wait, did you say Taylor's putting a banner up?" Lorelai nodded. "I'm fed up of this town," he muttered as he made his way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"To yell at Taylor."

"Oh ok," she shrugged. She watched him march across the square, before getting up from her stool and going behind the counter, refilling her mug with coffee. Being engaged to Luke had it's perks, that's for sure.

XXXX

"Remind me again why I have to go to my parents' house on a Wednesday night?" she questioned as Luke helped her into her coat.

"Because you have to tell them about the engagement," he said patiently.

"And why can't that wait till Friday night dinner?"

"Cause it's important and they have a right to know." Lorelai huffed.

"Fine," she grumbled. Luke furrowed his brows.

"Do you not wanna tell them about this?" he asked. Lorelai noticed his insecurity.

"No, I do," she assured him. "I just, I feel like I need more time to prepare, I don't know how they'll react."

"I'm sure they'll be ok with it."

"How would you feel if Rory was getting married at eighteen?" Luke thought about it for a moment.

"You have a valid point."

"Exactly." Luke sighed.

"Look, you have to tell them sometime," he told her. "Now is as good of a time as any."

"Can't I tell them over the phone?"

"No," he said sternly. "This is not something you say over the phone."

"Ok," she agreed reluctantly. She looked over at Rory who was watching them from the couch in her pyjamas. "She'll be in bed by the time I get back won't she?" Luke nodded. "Night Ror," she said, bending down to kiss Rory's forehead. She straightened and looked back to her fiancé. "Don't fall asleep while I'm gone," she warned him. Luke chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her.

"I won't, see you soon Crazy Lady."

"Bye Burger Boy," she threw back as she opened the door and stepped out into the chilly November night. She blew him a kiss before shutting the door behind her and making her way up to the inn.

As she pulled into her parent's driveway, her breathing began to pick up slightly. She had no idea how Emily and Richard would react to the news, and all this thinking about it wasn't doing her any good. She slowly got out of Mia's car and made her way over to the front door, not having the guts to ring the bell just yet.

She took a few steps backwards and looked up at her old home. It didn't look as big to her as it used to do, and Lorelai put that down to the fact that she now got along with her parents, and the once stuffy house was now a welcoming environment. She thought about how much had changed for her since she moved out. She had a proper relationship with her mother and father, she had a genius toddler daughter, and now she had a wonderful fiancé who would do anything in the world for her.

Her life was definitely better than she had ever pictured it to be.

With her new found confidence, she stepped forward and pressed the bell firmly. She could hear the ringing inside the house, and it wasn't long before she heard footsteps and the sound of her mother's voice.

"Who could possibly be calling round at this time of night?" she heard her say. The huge door flew open and Emily's eyes widened when she saw her daughter standing on her doorstep. "Lorelai," she said in surprise. "Is everything alright?" Richard joined his wife at the door after hearing the name of their visitor. Ever since Luke had pulled him aside to ask for Lorelai's hand, he had been expecting to hear the news at any time. Maybe now that time had come.

"Lorelai, has something happened?" he asked uncertainly. She looked quite scared to him, so maybe things hadn't gone the way Luke had been hoping they would.

"Uh, can I talk to you guys for a sec?" she asked, finally locating her voice. She stepped inside past Emily and made her way to the living room, leaving a confused Emily and Richard to follow along behind her.

"Lorelai, what is going on?" Emily asked. "Is there something wrong, is Rory alright?"

"She's fine," she said, putting their minds at ease. "I just came round to tell you something." Emily moved over to her chair opposite to where Lorelai was sitting and Richard followed suit. Lorelai played with her hands nervously in her lap, and from Emily's new angle, she noticed something reflect from the light on the end table. That's when she noticed the rock on her daughter's left hand.

"Luke proposed to you," she gasped, her eyebrows rising slightly. Lorelai furrowed her brows in confusion for a moment, before realising that her ring was on full show to the elder Gilmores.

"Um, yeah," she confirmed. Emily seemed to look even more surprised, while Richard remained unfazed by the whole thing.

"When?"

"Last night," she answered quickly. She closed her eyes tightly, willing their reactions to come faster.

"I didn't think he'd do it this soon after our talk," said Richard thoughtfully, forgetting that the girls could hear him. Lorelai's eyes flew open at his statement, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You knew?" she questioned. Emily was also staring at him, obviously waiting for him to answer.

"He came to me on Monday and asked for my blessing," he admitted. "And after a bit of begging on his part, I agreed." Lorelai was amazed by how much Luke had thought about this, he had proposed to her so casually after all.

"He asked your permission?" she asked. Richard nodded and smiled softly at his only daughter.

"He loves you very much Lorelai, I'd hold onto him for as long as possible if I were you," he advised.

"Oh, I plan to," she nodded. "He's not going anywhere." She looked over at her mother, who still hadn't said anything. "Mom, what do you think about this?" she asked cautiously. Emily seemed to have been in a daze, because she appeared to snap out of it when she realised that Lorelai was addressing her.

"You're so young," she said, causing Lorelai's face to fall slightly.

"I know, but I love Luke so much, mom, I'm ready for this."

"You're sure?" she asked.

"One hundred percent," she nodded.

"And you're sure this is what's best for Rory? She has to be a factor here."

"I can't think of anything better for her than her parents getting married," she said. "She's excited about it too, I don't think she really understands it all though."

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order." Lorelai smiled widely, and Emily returned it with one of her own.

"Thanks mom," she said sincerely. "I don't know what I would have done if you weren't happy with this."

"I'm sure you would have gone ahead with it anyway." Lorelai chose to ignore her comment, keeping her smile in place.

"I should get going," she said. "Luke's waiting for me to get home." Richard nodded and the three of them got up and made their way to the front door.

"Thanks for coming and telling us now, instead of waiting for dinner on Friday," said Richard, glad with the way things were going at the moment.

"It was no problem," she brushed off, before taking her attention to her mother. She enveloped her in a hug and smiled when she felt Emily's arms tighten around her. "Thanks for being ok with this," she whispered quietly in her ear, before pulling away and smiling again. "See you Friday," she said happily as she opened the door.

"Yes, see you Friday," Emily replied, watching Lorelai walk to the car. After the door had been closed, Emily turned to Richard, a sense of loss filling her.

"Emmy, are you alright?" he asked, noticing how pale she looked. Tears filled her eyes and she didn't even bother to try to hold them in.

"She's all grown up now Richard," she said through her sobs. Richard pulled her into his strong embrace and held her tightly, letting her cry into his chest. "She's getting married; she's not our little girl anymore." She had had a similar reaction to this when they had found out Lorelai was pregnant, so he did what he did the last time; he held her and let her cry out her frustration, comforting her the best he could. She would come to terms with it eventually; she just needed time to process first.

**What did you think? I didn't read through this to spell check and whatever, so there may be those silly little mistakes that you look back on and think, why did I ever put that there? Anyway, I hope there aren't too many. **

**If you enjoyed this at all, then please tell me! I want to hear your thoughts on people's reactions, and how well I dealt with them. Emily was quite a tough one to think up. Also, can someone tell me if Parenthood is going to be on tomorrow night? I don't think it was on last week was it, cause a new episode didn't come up on the website I watch it on. Please help, I don't want to miss any!**

**Anyway, I'm going to stop rambling on now, and leave you to do whatever :D**

**See you soon,**

**Emily.**


	71. House Hunting

**Hello, I have chapter 71 all finished for you! There are four left after this...I kinda don't want it to end :/ Fear not, for there will be a sequel in the future, not sure when I will post it but I've got ideas already. **

**Thanks for your reviews in the last chapter...much appreciated. I hope you enjoy this.**

Luke walked out of the kitchen and immediately rolled his eyes at what he saw. He strode over to Lorelai and Sookie's table and put his hands on his hips.

"Do you have to take up three whole tables?" he asked them, looking over their bridal catalogues, magazines and other things they had found.

"Luuuke this is important," she informed him. "This is our wedding; don't you want it to be perfect?"

"It could still be perfect if you looked at all this stuff at home," he grumbled.

"What's up, grumpy?"

"You're taking up tables when paying customers could be sitting here."

"We're paying customers," she pointed out.

"Yes, two paying customers taking up three damn tables!"

"Jeez, chill out," she told him. "We've already left this for weeks, we need to get it sorted out."

"Well you can sort it out, at home," he said pointedly.

"Luuuke," she whined. "We already have it set out here, there's no point in moving it all the way back to the inn."

"Fine," he breathed heavily. "You've got a half an hour, then you're outta here."

"Wow, half an hour," she said sarcastically. "Hey Sook, think we can plan the perfect wedding in just thirty minutes?" Sookie giggled at how Lorelai was playing Luke.

"I mean it," he said before walking off behind the counter.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I have work to do," he replied, taking his attention to a customer. Lorelai sighed and turned around to face Sookie.

"Do you think it's weird that Luke doesn't want anything to do with planning the wedding?" she asked tentatively. Sookie noticed her friend's concern and was quick to reassure her.

"He's a guy," she brushed off. "They just show up on the day, it's us girls that do all the careful planning." Lorelai twisted her mouth thoughtfully.

"If he turns around on the day and tells me he doesn't like this and he doesn't like that, I want you to remind me of this moment," she said. Sookie nodded.

"So what's the date?" she asked eagerly. She was dying to know when her best friend would be getting hitched.

"I don't know, we've only been engaged for three weeks," she pointed out.

"But you can still pick a date, then you know how long you have till everything has to be sorted," she said logically. Lorelai looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I guess I'd love a winter wedding," she admitted. "Good things happen when it snows, remember?" Sookie nodded enthusiastically. "But..."

"Oh, why does there always have to be a but?" she complained, beginning to pout.

"Hey, that pout belongs to me ok?" she joked. Sookie cracked a smile as she waited for Lorelai to continue her train of thought. "As I was saying, if we were to get married in winter, we'd rather have to plan a quick wedding within a month, or wait a whole year. I don't wanna be rushing around, but I also don't wanna have to wait forever, you know?"

"So?" she asked, wondering what the options were going to be.

"So, I think it's gonna have to be a summer wedding," she answered, causing Sookie to squeal. Luke came out of the kitchen again and headed over to their table.

"You're already taking up my tables, the least you could do is be considerate to the other customers and not make intolerable noises," he ranted. Lorelai grinned up at him, she loved ranting Luke.

"Hey Luke, how do you feel about getting married next summer?" she asked him. He took his attention to his fiancée.

"If that's what you want, then sure," he shrugged.

"But is it what _you _want?"

"As long as you're happy, it doesn't matter," he told her. She smiled slightly at his sweet comment, but the fact that he didn't want a say in this area of their lives was annoying her to no end.

"You could have it outside if it's in the summer," Sookie pointed out. "Maybe in the town square, or at the inn?" Lorelai nodded distractedly, she wanted to ask Luke more questions to try to get him involved.

"What do you think, babe?" she asked. "Would you wanna get married at the inn?"

"Sure, it's kind of our home, so I guess that'd be nice," he nodded. She smiled triumphantly.

"Ok, so we're getting married in summer at the inn," she confirmed, scribbling notes into her new white notebook. She had named it 'The Perfect Wedding', but so far she'd only written five words in it. "Pick a month," she told him. Luke returned to shrugging his shoulders carelessly.

"I'll leave that to you," he said, before turning around.

"Where are you going now?" she asked.

"Back to work, I can't stand around here all day talking about weddings." He began to walk away, and Lorelai frowned, turning back to Sookie.

"It's not just any wedding, it's ours," she mumbled.

"He'll probably get more involved when the big stuff happens," Sookie assured. "You know, like picking out tuxes and ordering the wedding rings."

"I doubt I could persuade Luke to wear a tux."

"You can get him to do anything!" Lorelai smiled before going on to gush over a bridesmaid dress in one of the magazines.

"Can you imagine Rory wearing this?" she asked. "I bet she'd look so adorable."

"She definitely would," she agreed. "So, Rory's gonna be a bridesmaid then?"

"Yeah, I mean, she's so important to me, and I want everyone I love up there with me." Sookie looked at her expectantly, and Lorelai knew that was her cue to break the news. "And on that note, I would really love it if you'd be my maid of honour." Sookie squealed again, receiving a stern glare from Luke.

"Pipe down," he warned her. He watched the two women speak animatedly to each other as they planned his wedding, and as he watched Lorelai, he found it difficult to believe that come summertime, he would be marrying that beautiful creature. He smiled smugly to himself while he pulled receipts out of the till and started sorting through them, frequently glancing up at his fiancée to make sure he wasn't dreaming. It was really happening.

XXXX

"Are you almost ready?" Luke asked. Lorelai seemed to be taking a while getting ready tonight, as usually she didn't put that much effort into her appearance just for Friday night dinner.

"Um, just a second," she called back. Luke wasn't really convinced though.

"Hurry mommy," said Rory as she played with her mother's shoes.

"Sorry babe, I'm nearly ready," she told her, applying some mascara to her lashes.

"I'm hungry," she sighed.

"I know, I am too," she replied. Rory whimpered and walked over to Luke, who lifted her into his lap.

"Daddy ready?" she asked him. Luke nodded.

"I've been ready for ages, Ror, it's your mom that's the slowcoach." Rory nodded in agreement.

"What dinner?"

"I don't know what we're having for dinner," he answered. "Why, what do you want?"

"Ice cream," she exclaimed. Luke smiled.

"I don't think grandma will have ice cream," he said doubtfully. "How about sorbet?" Rory scrunched her nose up and shook her head. "I thought so," he chuckled.

"Ready," Lorelai announced.

"It's about time," Luke commented. "It's six thirty; we'd better get going if we wanna be on time."

"Relax, I'm sure my mother won't mind, she's been so...calm the last few weeks," she said.

"Calm?" he questioned. "Are we talking about the same person here?"

"Seriously, she's been different ever since we told them about the engagement. I think they're up to something," she said thoughtfully.

"Ok Crazy Lady, whatever you say." He helped her into her coat and watched her put her shoes on, before holding the door open for her.

"Come on Rory," she said, holding her hand out to the little girl. Rory eagerly took hold of it and walked alongside her mother, as Luke locked up the shed and went after them.

They pulled up outside the Gilmore's a couple of minutes before seven, and Lorelai got to work unbuckling Rory. The three of them made their way to the front door, Rory in front, Luke and Lorelai holding hands behind her.

"I ring," Rory requested, pointing up to the doorbell that was out of her reach. Luke leaned forward and held her up to it as she pushed the button triumphantly. He set her back on her feet and they waited for someone to answer the door. "Granma coming," whispered Rory, like it was a big secret. Luke ruffled her hair and they both smiled down at her, before Emily answered the door.

"You're late," was all she said, not giving them a chance to even say anything before her.

"I know mom, traffic," Lorelai shrugged it off. Emily nodded unconvincingly.

"Hi granma!" exclaimed Rory, throwing her arms around her grandmother's legs. Emily smiled down at her, putting her arms around her small body the best she could.

"Hello sweetheart," she cooed.

"I push va button," she told her.

"Which button?" she asked curiously.

"There." She pointed to the door, which had now been closed by Luke.

"She rang the doorbell," said Lorelai, knowing that this conversation had the potential to go on for a very long time.

"Oh lovely," she said, mustering up some enthusiasm for Rory's sake. To a two year old, ringing the doorbell was a big thing. "Well come along, dinner should be almost ready."

"No drinks tonight?" Lorelai asked, noticing that Emily was leading them in the direction of the living room.

"Since you arrived late, I thought we would have drinks after dinner instead." Luke looked pointedly at Lorelai as they took their seats at the table. She simply shrugged her shoulders in return.

"So, how has your week been?" Richard asked them both once they were sitting comfortably.

"Good," said Lorelai with a nod. "Busy."

"How so?"

"You know, work, Rory, and now with all the wedding stuff going on it's a bit hectic."

"So you've started with the wedding plans?" Emily enquired. She sounded eager, but was obviously trying to mask it a little.

"Sookie and I looked through some magazines," she informed.

"In my diner," muttered Luke. "They took up three whole tables with all their junk."

"Hey, it's not junk, it's giving us ideas," she told him.

"And taking up room in my place of business," he ranted. Emily and Richard looked between the two, before sharing a smile. They could see just how much Luke and Lorelai reminded them of themselves at that age.

"Have you come up with anything so far?" she asked.

"We've decided that we wanna get married in the summer," she replied, smiling at Luke across the table.

"I assume you mean outdoors?"

"Well, yeah probably," she shrugged. "We haven't got that far yet."

"Which month?" she pushed.

"Um, we have no idea yet mom, what's with all the questions?"

"It's just that I know this wedding planner that would be perfect for the two of you, she's one of the best in the business." Lorelai rolled her eyes, she should have guessed her mother would want a wedding planner.

"Well, we want to plan this ourselves," she told her, trying to let her down gently. Once Emily got something in her head, everything else was thrown out of the window.

"You mean..."

"We don't want a wedding planner, mom," she said. "We just want a small, simple wedding, you know, just friends and family, all people we know. We don't want anything extravagant."

"Oh, are you sure?" She couldn't imagine somebody planning a wedding by themselves; it was second nature to have someone do it for you in her world.

"Certain, one hundred percent," she nodded. Emily nodded, trying to come across unaffected by their decision, when on the inside she was less than happy about it.

After dinner, the five of them made their way into the living room and Luke, Lorelai and Rory got comfortable on the couch.

"What can I get everyone to drink?" Richard asked, making his way over to the drinks cart.

"Soda please," both Luke and Lorelai replied. He handed their drinks to them and sat down opposite, handing a martini to his wife.

"Shall we tell them?" he asked Emily, nudging her in the side. She turned to look at him and they shared a nod, before looking back to a confused Luke and Lorelai.

"Tell us what?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, ever since you announced your engagement, we've been trying to come up with a suitable wedding present for you both," he began. Lorelai nodded eagerly.

"Uh huh, did you think of one?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact we did," he told them. Emily couldn't contain herself anymore.

"We want to buy you a house," she blurted out, causing her daughter's eyes to widen considerably.

"What?" she almost squeaked.

"It makes sense," said Richard. "The three of you are living in that tiny potting shed, when you could be in a proper house, with separate rooms for everything."

"But...I like the shed," she whined.

"We know Lorelai, but it's not practical," Emily said. Luke felt the need to have his say.

"You know, I'm actually saving up for a deposit on a house," he informed them. "I've started putting money away for it." Richard nodded.

"That's a sensible thing to do, Luke. But you're young; you don't need the burden of paying for a mortgage while trying to support your family as well. If we do it this way, we can buy the house outright but put everything in your name, so you will own it yourselves. The money you're saving can then be used for other things, like for Rory's education or even new furniture."

As Luke listened to his future father-in-law talk about buying them a house, and explaining their reasoning for it, it seemed to make more and more sense to him. This way, he wouldn't have to skin himself trying to buy a house for his family; it would be handed to him on a plate and he could use the money to support them in the future instead. He turned to look at Lorelai, and she looked to be thinking just as hard as he was.

"What do you think?" he asked her quietly. She looked up at him and gave him a coy smile.

"I think it sounds like a pretty good idea," she confirmed, causing Richard and Emily to grin. They had done something right for a change.

"I have some details of a few houses I found in the Stars Hollow area, I'll go get them," Richard announced, getting up from his seat and heading towards his study.

"I'll come with you," called Emily, leaving the young family alone in the living room. The couple looked down at their daughter to find her passed out on the couch beside them, drool dripping from her mouth onto Emily Gilmore's antique couch. Lorelai grinned and leaned into her fiancé

"They wanna buy us a house," she stated in amazement, "For us to live in as soon as possible." Luke nodded and leaned down to kiss her tenderly.

"Our lives are turning out to be pretty good, don't cha think?" he asked when he pulled away. And he was right, for Lorelai never thought that she would be engaged and moving into her own house after only a little more than a year of living alone. It was like a dream, and she had to pinch herself just to make sure she was actually living it.

XXXX

Luke and Lorelai walked through the town, their fingers threaded together as they headed to the third house on Emily and Richard's list. The elder Gilmores had sent a top real estate agent to show them around the four houses, and so far the ones they had looked at hadn't appealed to them at all. Well, they hadn't appealed to Lorelai, Luke thought they were all fine.

They stopped in front of the third one, and Lorelai frowned.

"What's wrong with this one?" Luke asked, for again it looked ok to him.

"It's...not me," she sighed.

"Tell me, is there actually a house in Stars Hollow that _is_ you?" Lorelai pouted.

"The potting shed," she whined. Luke sighed in annoyance.

"Right, look at me," he ordered. Lorelai's eyes met his. "Do you want a house?"

"Yes, but not this house."

"We haven't even looked inside yet, why don't you judge it after you see it?"

"Fine," she reluctantly agreed.

"Thank you." He removed his hand from hers and placed it on the small of her back instead, guiding her up to the house. "Nice porch," he commented, feeling the wood.

"Shall we go inside?" the agent asked, as he put the key in the lock. He pushed the door open and gestured for the couple to walk through. "So this is the living room," he dictated, gesturing to the medium sized room. Lorelai looked around, and the look on her face told Luke that she wasn't interested in this house at all.

They came back onto the street and Luke turned to look at her.

"So, what did you think?" he asked hopefully. If she didn't like this one, and she didn't like the next one, then they would have a problem on their hands.

"I wasn't getting a vibe," she said thoughtfully.

"A vibe?"

"Yeah, like, it wasn't calling out to me and I couldn't picture us living there at all," she pouted.

"But...the bedrooms were good sizes, and the kitchen was pretty good." Lorelai shook her head.

"Let's go see the last one, ok?" Luke nodded, hoping that this time, she would take a liking to it.

They strolled up to the last house and Lorelai was pleasantly surprised.

"Wow, this one's actually quite nice," she commented.

"Really?" Luke asked, surprised she'd actually found one she'd consider living in.

"Yeah, it's got that homey feel, you know." Luke nodded just to appease her, and as he followed her over the lawn, he noticed who was living next door.

"Uh, Lorelai?" he asked.

"Yeah?" She turned around to look at him.

"You'll never guess who lives next door," he said.

"Who?" she asked.

"Babette and Morey," he muttered.

"Oh, so?" Why was that a problem?

"So, do you really wanna be living next to the Queen B of town gossip?" he asked incredulously.

"But, Babette's house is all the way over there," she exaggerated, "And ours is right over here in the corner, so really, we're not that close."

"Uh huh, she'll be watching our every move. When something happens, she'll know about it first, and then she'll tell Patty, and then the news will be all over town before we've had a chance to do anything!"

"Luke, calm down," she told him. "We've been standing here for at least five minutes already and she hasn't noticed us yet, I think we're ok."

"Lorelai, Luke!" the woman in question shouted.

"Speak too soon," Luke mumbled, shifting uncomfortably as Babette rushed over to them.

"Hi Babette," greeted Lorelai kindly.

"Are you buying the house?" she prodded. "Cause that'd be so great, we'd be neighbours!" Luke rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, but neither Lorelai nor Babette heard him.

"My parents want to buy us a house as a wedding present," she explained. "So we're just taking a look round the ones they picked out."

"Oh, I see," she nodded. "Well this is probably the best one you can get in town. It's got this great porch that goes right the way around the house, plus, you'd have the best next door neighbours in Stars Hollow!"

"Yippee," said Luke sarcastically. Babette chose to ignore him though.

"I can just picture little Rory running around out here," she gushed. "It'd be so great to have you right next door."

"Well this is the only one I've liked out of the four we've seen, so it's looking like a definite maybe." The real estate agent pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door, allowing Luke and Lorelai to go inside.

"You guys go ahead, I'm just gonna make a call." The couple nodded and were about to head inside, when Babette pushed in front of them and began leading them into the living room.

"It's got a big living room, plenty of space for everything you need," she tried to sell it. "And the little archways are so cute." Luke rolled his eyes. "And right through here is the kitchen, which is pretty huge."

"Babette," Luke addressed, stopping the woman mid-rant. "Could we maybe take a look at the house alone?"

"Oh sure sugar, sorry, I'm cramping your style." She began to make her way towards the front door. "I'll be right next door attending to my gnomes if you need me!" Luke let out a sigh of relief when Babette had finally left, and Lorelai chuckled at how persistent the woman was.

"See what I'm talking about now," he grumbled.

"She's harmless," she brushed off. "And from what I'm seeing so far in this house, I can really imagine us living in here."

"Seriously?" he asked, just to make sure she wasn't having him on.

"One hundred percent," she nodded. "It feels so...cosy, even though it's empty, I think we could really do something with this, you know, put our own stamp on it."

"Let's look around." He took her hand a pulled her through into the kitchen, stopping when he saw the size of it. "Wow, this is huge," he said in amazement.

"Can you see yourself making dinner for us in here?" she asked him.

"I think I can," he smiled, opening a few cupboards to check out the storage space.

"Hey, what's through here?" she asked no one in particular, seeing as the real estate agent was still outside on the phone. Lorelai pushed the door open and was surprised to see a large room before her. "Luke, look at this." He came to stand next to her in the room and was too surprised by how big it was.

"This is a good sized room," he said, stepping further in to check it out.

"You know who would love this room?" Luke smiled knowingly.

"I could make bookshelves for her and put them along this wall," he planned.

"And we can decorate it however she likes." Lorelai stepped towards him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I really like it here already."

"Me too, even though the crazies live next door." Lorelai laughed and took hold of his hand, beginning to drag him out of the room.

"Let's go look upstairs," she suggested. The ascended the staircase and made their way into the bathroom, admiring it for a moment or two before heading back across the landing. "I wonder what this room is." They opened the door and came across a smaller room than the one downstairs, a similar size to the bathroom.

"This could be a spare room, you know, for if we need it one day." Lorelai looked up at him and smiled, knowing what he meant by his comment.

"I could always keep my sewing stuff in here until we do need it," she nodded. They stood in the room for a moment or two longer, before Lorelai got impatient. "Can we go see our room now?" she asked eagerly. Luke chuckled.

"Go on then," he allowed. They walked across the landing and entered the master bedroom. There was a bed in there already, but it looked old and the mattress was probably crawling with dust mites.

"Look at the closet!" exclaimed Lorelai, opening the doors to find enough space for all her clothes and shoes, as well as Luke's flannel shirts.

"I can guess that the majority of it will go to you," he said knowingly.

"Well that's a given, but you can have this space here." She put her hand up to show him where his clothes would go, and he snorted.

"How generous of you," he said sarcastically. She grinned and shut the closet doors, before coming to stand next to him again.

"I love this house," she sighed.

"It is pretty good," he agreed. "It needs some work, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Can we get it, please, please, please?" she begged. Luke had to laugh at her eagerness.

"I'll talk to Richard; see if he can put in an offer for us." Lorelai squealed and jumped at Luke. Luckily he was anticipating that she'd do it and he caught her, spinning her around. He was just glad that they'd found a place, cause just over fifteen minutes ago he believed that they'd be living in the potting shed forever, all because of Lorelai's indecisiveness.

"We have to bring Rory back here to see it, I want her to be happy where we live as well."

"Ok, but I'm sure she'll love it," he assured her. The real estate agent came upstairs and found them in the master bedroom.

"Any comments?" he asked hesitantly. After Lorelai's thoughts on the last three houses, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear what she had to say anymore.

"We love it," she told him excitedly.

"Finally," he rejoiced, but then realised what he'd said.

"Tell me about it," Luke agreed. Lorelai hit him lightly on the chest.

"This is a big decision, I can't move into a house that doesn't give me the right vibe," she said pointedly.

"Of course," the agent nodded. "Shall I get in touch with Mr Gilmore and sort through the details?"

"Uh, we can talk to him and get him to give you a call, if that's ok?" Luke suggested.

"That sounds good, I'm glad you've found something." After thanking the agent, the young couple left the house only to be stopped by Babette.

"What's the verdict, sugars?" she asked excitedly. By the look on Lorelai's face, she had a feeling it was a positive reaction.

"We've got other houses to look at before we decide," was all Luke said before leading Lorelai away.

"Other houses to look at?" she questioned him once Babette was out of earshot.

"Well I'm not gonna tell her we're going for it, am I? I don't want it to be all over town before we've even put the offer in."

"They'll find out sooner or later," she shrugged.

"Yeah, and I'd rather it was later," he muttered. They walked back to the diner, and Lorelai sat down at the counter.

"It's so much closer to the diner as well," she gushed. "I mean, now we have to walk like ten minutes to get here, but if we lived there it's just around the corner."

"Hmm."

"And that means that perfect tasting coffee is only two minutes away at all times, it can't be bad." Luke rolled his eyes to keep up his grumpy act, but really he was pleased that Lorelai was happy and that she had finally made a decision regarding their living situation.

XXXX

November thirtieth arrived quicker than anybody could have imagined, and Luke got up extra early for the occasion. He managed to climb out of bed without disturbing Lorelai and Rory, who had taken up residence in their bed for the night, and quickly changed into his trademark jeans and flannel.

He walked to the diner, deciding that a brisk walk in the cold of winter would do him good rather than driving his truck down there. He wanted to lay low today, and he didn't need the noise of his old truck waking up half of Stars Hollow.

He got inside the diner and took out a piece of paper from under the counter, scribbling a note on it before sticking it to the inside of the door. The townspeople were still getting used to the idea of Luke's dark day, so he felt the need to at least give them a reason as to why the diner was closed. Of course he wasn't actually going fishing today, but only his family needed to know that.

He spent some time looking around the refurbished diner, mourning the fact that all of his dad's stuff from the hardware store had gone. Luckily he'd managed to clean up the sign outside and of course the slab of wood that was now nailed to his new counter, but it just wasn't the same without the rest of it to remind him.

XXXX

Lorelai woke up to Rory kicking her as she stretched in her sleep. She looked at the time and groaned, before realising that Luke wasn't in their bed. She knew what day it was today, and she hoped that after their talk last year, he would return to the shed and spend the day with them.

"Mommy," mumbled Rory, throwing her hand around blindly until it landed on her mother's face.

"Ouch," she complained, pushing it away. "What do you say to mommy?"

"Sorry," she muttered sleepily. She finally opened her eyes and smiled at Lorelai, obviously she was happy to see her.

"Listen sweets, I have to tell you something about today, ok?" Rory nodded and laid there in silence waiting for her mom to start speaking. "It's a special day for daddy today."

"Birfday?" she asked curiously.

"No, he just had his birthday remember?" Rory nodded again, but obviously she didn't know what she was talking about. "Today's different; do you remember I told you about Grandpa William?"

"Yeah, he gone," she confirmed. Lorelai couldn't help but smile at how clever Rory was.

"That's right, and today it's been two years since he left daddy, so we have to go visit his headstone."

"Bring fwowers?" she asked.

"Yes, we can bring flowers with us, and you can talk to him too."

"Say what?"

"You can say whatever you want to," she told her. "But it'll make daddy happy if you say something nice, he'll like that."

"Ok," she agreed, with a serious look on her face. Lorelai smiled and brushed the hair out of her daughter's face, just as the door to the potting shed opened and Luke entered.

"Hey," she greeted him, moving to sit up in bed. Rory followed, and grinned when she saw her father walking over to them.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, scrambling to the edge of the bed and holding her arms up to him. Luke lifted her up and smiled at her, he could never hold in his smile when Rory was around.

"Do you need the bathroom?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she replied, wriggling to prove her point.

"Go on then." He put her down and watched her toddle off to the bathroom, before joining his fiancée on the bed. "Are you coming with me today?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," she assured him. "You shouldn't be alone today."

"Liz is coming," he told her. "She's bringing Jess too; he deserves to meet his grandparents."

"That's good," she said. "Rory can't wait to go see her Grandpa William again; she wants to get flowers for him."

"She's a good kid," he stated proudly.

"Finish!" she announced as she came back into the room wearing just her pyjama top and her underwear. Lorelai smiled at her and shook her head.

"Come on missy, time to get dressed," she said, getting out of bed and leading her into her bedroom. They had an important day ahead of them today.

XXXX

Luke, Liz, Lorelai, Jess and Rory strolled through the cemetery together, both children carrying a bunch of flowers each. They had chosen to come during the day this year, rather than walk through the cemetery in the pitch black like they did the last time.

"Here we are," Luke announced, stopping when they got to his dad's headstone. They all looked down at the words carved into the stone and Liz leaned into her brother, seeking comfort from him.

"This is grandpa, guys," Lorelai whispered to them, nudging them to go up and do their thing. Rory took Jess' hand and they stepped forward, leaning down to place the flowers on the ground in front of it.

"Hi granpa," said Rory, looking up to the sky and waving her hand slightly. Lorelai had told her that her other grandma and grandpa were in heaven now, and she understood that that was in the sky above the clouds.

"Hi grandpa," followed Jess. He was still somewhat unfamiliar with the concept of grandparents, and Liz had hoped that by bringing him here he would get a better grasp on it.

"Miss you," Rory said, putting her hand to the cold stone. "You gone."

"Grandpa gone?" asked Jess.

"Yes, to va sky," she told him. Jess looked up at the clouds confusedly.

"It's ok, Jessie," said Liz. "He's in a real good place, and he's watching you to make sure you're ok." Jess smiled at his mom before going over and standing next to his aunt-to-be. Lorelai sensed that Luke and Liz needed some time alone to speak to their father, and she knew that she was just getting in the way of that.

"Hey, I'm gonna have a little walk around, I'll leave you guys to it." The siblings nodded as Lorelai took hold of Jess and Rory's hands and led them away from their grandpa. She walked around for a while, trying to remember her way around this place, when she finally came across it; Caroline Danes' headstone.

"Who that?" Rory asked, noticing her mother stop and stare at it.

"This is your grandma," she told the kids. "She's been gone a long time, but I bet she's still watching over you both." Jess looked confused.

"Is grandma in va sky too?" he asked her.

"Yep, she's with your grandpa," she confirmed. She looked carefully at the gravestone, before clearing her throat and relocating her voice. "I just want you to know, that your son couldn't have turned out any better than he has, he's a great guy and you've been really lucky with him." She took a deep breath.

"He asked me to marry him a couple of weeks ago, and I said yes," she said. "I wish you could be there, I know you'd have given anything to see your son get married. I guess you'll be watching him though, so you're not gonna totally miss out on all the fun." She looked down at Rory and Jess. "These are you grandchildren, you've never met them. This is Jess, Liz's son, and this is Rory, mine and Luke's daughter," she introduced. "They would have loved to meet you too, and we tell them about you all the time."

She noticed Luke and Liz walking over with their arms around each other, and quickly stood up and smiled at them.

"Everything ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," Luke answered as Liz wiped her eyes frustratedly. Lorelai nodded and looked back to Caroline's headstone. "What were you guys doing over here?" he asked.

"Oh, your mom and I were just having a little chat," she shrugged, and Luke smiled at her gratefully. Luke and Liz said a few words to their mother, then the family set off back to Stars Hollow, all reflecting on the fact that the day hadn't been half as bad as the one the previous year. Maybe they were finally coming to terms with it all.

**So, let me know what you thought! I'm in a rush cause I think my dinner is burning...ooops. Anyway, please review :D I am actually going to try to update faster, things just keep getting in the way.**

**Emily.**


	72. Belated Celebrations

**Well hello there :D **

**Thank you to all the reviewers, I haven't taken that long of a break this time so all is well and you haven't been waiting all that long. I've taken a two month time jump with this, just to get things moving along seeing as there are only four more after this! It's not that drastic anyway.**

**Happy reading.**

Lorelai collapsed on the couch next to Luke and sighed.

"What's up with you?" he asked.

"My mother," she hissed.

"What now?"

"She won't leave me alone," she whined. "Every ten minutes she calls to tell me about something she's found, or an idea she's had for the wedding. She's doing my head in."

"I think she's just excited," he told her.

"And I can understand that, I can relate to that. I'm excited, jumping for joy even, but I do think about other things besides what type of flowers I should carry in my bouquet."

"Just think about it," he said. "She doesn't have a job, she doesn't have many friends and she spends most of her time following the maid round telling her that she's doing everything wrong."

"She has the DAR, she could think about that for a change."

"You know, you should be pleased that your mother is so interested, it shows she's accepted our engagement."

"Yeah, I guess I'm happy about her involvement to some extent, but when she's calling me every ten minutes it's a little annoying."

"Well what did she say?"

"She's found some flowers that would go with a certain type of white dress apparently," she said, shaking her head to show how stupid the comment was.

"But...everything goes with white, that's the beauty of it," he said confusedly.

"Exactly, try telling that to Emily Gilmore!"

"What did you say to her? You weren't mean about it were you?"

"No, don't panic," she calmed him. "After she'd explained to me that there were in fact over two hundred different shades of white, I politely told her I'd look in the catalogue at dinner on Friday."

"Good and you can at least pretend to like what she shows you."

"I will, god you're making me out to be some kind of monster or something," she complained. Luke held up his hands in surrender. "So where's Rory at?" she asked after a moment or two of silence between them.

"She and Jess are hiding," he said nonchalantly. "I gave up looking for them an hour ago." He raised his voice at the last part of the sentence and Lorelai heard giggling coming from the bed. She turned around in her seat and saw two lumps under the duvet, that couldn't seem to keep still.

"Oh, I wonder where they could be," she went along with it. More giggles could be heard, and Luke and Lorelai smiled at each other. "Ooh I just remembered, I talked to Reverend Skinner earlier and he said he's got a bunch of days free at the beginning of June."

"Huh," he said. "Is that when you wanna get married?"

"It makes sense," she nodded. "The weather will be good then so we can have the wedding outdoors like we agreed on."

"Ok, which dates did he give you?"

"There was the first, third, sixth, eighth and ninth," she reported. Luke looked to be thinking for a moment or two.

"All of those sound good," he decided. "You choose one."

"Um, the third?" she said off the top of her head. Luke nodded in agreement.

"June third it is," he confirmed. Lorelai grinned happily and threw her arms around her fiancé.

"I can't wait to get married," she murmured into his neck.

"Me too," he said softly, running his hand through her wavy hair. "And now that we've decided on a date we can start thinking about other stuff, like where we're gonna have it."

"Yeah." She paused for a moment. "I think I'd like to have it here."

"Here? As in...the potting shed?" he asked confusedly.

"No, at the inn," she corrected. "I saw some of the weddings that Mia planned in the summer, they look really beautiful out in the gardens. Plus we won't be living here anymore, it's kinda sad."

"We can have it at the inn," he allowed. "It sounds like a great idea." Lorelai smiled again, before they were interrupted by the kids.

"Here we are!" called Jess as he and Rory rose from under the sheets. The adults turned around to look at the two, both trying their best to look shocked.

"Well I never would have thought to look for you there," said Luke sarcastically, causing the kids to smile triumphantly.

"You wose," stated Rory, sticking her tongue out at her father.

"Rory, that's not very nice," Lorelai warned.

"Uncle Luke loser!" followed Jess, holding his hand up to Rory. "High five!" Rory complied and hit Jess' hand with her own, before the kids lowered themselves down from the bed and bounded over to Luke and Lorelai.

"What doing?" Rory asked, as Lorelai lifted her to sit in her lap.

"We were just talking," she replied.

"Bout what?"

"Up, Uncle Luke!" ordered Jess, holding his arms out for Luke to lift him onto the couch. Once he was comfortably situated between his Aunt and Uncle, he grinned to himself, ready to listen to their conversation.

"We were talking about the wedding," she answered Rory's previous question.

"Get marry?"

"Yeah, that's right," she praised. She was glad that Rory understood the concept of getting married; it made it a lot easier to talk about it with her.

"Hey Jess," said Luke, trying to catch the boy's attention. Jess looked round at his uncle, waiting for him to continue. "What do you think about being my best man?" he asked him. Jess just looked confused.

"Seriously?" Lorelai questioned, and Luke shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, why not?"

"He's two and a half, he won't know what he's doing," she said.

"But Rory's gonna be your bridesmaid."

"And all she has to do is walk down the aisle and look pretty," she argued. "Jess will have to keep the rings safe, and have all sorts of responsibilities. I think the most challenging part for him would be standing still for so long."

"I can't think of anyone else, except Kirk, but I think he's even more clueless than Jess."

"I be the man!" agreed Jess, smiling up at his uncle.

"What about TJ?" she suggested.

"Please."

"Or Ben? Or Caesar?"

"Lorelai, why won't you let Jess do this?" he asked, he didn't see what the problem was.

"I just...I want it to be perfect, I don't want anything to go wrong," she admitted.

"It won't," he assured her. "We can rehearse what he has to do, he's a smart kid, he'll pick it up."

"You're sure?"

"Positive, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have standing up there with me, except you, and Rory...and Reverend Skinner or else it wouldn't even..."

"Luke, I get it," she cut him off, leaning over to give him a kiss.

"No," protested Jess and Rory at the same time, covering their eyes with their hands. They pulled apart and laughed at the kids.

"Alright, now what do you say we play some Twister?"

XXXX

The next week, the young family were standing at the edge of the lawn, staring up at what was to be their house. Luke was pretty pleased with it, and Lorelai was ecstatic, the only person left to impress now was Rory.

"Do you like it, Ror?" Luke asked, trying to get a reaction out of her. She just looked up at him, not really sure what she was supposed to be looking at. "Come on, let's go inside." He took hold of the girl's hand and led her towards the porch steps, unlocking the front door with the key they borrowed from the real estate agent.

"Whoa," said Rory to herself as she took in the hall and the archways leading through into the living room. The only time she'd been in a proper house like this was at Mia's, and the inn. Obviously there was her grandparents' place but that was in a whole other league altogether. "What this?" she asked.

"This is our house," Lorelai told her, smiling as she did so. Rory creased her brow as they walked into the living room.

"Wive here?" she quizzed. It seemed she was still trying to figure out why they were there in the first place.

"Yeah, grandma and grandpa are gonna buy it for us, then we're gonna live here," she confirmed. Rory looked around at the room, letting go of Luke's hand and wandering around by herself.

"Wook!" she exclaimed pointing to the big fireplace.

"Yeah, we can light it when it's cold and sit around it," Luke told her.

"And we can toast marshmallows," added Lorelai.

"Yeah," Rory agreed, but Luke shook his head.

"I don't think so," he declined, moving around the room.

"I'll work on him," she whispered to her daughter, as they both knew they could have whatever they wanted when it came to Luke. Rory ran through the arch into the kitchen, once again looking at it in awe. The only kitchen she'd seen was Sookie's at the inn, plus the tiny kitchenette at the potting shed, and this one was looking pretty good to her right now.

"Daddy's room," she said to her mother, who had followed her through there. Lorelai laughed and started toying with Rory's almost-shoulder length hair.

"Yes, we have no use whatsoever for this room," she agreed. Rory seemed to be getting a bit excited, and Lorelai noticed it from the way she suddenly bounded off to the next room.

"What this room?" she asked eagerly. Lorelai crouched down to her level and smiled at her.

"We thought this could be where you sleep," she answered. Rory looked around at it for a moment or two, before smiling also.

"Mine room?"

"Yes, it's all yours," she confirmed. Rory started running around in there, going from one side to the other and round in circles. Luke came through to join them and immediately wondered what was going on.

"What's happening in here?" he asked, watching Rory parade around the room.

"I told her this could be her room and she went crazy," she shrugged. "It's kinda cute."

"Rory, what do you think about having some bookcases?" Luke said to her, trying to get her to stop running around like a mad woman. She stopped dead and looked at him, before proceeding to spin around in circles like she was playing dizzy ducks. "Ok, so you like that idea," he nodded. Lorelai laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him in close to her.

"She would love bookcases, she's just too riled up to care right now," she teased. Luke looked over her shoulder at the crazy little girl.

"Maybe she'll tire herself out," he observed. "Then while she's sleeping we can have some fun of our own," he winked suggestively.

"Lucas," she gasped. "In the middle of the day as well?" He shrugged his shoulders, coming across a little shier than he was before.

"I'll take whatever I can get," he replied, leaning forward to kiss her. Lorelai moaned into his mouth then pulled away, her breathing picking up a bit.

"Why don't we go upstairs and christen our new bedroom while madam's occupied?" she suggested.

"I think that would be a bit irresponsible of us, don't you?" he said, obviously he was the only one thinking logically.

"Hmm, it does have the potential to be disastrous," she agreed. "We'd better hurry up and look around the rest of the house, so we can get home and put Rory down for a nap."

"I'm hearing you." He scooped Rory up and held her tightly as she wriggled in his arms, hurriedly showing her the rest of the house before they locked up and headed home.

XXXX

Rory had fallen asleep on the way home, much to Luke and Lorelai's delight, as they got to spend their free time rolling around under the covers.

"I love being engaged," Lorelai sighed and Luke collapsed to the side of her. "Being able to have sex whenever you want is awesome."

"Yeah," he agreed breathlessly. He knew that he should be at the diner, but there was no place he would rather be than in bed with his fiancée.

"I'm hungry," she decided after a few minutes of silence.

"What's new?"

"I'm gonna go up to the inn and get a snack," she said, getting out of bed and slipping Luke's shirt on. She pulled some sweats out of her dresser while Luke watched her incredulously.

"No way are you going up to the inn like that," he told her sternly.

"Oh come on, no one's gonna see me," she retorted.

"Sookie will, and most of the kitchen staff. Then they'll know what we've been doing."

"So what? I think it's pretty obvious that we do it that anyway," she shrugged.

"But you don't need to flaunt it about everywhere," he complained.

"Luke, relax, I'm only going into the kitchen, I won't be long." She leaned down and kissed him, before making her way over to the door.

"You're going commando," he reminded her.

"Then it'll be breezy on the way there," she teased, leaving the potting shed. She made it up to the inn and slipped in through the kitchen door.

"What are you doing here?" Sookie asked as she placed a pot on the stove.

"Need a snack," she replied nonchalantly, moving to the fridge to look for something to munch. Sookie just seemed to notice what her best friend was wearing, and she stared at her questioningly. "What?" Lorelai asked self-consciously.

"What are you wearing? Did you..." She stopped talking as it dawned on her why Lorelai needed a snack, and why she was wearing Luke's shirt and sweats. "Have you done something slutty?" she whispered. Lorelai nodded and shrugged her shoulders. "It's three o' clock, what are you animals?"

"I don't know, we took Rory to see the new house, she fell asleep on the way home then Luke and I made the most of our time alone, that's all."

"Dirty!" she squealed.

"Hey, so what about that snack huh?"

"Ooh I have something for you actually," she said, just remembering what she had just finished preparing a couple of hours ago.

"For me?" she asked, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. The chef produced the platter, and Lorelai stared at it in awe. "Whoa."

"Do you like it?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, it's what I imagine heaven to look like," she dreamed. "There's one of these on every cloud in my head." Sookie grinned proudly. "So what's this in aid of?"

"These," she paused for effect, "Are your wedding cake samples!" she exclaimed.

"My wed...Sookie, the wedding's not for another six months," she told her.

"Five," she corrected.

"Right, but it's still a long time away."

"But I have to get started early cause I'm so indecisive about things. I've been working on these since two days after you announced your engagement, and it's taken me two months to come up with them."

"Well there are a lot," she reasoned. "Can I take them with me and eat them in bed?"

"Sure, just don't get any bodily fluids on my tray," she warned her, causing Lorelai to scrunch her nose up.

"Eww, gross," she complained, heading out the door.

"Tell me which one you decide on, I need to start designing the cake!" she called after her.

Lorelai strolled down to potting shed slowly, admiring the inn's gardens as she went. She could totally imagine a wedding being set up here; where the chairs would go, the aisle, the atmosphere, it was perfect.

"What are those?" Luke asked from the bed when she entered, it seemed he hadn't moved an inch since she'd left.

"Cake samples from Sookie," she answered. "She wants us to try them and choose which we want for our wedding cake."

"She's kidding right?"

"I think it's the best choice I'll ever have to make, and the most difficult." She climbed into bed next to him and looked over the cake slices, trying to decide which to have first. "This one's chocolate," she sighed dreamily as she had a bite.

"That's disgusting," he complained, but still finding it hard to look away as she chewed. She was making those moaning sounds, the one's that he was usually the cause of, and he was finding it a little hard to take.

"Mmm, Sookie makes the most amazing cakes," she said blissfully. Luke swallowed thickly and grabbed the fork from her.

"Let me try some," he demanded, scanning the selection. Lorelai watched him, wondering which he would choose.

"Madeira cake?" she asked in disappointment. "We have this wonderful selection of chocolate, toffee, lemon drizzle and cinnamon cake and you choose the madeira cake?"

"Hey, it's cake isn't it?" he defended himself. She shrugged her shoulders and snatched the fork back from him.

"Your mind's a mystery to me sometimes Mr Danes." Luke smiled slightly and laid back on the bed, shuffling towards her a bit and throwing his arm around her.

"Which do you like best so far?" he asked her. It was obvious that Lorelai would be making the decision anyway, because he wasn't even going to be eating the damn thing, not if he had anything to do with it.

"Hmm, the mocha is standing out to me at the moment." Luke grimaced. "What? It's coffee and chocolate in a cake, what could be better than that?"

"It's death in a cake," he mumbled, taking the tray away from her.

"Hey, I wasn't finished!" she protested, trying to grab it back from him.

"Rory can help you decide later, right now though I think we should have some quiet time."

"Not even possible," she smirked.

"Ok, well let's call it alone time then, scratch the quiet part."

"That's more reasonable," she agreed. She lay back also and snuggled into his side, letting him pull her as close to him as he wanted to. "This is nice," she stated after a few minutes of silence between them. Luke stopped playing with her hair and nodded.

"Yeah, this doesn't happen very often, wish it did," he murmured.

"Hmm, Rory's been skipping her nap recently, she just doesn't seem tired during the day anymore," she frowned.

"Too much energy."

"Yeah, then by the time I've come home from work, found something to occupy her with then gotten her fed, I'm exhausted."

"I know, it's the same when I get back from the diner. By the time Rory's in bed all we wanna do is sleep ourselves."

"We need to change that," she decided. "Seeing as we're nice and rested today, we should go out tonight, you know, celebrate properly."

"We've been engaged for two months, we've celebrated already," he pointed out.

"Yeah, we celebrated with everybody else, but we haven't gone out alone, like to a restaurant or anything," she said.

"We could go to Sniffy's," he suggested.

"Yeah!" she eagerly agreed. "Cause I'm not sure what I fancy to eat but they'll just bring us whatever so I don't have to decide." Luke shook his head, not quite understanding what she'd just said.

"Wait, what about Rory?" Lorelai twisted her mouth thoughtfully.

"There's always Liz, then Rory gets to hang out with Jess for a while. We can pick her up after dinner."

"I'll give her a call." He reached over to the phone on the nightstand and dialled the number. After being informed that Jess was staying with Mia tonight cause Liz and TJ were going out, Luke hung up.

"So, I'm guessing that's a no," said Lorelai, she could tell from his tone and what he was saying that the answer was no.

"Yeah, Jess is staying at Mia's tonight," he replied.

"I'm sure Mia wouldn't mind having Rory too, they're not too much of a handful when they're together," she shrugged.

"We can try, but I don't wanna be a burden," he said uncertainly.

"Luke, this is Mia we're talking about here," she said pointedly. "She loves those kids."

"Alright." He punched in Mia's number, but quickly put the phone down when it started to ring.

"What are you doing?" she asked, wondering why he was getting out of bed.

"I can't talk to Mia when I'm not wearing any pants, it's weird," he shuddered. She watched him pull his sweats on, then he climbed back into bed, proceeding to call Mia.

XXXX

"Ah, here they are," Mia said to little Jess later that evening when she answered the door.

"Hi Mia, thanks so much for taking Rory tonight," said Lorelai gratefully, watching her daughter step forward to greet her best friend.

"Hi Jess," she said shyly.

"Rory," he replied, nodding his head like an old man. Lorelai had to laugh.

"How much does he remind you of Luke?" she giggled. Mia joined in, while Luke kept a straight face, playing the part.

"Stop it," he complained, not able to hide his smile.

"Ok, well you two kids better get going, the more time you have alone the better, right?" asked Mia.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get rid of us," said Lorelai suspiciously as she narrowed her eyes. Mia smiled.

"That's exactly what I'm doing, dear; I want these two all to myself for a couple of hours." She patted both Jess' and Rory's heads, and they grinned up at her happily.

"Alright, have fun you guys," she told them, bending down to kiss Rory's head. She was about to go for Jess but he jumped out of the way and shook his head.

"No kissy!" he shouted in frustration.

"I'll get you one day Jessica," she teased, making him stick his tongue out at her.

"Hey, don't be rude," Luke warned the boy. Jess put his tongue away at the sight of his uncle's stern glare, and looked down at his shoes. It was only his Uncle Luke that he really took seriously; the others were all just easy going and laid back in his eyes.

"Bye," they said as they walked away. The trio watched them go then Mia closed the door and ushered the children in to the living room.

"Ok, what do you two want to do?" she asked, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Where mommy n daddy gone?" questioned Rory confusedly.

"They've gone for dinner at Buddy and Maisy's place," she answered.

"I know them!" she exclaimed proudly.

"Yes you do dear," she chuckled. Rory was the cutest child she knew, as well as Jess of course.

"Who Maisy and Buddy?" asked Jess. He had obviously only seen the couple when he was a tiny baby, so there was no way that he could remember them.

"They were very good friends with your grandpa," she told him, ruffling his hair.

"Granpa William," Rory nodded. She understood perfectly.

"We went t'see Grandpa William in heaven," said Jess intelligibly, and Mia couldn't help but feel a little sad for the kids. They would never know him; never see what a great man he was. He would have made a great grandpa to these two kids, she thought.

"And granma," added Rory. "They up there." She pointed to the ceiling, and Mia knew that she meant up in the sky.

"You're right, they are," she agreed. "You know Jess, you did meet your Grandpa William," she informed him.

"When?"

"When you were only about this big," she gestured with her hands. "But from the moment he first saw you, he loved you very much," she said knowingly. Jess looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Lickle baby?"

"Yes, you were a tiny baby," she confirmed. Rory looked up at the woman she had come to love so much, and furrowed her brows.

"Me see him too?" she asked hopefully.

"No sweetheart, unfortunately you didn't get to see him," she said with regret. "If you and your mom had moved here a year earlier, you probably would have gotten to see him, but you wouldn't have remembered anyway." The kids looked to be thinking about everything for a while, and Mia let them process what they'd been told.

"Mia?" asked Jess sheepishly, finally breaking the silence.

"Yes dear?"

"I have candy?"

"What's the magic word?" she prompted.

"Please can I have candy?" he corrected himself.

"Would you like some too, Rory?"

"Yes," she replied automatically.

"Yes..."

"Pwease!"

"Ok munchkins, candy's coming right up." Rory and Jess jumped in their seats happily, as Mia walked through into the kitchen and tried to find something she could pass of as candy.

XXXX

Luke parked the truck outside Sniffy's and walked around to Lorelai's side, opening her door for her.

"Thank you, kind sir," she joked, taking hold of his hand and pulling him towards the entrance. "I'm starved."

"Tell me something I don't know." She threw a look at him over her shoulder before pushing the door open and entering the restaurant.

"Well, well, look who it is," announced Maisy once she'd spotted them. "I'd almost forgotten what the two of you looked like." She greeted them with hugs and kisses, then noticed the shiny thing on Lorelai's finger. "Is that..."

"I asked Lorelai to marry me," said Luke, wanting to at least tell her himself before she started jumping up and down and screaming.

"And I said yes," Lorelai added, holding up her hand to give Maisy a better view.

"Oh Lucas, you big teddy bear," she teased, punching him lightly in the chest. He simply shrugged his shoulders as his cheeks turned a delightful shade of red. "So a celebration is in order tonight," she began, leading them over to their table. It was private, as usual, and there was a candle lit in the middle.

"He actually proposed two months ago," Lorelai told her. "The day after the diner reopened."

"And we're just hearing about it now?" she questioned. She was slightly hurt that they had waited so long to inform she and Buddy. Luke and Lorelai took their seats, and Buddy came over to greet them.

"Hey Bud, good to see you again," Luke nodded, much the way Jess had greeted Rory earlier in the evening.

"You too Lucas, Lorelai," he returned. "So, how's the diner going?"

"Good, business is booming," he shared the good news. Maisy shook her head; there were more important matters to discuss right now, not the damn diner.

"Never mind that," she said. "I think they've got something more important to discuss with us."

"Oh yeah, what's that then?" he asked curiously.

"Well, uh, Lorelai and I are engaged." Buddy was surprised to say the least, but he grinned and patted Luke on the back.

"You did it, man, you took the leap," he congratulated him.

"Yeah," he shrugged.

"Not only that," began Maisy. "But they've been engaged for two months."

"Two months?" he backtracked. "And we're just finding out now?"

"We've been busy," he defended himself. "I've been working, and Lorelai's been planning things..." Buddy cut him off.

"It's ok Lucas, but tell us, we are going to be invited to the wedding aren't we?" Luke was quick to jump in and settle their worries.

"Of course," he nodded. "You've got a front row ticket; I'll make sure of it." Lorelai smiled.

"Good, that's one thing I have to see before I die, you commit yourself to someone," chuckled Maisy.

"We're actually having it on June third, so write it in your diaries," she told them.

"We will, wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Yeah, Rory's gonna be one of my bridesmaids and Jess is gonna be the best man, he's gonna look so cute in a tux," she gushed.

"Definitely don't wanna miss that," muttered Maisy. "My, I haven't seen Jess since he was three months old, I bet he's unrecognisable."

"Yeah, he's a really great kid," said Luke. "He and Rory are best friends; you can tell they're rubbing off on one another." Buddy and Maisy smiled as they thought of the kids, but then they were distracted by the goings on in their establishment and had to go attend to the other customers.

"I'll bring some champagne over, just give me a minute," Buddy said before disappearing across the room, leaving Luke and Lorelai alone in their corner. Luke took Lorelai's hand over the table and rubbed his thumb across the back of it.

"You know I love you, right?" he asked quietly. Lorelai looked taken aback, wondering where that had just come from.

"Luke..."

"I know I don't say it a lot, but you know, don't you?"

"Um, of course," she nodded. "Same goes for me." Luke returned the nod and focussed on the table as they went into silence. "So, where did that come from?" she wondered.

"I don't know, I was just...I guess I was thinking about how happy I am with you and Rory, and I wanted to make sure you knew that."

"I know it," she murmured as confirmation.

"And I can't wait until June third," he added. Lorelai smiled widely to herself, he had no idea how happy that statement made her.

"Me too," she agreed, as Buddy came over with an ice bucket holding a bottle of champagne.

XXXX

Luke walked by the little jewellery store he knew in Woodbridge. He was a bit reluctant to go in, or to even stop and have a peek through the window, afraid that someone would catch him and mock him for it. He wasn't one for jewellery, but he was remotely aware that when he and Lorelai got hitched, he'd have to wear a ring for the rest of his life.

He finally gave in and entered the store, taking a quick scan around before coming across a display full of what looked to be wedding rings. He wasn't sure what the difference between normal rings and the ones for a wedding were, but he was pretty sure he was looking at the right selection.

"May I help you?" asked the jeweller. Luke nodded, taking a moment to find his voice.

"Yeah, uh, I'm getting married," he admitted. The man expected him to carry on, but he never did.

"Right," he drew out. "So you're looking for...wedding bands?" he tried to guess. Luke nodded, grateful for the help. The guy was used to clueless men coming in here; it was after all the man's job to order the rings and to keep them safe until they were needed.

"Seen any you like?" he questioned.

"Uh, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for," he said sheepishly. This guy must think he was an idiot.

"Ok, I have a good selection here. Do you want gold or silver?" Luke paused

"Gold I guess," he shrugged.

"Right, there is a wide selection of gold bands here," he gestured.

"They all look the same," he commented.

"I agree," he chuckled. "But there are all sorts of differences between them, only visible in the eyes of a lady."

"So, which would you suggest?"

"You tell me what you're looking for, and I'll point you in the right direction," he bargained. Luke sighed and thought about what he wanted to have on his finger for his lifetime, or what would look good on Lorelai's finger accompanying her engagement ring.

"I guess, something elegant, understated," he listed. "But nothing too expensive."

"Will they be engraved?"

"Um, sure," he agreed.

"Ok, I think I have what you're looking for." He opened the cabinet and pulled out two matching rings. They were simple, but at the same time they were perfect.

"Wow, that was easier than I thought," he said to himself as he picked one up and admired it. "Can I take these?"

"Of course sir, if you want them engraving you must fill in an order form, with the correct sizes."

"Ok, I can do that now." The assistant handed a form over and Luke got to work on filling it in. He had memorised Lorelai's ring size, seeing as it was the same as his mom's, and he had no problems filling the form out. When he got to the part about the inscription, he grinned to himself as he wrote the words along the line, then handed the form in and went on his way. He was pretty pleased with himself; it was easier than he thought.

XXXX

"Surprise!" everybody called as Lorelai entered the potting shed after work. Lorelai gasped in surprise and almost fell over, but she managed to get a hold of herself.

"What's all this?" she asked. Sookie sidled up to her and smiled as she placed a veil on her head.

"Well we totally forgot to throw you an engagement party, but we're making up for that now," she explained quickly. "There're gifts over there, food over there and fun everywhere else." Lorelai grinned; she couldn't believe how many presents there were.

"Guys, you didn't have to buy me all these presents," she said, wondering what they all could possibly be.

"We heard you and Luke were buying a house honey, so we made sure we got you the essentials," said Miss Patty. She was serving her punch, and that's when Lorelai knew that this was a proper party.

"That was very nice of you all, thank you so much." She took a seat on the couch and Sookie fell down beside her.

"So, how's it going?" Sookie asked her.

"I'm exhausted," she sighed. Sookie frowned and played with her hands in her lap.

"Sorry, I should have planned this earlier, like as soon as we found out you were engaged earlier," she babbled. "Now you're all caught up with wedding stuff and taking care of Rory and all the sex you're having. You must have no energy left."

"What's this about all the sex Lorelai's having?" asked Patty, coming up to join the conversation. The potting shed was small, and you couldn't have a private conversation if you wanted to.

"Yeah, has Luke been keeping you awake at night," Babette nudged her.

"They've been at it during the day too," revealed Sookie, before clamping a hand over her mouth. Lorelai gave her a warning glare, before turning back to the nosy women. The whole party had gathered around the couch to listen to the conversation that was going on, and Lorelai felt a little self conscious. That and the fact that Luke would kill her if he knew what they were discussing.

"During the day," they gasped.

"Yep they wait for Rory's naptime, then they get it on," Sookie confirmed.

"Sookie!" Lorelai scolded, not able to stop her whole face from turning bright red.

"What? Come on, this is your engagement party, you've gotta give us some dirt on your fiancé." Lorelai sighed as she looked at all the eager faces surrounding her.

"Ok fine," she reluctantly agreed. Some cheers could be heard, but they quietened down so they could hear what Lorelai was about to tell them.

"So, he's been up for it a lot lately?" prompted Babette. Lorelai nodded.

"He's like the Energizer Bunny," she giggled. "Once he's empty he recharges and he's ready to go again." The crowd burst into laughter and cheered at the thought of a sex hungry Luke.

"Eww, this is my brother we're talking about," complained Liz, covering her ears to block out the conversation.

"Oh come on, honey," said Patty. "You're telling me that if Luke wasn't your brother you wouldn't fancy the pants off him."

"That is totally the strangest thing anyone has asked me before."

"Lorelai, you're one lucky lady," stated Babette, and the rest of the crowd agreed. As the party went on, the punch kept flowing and Lorelai couldn't avoid it no matter how hard she tried to. It was one crazy night, that's for sure.

**What did you think? Most parts were just random, and I kept thinking of things to add in as I wrote it. I hope it all makes sense; I was typing pretty fast and my brain was working overtime! I haven't gone through and read it, mostly cause it's late and I want to get some sleep.**

**Please review, as I said there are only four more chapters, and I'd like to reach 1300 by the end!**

**I will be back soon, with both this story and the last instalment of 'A Long Lost Mother'.**

**Emily.**


	73. The Perfect Dress

**Hello.**

**It's been nearly two weeks, I apologise. It took me a while to write this, not sure why... I don't know if I'm pleased with it either, I was just tying up some loose ends before we move on.**

**Thanks for your reviews :D Now on with the chapter.**

"So, how are the wedding plans going?" Emily asked eagerly as Lorelai seated herself on the couch, accepting her drink from her mother.

"Good," she nodded. "Not much has changed since we spoke on the phone yesterday."

"Well, did you bring the guest list like I requested?" Lorelai rolled her eyes; she knew it wouldn't take her mother long to mention it.

"Yes, it's right here," she sighed, pulling the piece of paper out of her purse and tossing it in her direction.

"Oh Lorelai, you cannot keep your guest list on a crumpled piece of paper like this," she scolded. "You should have a wedding book with all the details inside."

"I do have a wedding book," she informed. "This is just a draft; I wanna be sure I've got it right before I write it in the book."

"Oh, ok then." As Emily began to scan the list, Richard entered the room.

"Ah, hello Lorelai," he greeted her, taking up residence in his chair. "Where is Luke tonight?"

"He's sick," she replied. "I told mom over the phone yesterday."

"I never heard, is it something serious?"

"Nah, just a touch of flu," she brushed off. "He's taken to it badly cause he hardly ever gets sick, so it's mostly just man flu."

"Give him my sympathies." She nodded, before their conversation was cut off by Emily.

"It's very short, Lorelai," she complained as she went on to read the list out. "You've left out all our relatives and friends."

"And..."

"And, a wedding is a social event, my friends should be invited," she said. "Plus what about all the cousins and Aunts and Uncles?"

"Mom, this isn't your wedding," she pointed out.

"I know that."

"No, I don't think that you do."

"Lorelai, people expect to be invited to events like this, you can't just pretend they don't exist," she told her.

"But...I told you we wanted a small wedding, you know, intimate, with only friends and family."

"Your cousins are your family," she argued.

"Close family," she corrected herself. Emily rolled her eyes.

"You are well known within society; therefore you must invite certain people to your wedding, that's the proper way to do things." Lorelai took a deep breath.

"Mom, I'm known in society for all the wrong reasons," she began. "I'm the scandal girl, the one that got pregnant and dropped out of high school. The one that ran away from home with a one year old. The one that works as a maid and lives in a tiny little potting shed."

"Lorelai..."

"No, I don't want all those people at my wedding if they're just gonna sit there judging me the whole time."

"Nobody will be judging you, Lorelai," she tried to soothe her. "People have gotten past the scandal."

"Please, they'll never be completely ok with what happened," she protested as she wiped a few stray tears away from her cheeks. She wasn't sure why she was crying; she was used to people judging her and she didn't really care what they thought anyway. It was just the idea of those people being there on one of the most important days in her life, speculating about what she may or may not have done in the past. It was her day, and she deserved to enjoy it.

"They will," she assured, but Lorelai just shook her head.

"It's fine, really," she told her mother. Emily sat back in her chair and watched her daughter try to compose herself. It obviously wasn't 'fine'. "I'm just gonna go to the bathroom." She got out of her seat and hurried out of the room, but instead of heading for the downstairs bathroom, she rushed towards the staircase and disappeared onto the first floor. Emily and Richard watched after her for a moment, before turning to each other.

"Well, she hasn't done the storming upstairs bit in a while," he commented. Emily sighed and looked towards the steps longingly.

"Where mommy go?" Rory asked, looking at her grandparents questioningly. Richard smiled down at her softly and pulled her into his lap.

"I'm gonna go after her," Emily decided. "It seems like something's bothering her." Richard nodded absently as he focussed his attention of Rory, and Emily got up, heading in the direction Lorelai left in. She found her in her old bedroom, curled up on the bed sniffling. "Lorelai?" she asked quietly.

"I'm fine mom, I'll be down in a minute." Emily moved forward to perch on the bed, and Lorelai rolled her eyes at her insistence.

"You don't look fine," she pointed out.

"Well I am," she retorted, causing Emily to sigh.

"Lorelai, what's going on?"

"Nothing, I just..." Emily cut her off.

"Are you and Luke fighting, is that why he isn't here tonight?"

"No, Luke and I are fine, he really does have the flu," she stressed, sitting up and wiping her eyes.

"So?"

"So, everything's just getting on top of me," she shrugged. "All the wedding plans, trying to get everything ready, work," she listed. "And now Luke's sick, so I'm taking care of him as well."

"So you're stressed," she concluded. Lorelai nodded slowly. "We can still hire a wedding planner if you'd like, I can pull some strings."

"No mom, I told you I want to plan it myself."

"But you need help," she insisted. "Just look at you, you're a wreck. Let me take some of the weight off your shoulders."

"It's fine," she declined. "You going on about cousins and all your friends was worrying me, that's all."

"How so?"

"Well, I'm planning a wedding with fifty guests," she began. "It requires a lot of work and you adding the whole Gilmore family doubled the numbers. I just want a small ceremony, you can invite them to the reception if you like but that's all."

"As you wish," granted Emily. "But I was looking forward to showing you off to my friends on your wedding day; some of them would kill to have daughters as beautiful as you." Lorelai's face softened and a small smile graced her lips.

"You can show me off at the reception, I'll still be wearing my dress," she said quietly, causing Emily to look up and match her daughter's smile.

"We don't have to invite them at all, I could tell them you eloped," she thought up.

"No, they can come to the party," she allowed. "Invite whoever you want." Emily's smile widened.

"Thank you, Lorelai," she said gratefully. "I can help you out with the planning for the reception if you'd like?"

"Um, yeah, that'd be good," she nodded. "Thanks."

"It's no problem; I'd love to be of help." Lorelai nodded and there were a few moments of silence between them. "Lorelai, your father and I would like to pay for the wedding," Emily blurted out, catching Lorelai by surprise.

"Excuse me?" she asked, she wasn't sure she'd heard correctly.

"We want to pay for the wedding," she repeated. Lorelai's jaw dropped and she swallowed thickly.

"That's not necessary mom, we're ok."

"But weddings aren't cheap," she pointed out. "Surely you should be saving your money for other things."

"Actually, our wedding is pretty cheap," she admitted. "Sookie's doing the catering for free, including the cake, we're having the ceremony and the reception at the inn, so that's free," she listed. "All we really have to pay for are the dresses, tuxes, the flowers and the honeymoon."

"Oh, well let us pay for your dress then, or for your honeymoon," she offered. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"But mom, you and dad are already buying us a house, that's enough," she assured. Emily's face dropped. "Why are you so adamant about paying for everything?"

"Because I want to be involved," she gave in. Lorelai sighed.

"Mom, you don't have to pay for everything to be a part of this," she said. "We've been having daily phone calls talking about wedding plans, you're plenty involved already."

"I want to contribute more, rather than just speaking to you over the phone," she protested. "And we do not speak every day."

"Most days," Lorelai corrected herself. "Look, I'm thinking of going dress shopping next week. Sookie and I were gonna go at some point, and I told Luke's sister she could come too."

"That's nice," muttered Emily.

"Yes, and I'd really like it if you came too," she added. Emily's eyes shot up and met Lorelai's, and she grinned.

"I'd love to come with you," she murmured.

"Good, I need to get a dress at some point." Emily nodded in agreement before looking down into her lap.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked her daughter tentatively. Lorelai smile more.

"Yeah I am, especially now that I have a wingman." Emily chuckled.

"Come on, we'd better get downstairs. Your father and Rory will be wondering where we've gotten to." Lorelai nodded and stood up with Emily, wrapping her arm around her waist as they went.

XXXX

Lorelai crept into the potting shed just after ten. She had been at the Gilmore's longer than usual, and she hadn't been expecting to stay that long. Luckily she had gone in Mia's car, so her parents didn't have to bring her home. Rory had fallen asleep just after nine and had been sparko ever since, leaving the adults to discuss the wedding and the new house. She adjusted Rory against her shoulder slightly so she could lock up, then tip-toed over to the young girl's bedroom.

"Love you sweets," she whispered as she tucked her in, leaving a light kiss on her cheek. Rory squirmed in bed for a moment then settled on a comfy position and snuggled into the covers. Lorelai watched her for a while, then decided to go check on Luke. She settled next to him on their bed and kissed him on the lips, hoping to gauge a reaction out of his slumbering form. "Hey," she whispered. He stirred and opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the darkness.

"Hi," he replied hoarsely, accepting another kiss from her. "You shouldn't kiss me like that, you'll get this damn thing as well." Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, showing him that he was worth it. "Good dinner?"

"Yeah," she nodded enthusiastically. "Our offer's been accepted on the house, so all we have to do now is wait for the go ahead to move in."

"That's great," he said, trying to muster up some enthusiasm but failing miserably. She studied him for a moment, a frown sitting on her face.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked, reaching her hand up to feel his forehead.

"Not really," he muttered. "I've got a pounding headache."

"You're burning up," she noted. "How long has it been since you last took the pills?" Luke scrunched his face up, trying to remember.

"A little before you left," he told her. "After I had the soup that Sookie made me."

"So you're due some more," she said, moving to get up so she could get him some. He grabbed her waist though, and pulled her back to him the best he could. "Luke," she giggled.

"Pills can wait," he mumbled. "Just stay here for a while." She obliged and threw her arm over his waist, trying to move as close to him as possible.

"You're boiling," she observed, moving her hand up underneath his t-shirt.

"I know, and you're not helping."

"Hey, you told me to stay here for a while," she defended. "You brought this on yourself." Luke smiled weakly and gave her a little squeeze. "Luke?" she asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" He was almost falling asleep, he was so relaxed.

"Where do you wanna go on our honeymoon?" she questioned. She had been thinking about it on the drive home, seeing as she had no one to talk to.

"Uh, I dunno, why?" he inquired.

"Well I've been thinking about it," she shrugged. "I was wondering if you had any suggestions."

"I'll go anywhere," he told her. "You choose."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," he confirmed.

"Would we take Rory with us?" she wondered aloud. Luke clicked his tongue.

"Probably not, you're not really supposed to take the kids with you on the honeymoon, it kinda spoils the mood," he chuckled.

"Ok, so no Rory," she agreed.

"Absolutely," he nodded. "How long do you wanna go for?"

"Two weeks?"

"That's quite a long time," he pointed out. Lorelai was bad enough when they left Rory for the weekend, what would she be like for fourteen nights?

"How about just one week then?" Luke squinted a bit. "What?"

"I wanna have a sufficient amount of alone time with you," he admitted shyly. "You only have one honeymoon, right?"

"Right," she confirmed. "So why can't we go for two weeks?"

"Cause you'll miss Rory," he said knowingly. "Remember we went away for the weekend to New York and you kept calling your parents to check she was ok. You'll go crazy if we go away for two whole weeks." Lorelai pouted.

"There's nothing wrong with missing your kid," she defended herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know," he said softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "But two weeks is definitely too long to be away from her for, she'll miss us too."

"Yeah, I guess," she murmured. "How about ten days, then it gives us plenty of time alone and hopefully Rory won't miss us too much."

"Sounds good," he nodded. "Now for the hard part."

"The destination," he said knowingly. They both mulled over it in silence for a while, but neither of them spoke up.

"We could get some brochures," Lorelai suggested. "It might make it easier to make a decision if we have a visual aid."

"Hmm," he agreed distractedly. They went into a comfortable silence and Lorelai ran her hand over his bare stomach. "Hey Lorelai?" he asked quietly after a good few minutes.

"Yeah?"

"How would you feel about it being a surprise?" She turned her head to look up at him, her eyes silently questioning him.

"What being a surprise exactly?"

"Where we go on our honeymoon," he answered. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again, so Luke took that as his cue to speak again. "You're planning pretty much everything, so I thought it might be nice for you to have a surprise included in it all." Lorelai twisted her mouth thoughtfully.

"Ok..." she reluctantly agreed, causing Luke to smile. "But a few ground rules."

"Go ahead," he nodded.

"Nowhere cold or wet, no hikes, mountain climbing or cycling, and definitely no camping," she listed, and Luke laughed. "I want to look my best in the week following our wedding; I need fully functioning showers and hair driers. And the toilet shouldn't be behind a bush." Luke dropped a kiss into her hair.

"You got it, Crazy Lady," he chuckled. "Just you wait and see."

XXXX

"Alright ladies," said Lorelai as they stood outside the bridal store the following week. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," agreed Liz and Sookie at the same time, while Emily just rolled her eyes at Lorelai's behaviour.

"Are you ready kiddos?" she asked Rory and Jess. Liz had had to bring the boy with her because there was no one else to take care of him for the day. Luke was still sick, TJ was working and Mia had a meeting at the inn.

"Yeah!" they both exclaimed, not knowing what they were excited for exactly.

"Then let's go!" They piled into the store and Lorelai immediately began searching through the rails, trying to find a dress that stood out to her. Emily came over to her bearing a dress, which was a little over the top in Lorelai's opinion.

"What do you think of this one?" asked Emily enthusiastically. Lorelai noticed how excited her mother was about this and decided she didn't wanna ruin her fun, so she put on a smile and examined the dress.

"Um, it's a bit..." she paused, "Poufy."

"Poufy?" she questioned.

"Yeah, reminds me of cotillion," she winced.

"Oh well, I'm sure we'll find something else." Lorelai noticed Emily's change of tone, and silently cursed herself for bringing up her previous life as a socialite.

"I just want something a bit more understated," she explained. "I don't wanna trip over it, after all." Emily laughed and Lorelai joined in.

"Yes, that could cause quite a scene," she agreed. Emily moved over to the same rack as Lorelai and they looked through together, commenting on the ones they liked.

"Jess wear a dress," said Rory tugging on one of the many white dresses and moving it towards her best friend and cousin-to-be. Jess stepped away, protesting against her attempts.

"Go away Rory!" he shouted, gaining some looks from other shoppers.

"What's going on here, guys?" Liz asked, moving over to where the kids were.

"Rory try make me get dress," he slurred, still working on his sentences.

"Did she?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah," he replied. Liz smiled and bent down to his level.

"You can wear a dress to Uncle Luke's and Aunt Lorelai's wedding if you like," she teased him. Jess shook his head and stamped his foot in annoyance.

"No," he whined, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.

"Calm down, Jessie," said Liz softly, attempting to pull her son closer to her. He resisted though and stamped his foot again.

"What's the matter with him?" Emily asked.

"He's just bored mom," replied Lorelai.

"Bored or not, that is no way to act in such a store," she said. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"He's two and a half, he doesn't know any better," she mumbled.

"Rory is the same age and she's behaving properly," she pointed out.

"That's cause we're in a dress shop and she's a girl, she likes dresses," she said. "Jess on the other hand, would rather be in a car showroom right now." Lorelai sighed and looked over at poor little Jess. He didn't ask to be brought dress shopping, and it was obvious that he definitely didn't want to be here. "Come here, Jessica," she requested softly, and he swayed from side to side for a moment.

"My name Jess," he complained.

"Ok Jess," she said jokingly. "Are you gonna come to your Auntie Lorelai or what?" Jess narrowed his eyes, weighing up his options, before slowly sidling over to her. When he reached her she scooped him up into her arms and showered him with kisses, making him laugh through his protests. "What do you say we look for some dresses here then go get some ice cream?" Jess' eyes lit up.

"Yeah ice cream," he squealed.

"Thought so," she said. "You've gotta be good though, no more tantrums." Jess nodded seriously and Lorelai set him back on the floor. He stood to attention as he looked up at Emily Gilmore, who looked scary and intimidating from his position. Lorelai gave him a nudge in the opposite direction, towards where Liz was standing with Rory.

"Come and sit with mommy, Jess," said Liz, pointing to some nearby couches. Jess jumped at the chance and grabbed Rory's hand, dragging her over to the comfortable looking chairs.

A little while later, the girls had chosen four dresses for Lorelai to try on. She slipped into the second one and came out of the dressing room, twirling around in the swishy material.

"No," said Sookie immediately, shaking her head to emphasise.

"Why not?" Lorelai asked.

"It's not you at all, it doesn't suit you." Lorelai nodded and turned back around disappearing into the cubicle. She slipped into the third dress and admired her reflection in the mirror; this was the one.

"Guys, I think I found it," she announced before she appeared.

"Ooh show us, show us," Liz chanted excitedly as she clapped her hands together. Lorelai came out in the long, flowing ivory dress that rested on the tops of her shoes. It fit her figure perfectly, hugging all the right places and hanging loosely where it should. Everyone stared at her in astonishment, even the kids, and Emily felt herself tear up at the mere sight of her daughter wearing a wedding dress.

"Mommy look like a princess," complimented Rory, scooting off her seat and walking towards her mother. She began fingering the material marvelling at the soft feel of it.

"Thanks baby, do you like it?" Rory nodded and stepped away a little in fear that she would ruin it.

"That is definitely the dress, Lorelai," gushed Sookie. "You look gorgeous."

"Yeah," Liz agreed. "You're totally gonna blow Luke off his feet when he sees you in that." Lorelai blushed and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, before looking over at her mother. She had been silent ever since she had left the dressing room and she noticed she was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

"Mom?" she asked hesitantly, wondering what the matter was.

"You look beautiful, Lorelai," she commented. "I always knew you'd make a beautiful bride." Lorelai blushed again and found herself blinking back her own tears. She was more successful than Emily and managed to cover how deeply the comment had affected her with a wide smile.

"Thanks mom," she said sincerely. "This is definitely the one." Sookie and Liz squealed, as Jess still sat staring at his almost aunt. "What's the matter, Jess?" she asked, wondering why he was staring at her. The little boy shook his head to clear it and smiled shyly at her.

"You a princess, Lowalai," he told her, blushing furiously after he'd said it. Everyone smiled at him, including Emily, and he dug his face into Liz's shoulder to hide his embarrassment.

"Jessie, you big softie," she cooed. "You're just like your uncle."

"He is, isn't he?" Lorelai agreed. She twirled around in her dress again, enjoying how it felt against her skin. She couldn't believe she'd found the perfect dress, after less than an hour of looking around. This was the first shop they'd been in, it was like everything was falling into place nicely for her.

"You should go change, Lorelai," Emily advised. "You don't want to ruin it."

"But...I don't wanna take it off," she whined, still enthralled by her beautiful dress. Emily smiled knowingly; this was how she knew that Luke was 'the one' for her daughter. Every night during the week leading up to her wedding to Richard, she would try her dress on, just so she could admire herself in the mirror. She never wanted to take it off, and the fact that Lorelai was inseparable with hers already showed that she was really serious about spending her life with Luke. Look at how long she and Richard had lasted so far.

"You can try it on however many times you want to once you've purchased it," she informed her. "But right now you have to part with it." Lorelai pouted as she made her way back into the dressing room and changed into her regular clothes. They felt so plain and boring after wearing such an amazing fashion creation. She appeared from the cubicle holding her dress on the hanger, stroking it with her other hand.

"I love it," she sighed, she was obviously in pure wedding bliss. "Mom, would you be able to store it at your house until the wedding? If I put it in my closet, Luke will see it."

"Of course dear," she answered quickly. She was happy to help out in any way she could.

"Mommy look," Rory demanded. Lorelai turned around to find the girl holding a purple dress up to her. It was from the kid's section.

"Where did you get this?" she asked curiously.

"There." She pointed to a small section of the store dedicated to bridesmaid dresses, and wondered how no one had noticed that Rory had wandered off.

"Do you want to try it on?" she asked, knowing that Rory would enjoy playing dress up. The little girl nodded eagerly and tried to snatch the dress back from her mother's grasp.

"Ah," she stopped her, holding it out of her reach. "This isn't your size, sweets." She went to choose the right size then led her daughter into the changing room. After a minor struggle, Rory was wearing her desired dress and sauntered out of the room to show everybody.

"Wow, you look pretty, Rory," complimented Sookie, making Rory smile at the nice comments she was receiving.

"Rory like a princess too," said Jess, before digging his face into his mother again. He was awfully shy today.

"She does look like a princess," agreed Lorelai, crouching down to put the skirt of the dress into place.

"Need a crown," Rory said wisely.

"Nuh uh, I'm the queen of the day," Lorelai argued. "It should be me wearing the crown."

"Mommy wear crown?" she asked curiously.

"No, mommy will be wearing a veil," she answered. Emily decided to interrupt here.

"A veil will make your head look way too large, Lorelai," she observed. "You could probably get away with a tiara, but I would rule out veils altogether." Lorelai smiled gratefully at her mother's words of wisdom, even if they were a little offensive.

"Thanks mom, I'll think about it closer to the time," she said. "Right now I have my dress, that's all that matters." The ladies share a smile as Rory tugs on Lorelai's pant leg.

"Mommy, want this dress," she decided, twirling around in circles to show how gorgeous it was. Lorelai frowned as she looked down at her daughter wearing it.

"Rory sweetie, I'm gonna make the dresses for the bridesmaids," she told her. "Cause you and Sookie have to wear the same design otherwise it won't look right."

"You're going to make the dresses?" Emily asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I'm nifty with a sewing machine, remember?"

"Lorelai, this is your wedding day, surely you want everything to be perfect," she argued.

"I do," she nodded. "But I'm still making them, they will be perfect, just you wait and see." Emily looked unsettled by the fact that Lorelai was going to be making the dresses for the wedding party. She obviously didn't know of her skills in the area. After Rory had been changed into her own clothes again, they purchased Lorelai's dress; Emily insisted on paying, then made their way to get ice cream, like they promised poor little Jess they would.

Lorelai and Rory arrived home a few hours later, to find Luke slouching on the couch with the TV on. He was mindlessly flicking through channels, and didn't even hear them come in.

"Hi daddy!" said Rory excitedly, trying to jump up to cuddle with him. Luke pushed her back though; he didn't want her to get the flu.

"Hey sweetie," he replied, smiling down at her. She frowned in return. For the past week or so, her father had been pushing her away, not letting her get anywhere near him. She'd watched him be affectionate with her mom, giving her kisses here and there, them snuggling together on the couch, but whenever she tried to get close to him, he refused her.

"Hi babe," Lorelai greeted him, leaning down to kiss him hello. Rory watched the exchange, wondering why she couldn't snuggle up with her daddy. When Luke pulled Lorelai closer for another kiss, a slightly longer one this time, Rory started to cry silently and ran towards her room, slamming the door behind her. The young couple broke apart and looked in the direction of the closed door.

"Did she just slam her door shut?" asked Luke incredulously. Lorelai nodded wordlessly. "Isn't she a little young for that?" Lorelai immediately knew that something was bothering her daughter. She was fine on the way home, and on the walk back to the shed. So something must have upset her after they'd gotten home.

"I'll just go check on her," she told him, patting his knee as she got up and headed towards Rory's room. "Honey?" she asked when she entered. She saw the small girl lying on her bed crying, and her heart broke for her. She really wanted to know what had happened to cause this. "What's the matter, baby?" she asked, scooping her into her arms and holding her close.

"Daddy mean," she murmured between sobs. Lorelai strained to hear her she was that hysterical.

"Why sweetie?"

"No cuddles," she answered. Lorelai creased her brow and stood up, sitting Rory on her hip. She went out into the living room and Luke was surprised to see a red-faced Rory clinging onto her mother.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly, scrambling to stand up. Lorelai chose to go over to him instead and she perched herself on the coffee table, situating Rory in her lap.

"She said something about no cuddles," she told him. He looked just as confused as she did for a moment, before it all clicked. The way he had pushed her away from him just now had upset her, but he'd only had good intentions.

"Uh, she tried to climb onto me just now, but I pushed her away cause I don't want her to catch whatever I've got," he said worriedly. "Then she must have seen us together and it made her upset." Lorelai frowned.

"Oh Rory," she sighed. "Daddy didn't wanna cuddle cause he's sick," she told her. "He still loves you the same amount." Luke leaned forward so he was closer to them.

"When I get better I'll squeeze you till you can't breathe anymore," he teased her, tickling her under her chin. Rory had stopped sobbing now, and she let out the tiniest of smiles at Luke's tone.

"Hey, guess what?" Lorelai asked, fully prepared to fill him in on her day.

"What?"

"I found the perfect wedding dress," she squealed, bouncing in her seat slightly.

"That didn't take long," he said, impressed.

"Nope, I saw it in the first shop I went in," she told him proudly. "I tried it on and I just knew."

"That's good," he said, caressing her lower arm. Lorelai smiled and took her eyes to Rory, who was slowly falling asleep from the exhaustion of crying her insides out. "Where is it?"

"Hmm?"

"The dress," he corrected. "Where's the dress?"

"Oh, mom took it home with her," she dismissed. "I knew you'd see it if I brought it back here, so I asked her to take care of it for me."

"Good idea," he mumbled.

"Yeah, I miss it already," she sighed. Luke chuckled and motioned for her to lie next to him on the couch, while avoiding waking their sleeping child.

"Lorelai?" he asked after a moment or two of silence.

"Yeah?" she said contentedly.

"I'm really happy," he admitted, moving his hand up to run through her hair. She smiled to herself, glad to hear it from him.

"Me too," she agreed. "Everything's falling into place."

**Two to go! There will be a time jump in the next chapter, I won't tell you how far ahead I'm going, or what's going to happen, you'll have to wait and see. But I promise I won't make you wait ages for it. I am going to try to finish this soon, as I have a few ideas for new fics up my sleeve before I move onto the sequel for this. I have already started writing one of them!**

**Please review, I know it was only a filler chapter, but I like to hear from you all.**

**Oh, and the pilot episode of Parenthood was on last Thursday night over here in the UK! I couldn't believe it when I saw it in my TV guide, so I'm gonna watch them all from the beginning again (yay). Can't wait for Thursday night now :P  
**

**Emily.  
**


	74. Last Night of Freedom

**I really, really, really wanted to get this chapter out as soon as I could. I could probably have posted it yesterday but I went out for a meal and didn't have the energy when I got back. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, although there were quite a lot less than there usually are. Where are you all? **

**Hope you enjoy this!**

Luke, TJ, Buddy and Jess were at the rental shop for their final tux fittings. There were four days till the big day, four days till he would marry the girl of his dreams, and four days until their life together would begin properly.

"Never thought I'd see the day that Lucas Danes wore a tux," commented Buddy, watching his surrogate son straighten the jacket out in the mirror.

"It's a special occasion," he muttered in reply. "Don't get used to it."

"Wasn't planning on it," he assured him. He looked at the little boy at his side, who curiously watching his uncle admire his appearance. "What about you Jess, shall we get you dressed in your tux?" he nudged him. Jess looked up at him, jaw dropped slightly, and nodded wordlessly. Buddy took him off into one of the cubicles, while TJ sidled up to Luke in his own tux.

"Hey, we look good," he said confidently, joining the man at the mirror and looking at both their reflections.

"Whatever TJ," he sighed. A part of him couldn't wait for all this wedding stuff to be over, just so he didn't have to put up with his sister's annoying boyfriend all the time.

"I gotta say, I'm a little hurt you didn't ask me to be your best man," he slurred. "I would have done a grand job."

"I'm sure you would have done," he nodded, but he didn't agree one bit.

"I mean, Jess is really only a baby, he won't have a clue what he's doing." Luke rolled his eyes and turned to look at the insufferable man.

"Look, he's gonna do great," he informed him. "We've been practising what he has to do and he's got it covered. And he's almost three, he's not a baby. Now stop bugging me, you're not gonna be my best man, so drop it." TJ raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Luuuke, you're kinda moody to say you're marrying one of the hottest girls I've ever seen on Wednesday."

"Don't talk about Lorelai like that," he snapped.

"What, it's true," he defended. "You must be blind if you can't see it."

"TJ, I swear to god," he mumbled as a warning. The man raised his eyebrows again before backing up slightly and watching Buddy and Jess reappear from the cubicle.

"Here he is, the best man," Buddy announced, gesturing towards the little boy. Jess grinned and linked his arms behind his back as he swayed from side to side uncertainly.

"Wow, don't you look smart?" Luke asked him, gaining a nod and an even wider grin from his nephew.

"Uncle Luke do too," he complimented, stepping up to Luke's side and admiring himself in the mirror.

"Thanks buddy, do you think they'll take us?" he joked. Buddy patted him on the shoulder, he was so proud of him.

"I think she'd be insane not to," he told him. Luke smiled, it still seemed so unreal to him and he couldn't believe that it was only a matter of days away.

After finally purchasing their tuxes, well renting them out, they made their way out to the parking lot and Luke laid their tuxes in the bed of his truck. He had given TJ a lift here and Buddy had come in his own car, but Luke wasn't going back to Stars Hollow just yet and there was no way he was putting up with TJ all afternoon.

"I have some other errands to run while I'm out," he informed them. "Bud, would you be able to give TJ a ride?"

"Of course, Lucas, you're going to take Jess with you?" he asked.

"Yeah, I told Liz I'd look after him so I'd better stay true to my word." Buddy nodded and stepped closer to his car, TJ following.

"I'll see you Tuesday night, for your bachelor party," he told him, and Luke nodded in agreement.

"Liz's apartment, eight o' clock." They said their final goodbyes and Luke fastened Jess into Rory's car seat, before driving to his next destination.

He parked up outside the jewellers in Woodbridge he had visited a number of months ago, and sat back in his seat, letting out a puff of air. He had arranged to pick the rings up close to the date so there was no risk of misplacing them, or of Rory swallowing one of them like she did with the last one he had.

"Where are we?" Jess asked tentatively, taking in his surroundings. He had never been to this place before, in fact, he only went out of Stars Hollow every so often.

"We're at the jewellery store," he answered. "We have to pick up our rings."

"I look after them," he stated proudly, patting the left side of his chest. Luke had told him that he had to keep the rings in the left breast pocket of his tux, and Jess had obviously taken in that piece of information.

"I'm gonna keep them for now," he told him. "But you can look after them on Wednesday." A smile lit the boy's face and he began tugging at the harness he was strapped into. "Come on, we haven't got all day." They entered the jewellers and waited until someone came to address them.

"May I help you?" a man addressed them, and Luke recognised him as the guy that helped him out the last time he was here.

"Yes, I've come to pick up some wedding rings," he replied, picking up Jess and sitting the boy on the countertop.

"Name please?" he asked as he opened the order book and began to skim through.

"Luke Danes."

"Ah Mr Danes, yes," he nodded. "I'll be right back." The man headed through a door to find Luke's order, and Jess looked down at a selection of necklaces.

"Look," he ordered.

"Yeah, very nice," said Luke, just to appease his nephew. Was it normal for Jess to be admiring necklaces in a jewellery store?

"Get one," he suggested. Luke furrowed his brows.

"We have no use for jewellery, Jess," he told him. "Men don't wear stuff like this." Jess shook his head stubbornly; his uncle just wasn't getting it.

"Get one for Lowalai," he stressed, but Luke wasn't paying attention as the jeweller had just returned with a small bag. He pulled a small velvet box from the bag and handed it to Luke, letting him check they were the correct ones before he bought them. Luke held one between his fingers and admired the inscription, smiling to himself, before placing it back in the box and giving it back.

"Perfect," he nodded, pulling his credit card from his wallet. Jess sat silently, watching his uncle complete the transaction, before Luke put him back on the floor and began walking to the door.

"Uncle Luke," he called in alarm, not wanting to leave without a pretty necklace for his auntie.

"What is it, Jess?" The little boy hurried over to the case of necklaces and pointed insistently.

"Look." Luke sighed.

"I already told you, we don't need a necklace," he said in annoyance. Jess rolled his eyes; his uncle was completely clueless.

"No, for Lowalai!" he exclaimed. Luke stopped, that was a pretty good idea actually, it could be sort of like a wedding present from him. Plus it could be her 'something new'. She'd been babbling about the things she needed for weeks, and Luke had done nothing but listen. Now all that listening was paying off.

"That's a good idea, well done Buddy," he praised, ruffling Jess' dark hair. The boy smiled in triumph before standing on his tip-toes to look at the selection. "Which do you think she'd like?" Jess scanned them all, twisting his mouth thoughtfully.

"That one," he decided. Luke followed his finger and found the one he was referring to.

"This?" Jess nodded and Luke admired the simple necklace. It was silver, the chain was elegant and there was a small, understated diamond hanging from it. Luke smiled as he looked at it; it would surely go with her dress, so she could wear it on their wedding day. "Can we take a look at this one, please?" he asked the assistant.

"Sure, Mr Danes." He removed the pendant from the display and gave it to him.

"You think she'll like this one?" he asked Jess.

"Yeah," he nodded certainly. "Buy it." Luke chuckled.

"Alright boss." Luke pulled his card out again as the jeweller wrapped their choice up.

"Lowalai look like a princess," he told his uncle. He'd been told to stay quiet by the ladies, but he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Huh?"

"In the dress, she look like a princess," he clarified.

"She does, does she?" he asked, and Jess nodded firmly.

"You see it soon," he assured him.

"I know," he agreed. "I can't wait." Jess smiled brightly and Luke accepted the bag from the jeweller. "Thanks," he said before leading Jess towards the exit. They got into the truck and Luke gave the two bags to his nephew. "Here, you look after these until we get home," he told him.

"Ok," he said seriously as he gripped the handles tightly. Luke smiled over at him, then they were on their way back home to see what the girls were up to.

XXXX

"Right ladies, today we have final dress fittings," she announced to the two women and Rory sitting in her living room. They had moved into their new house just over three months ago, and Lorelai loved having so much space. She thought that while the boys were off picking up their tuxes, she could check to see if the bridesmaid dresses needed any adjustments as well.

"I hope I haven't put on weight," Sookie frowned, pinching at her stomach.

"Sook, you haven't put on any weight," assured Lorelai. "I'll go get the dresses from the sewing room, you guys wait here."

"Mommy, I come too," insisted Rory, but Lorelai declined.

"You stay here with Aunt Liz and Aunt Sookie," she told her. "I won't be a minute." Rory frowned and climbed up onto their uncomfortable couch, crossing her arms over her chest. It had taken some getting used to for her, moving into such a big house compared to the potting shed.

On their first night there, Rory had woken up in the middle of the night and had gotten scared, so she'd scurried up to her parents' room and demanded to sleep in their bed. It had taken her over a week to get used to sleeping so far away from the two of them, but they got there eventually. She was still unusually clingy during the day when they were at home, and Lorelai was trying her best to get her daughter comfortable with their living situation.

She returned a few minutes later with three dresses draped over her arm, and the girls clapped their hands together excitedly.

"Ok, you can use Rory's room or the downstairs bathroom to change, then come out and show me," she told them. "I'll have my sewing kit ready." Sookie and Liz hurried off to change, while Lorelai sorted Rory out in the living room.

"Is that my dress?" Rory asked curiously.

"Yep, wanna try it on for mommy?" The girl nodded eagerly and tried to pull her current summer dress up over her head. "Here, let me do it." She removed Rory's dress and hesitated before putting the new dress on her. "Do you need the bathroom before I put this on?" she asked, just to make sure.

"No," she answered.

"You're sure?" Rory nodded eagerly and Lorelai slipped the new dress over her head. She adjusted it accordingly and shuffled back a little bit, admiring her daughter as she twirled around. The dresses were a similar shade of purple to the one Rory had chosen in the shop, and all three girls looked amazing in them.

"I look nice?" she asked hopefully. Lorelai smiled softly and brushed Rory's hair away from her face.

"You look beautiful," she corrected. "Like a proper princess." Rory beamed and Lorelai embraced her for a moment, as Sookie and Liz re-entered the room in their own dresses.

"What do you think?" they asked at the same time.

"You both look gorgeous," she replied. "Rory's needs hemming a little; I made it a bit longer in case she grew before the wedding."

"Ok, mine seems fine," said Liz. Lorelai looked to Sookie, the dress looked looser than it did the last time she'd tried it on.

"Sook, I think yours needs taking in a tad," she observed.

"I know, that diet I tried must have worked," she said triumphantly. Lorelai narrowed her eyes.

"What have I told you about dieting?" she scolded.

"I know, but I wanted to look nice on your big day," she defended herself.

"And you do look nice," she assured her. "Nicer than nice." Sookie giggled and Lorelai grabbed her sewing kit. "I'll fix yours first, Rory's is gonna be a little trickier."

"So, how many times have you tried on your wedding dress since you bought it?" Sookie asked as Lorelai got to work on her dress.

"Um, just a handful," she answered cautiously. "Like five or six times."

"Liar!" she squealed.

"What? I'm not lying," she fibbed.

"I know for a fact that you were at your parent's house every night last week," Liz accused.

"How?"

"Luke told me," she shrugged. "You can't get enough of it."

"I was just checking to see if it still fit," she mumbled, blushing.

"Sure you were," said Sookie sarcastically. "You don't have to lie to us, Lorelai." She looked up at their grinning faces and couldn't stop her smile from spreading.

"Ok, I've tried it on more than five times," she admitted. "It's actually more like...twenty five."

"Twenty five," exclaimed Liz.

"I go there every week for dinner and I always go to take a look at it. I somehow end up wearing it every time I'm there," she shrugged. "And talking about it has made me miss it," she pouted. She finished adjusting Sookie's dress and allowed her to go admire it in the mirror, while she moved on to Rory's.

"Me now?" she asked.

"You bet," replied Lorelai. "You've gotta stay really still ok? You don't want me to prick you, do you?" Rory shook her head seriously and tried her hardest to stand still. "Rory, you're moving."

"Sorry," she mumbled. The pressure of having to stand still was getting to her, and it made her body want to move more. After some struggling, the dress was finally hemmed and Lorelai gathered the three bridesmaids together.

"You all look great," she gushed. "God I can't wait till Wednesday."

XXXX

"Luke," murmured Lorelai into the darkness. It was late on Monday night, and she had been lying awake thinking about things.

"Hmm?" he hummed in reply.

"Tonight is the last night we're gonna share a bed before we get married," she said thoughtfully. Luke sighed and turned over to face her, giving her his full attention.

"I know," he smiled as he stroked her cheek with the back of his index finger.

"Feels weird," she admitted.

"A little," he agreed. He threw his arm over her waist and pulled her body closer to his. "Are you excited?" he wondered.

"Yeah," she sighed happily. "I can't wait."

"Me either," he said. They went into silence, where Luke brushed his fingers across her stomach.

"Luke?" she asked again.

"Yes Lorelai," he answered.

"I've been thinking..." she paused.

"Ok...should I be worried," he chuckled. She playfully slapped his arm and smiled.

"No, I just...I decided that I'm gonna change my last name after we get married," she told him.

"You are?" He was pleasantly surprised; he thought she'd want to keep her current last name.

"Yeah, Lorelai Danes has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Sure," he nodded. "I'm glad that's what you've decided."

"Well it was either that or Gilmore-Danes, but that's too long."

"Ok, Lorelai Danes," he drew out. "I like it." She smiled and moved over to kiss him, before collapsing into her pillows again.

"There's something else as well," she began.

"Uh huh," he said warily.

"If I'm gonna be Lorelai Danes, and you're Luke Danes, then that leaves Rory the only Gilmore out of the three of us," she said. Luke wondered what she was getting at.

"Right."

"And seeing as we're her parents, she should have the same last name us, or else people will ask questions and it'll be difficult to explain and..." Luke cut her off.

"You want to change Rory's last name too?" he asked in shock. Lorelai nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah, I mean, it makes sense," she said logically. "But if you don't want to, then we don't have to."

"No, I think it's a great idea," he told her. "I'd love for you to both share my last name." Lorelai smiled and rested her head on his chest.

"I love you," she murmured.

"Love you too, Mrs Danes," he replied.

"Almost."

"Almost," he nodded. Those were the last words they spoke to each other before they fell asleep, both dreaming about what was to come in the next couple of days.

XXXX

Luke descended the stairs on Tuesday evening, his duffel bag thrown over his shoulder, to find his living room already taken over by women. There was Sookie, Liz, Maisy, Miss Patty, Babette, Gypsy and Mrs Cassini, among others. He tried to stay out of their way and hoped they wouldn't notice him, but the stairs led right down to where they were sitting so he had no choice.

"There's the groom!" Babette exclaimed. Patty wolf whistled at him, causing him to turn slightly red.

"Hey, who's making eyes at my man?" joked Lorelai as she entered the room from the kitchen.

"All of them," he muttered under his breath.

"We can help it honey, he's so irresistible," Miss Patty shrugged. Luke turned to his fiancée, choosing to ignore the women surrounding them.

"I'm leaving," he told her.

"Ok, let me..." The doorbell rang, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Wait here a second, babe, I'm just gonna get that." Luke was about to protest, but she'd already sauntered off into the foyer. He turned the hungry-eyed women and slumped his shoulders, he was glad he wasn't staying in the house tonight.

Lorelai rushed over to the front door and flung it open, revealing her mother at the other side.

"Hey mom," she greeted her, stepping aside to let her in.

"Lorelai," she replied. That's when Lorelai noticed the dress she was holding, it was in a cover of course, but it was still visible. That's when she began to panic.

"Wait, Luke's still here," she hissed, pulling Emily back towards the door.

"I thought he'd be gone by now," she said.

"Yeah well, I guess he's running late or something. Hang on, let me get him out of the house, we'll go the back way. You stay here and hide it behind your back or something." Emily looked at her sceptically but obeyed and stayed by the door. "Luke, my mom's here and she brought the dress," she told him. "So you have to go, like now." He furrowed his brows.

"Do I not get a proper goodbye?" he asked her quietly, so none of the other ladies could hear him.

"Outside," she bargained. He nodded and she pushed him in the direction of the kitchen, covering his eyes when they walked past the entry to the foyer. They made it onto the porch outside and she took hold of his hand as they made their way around to the front of the house.

"So this is it," he announced, planting his hands on her hips.

"Yup, next time we see each other will be at the altar." He smiled at her and leaned in to give her a kiss. They were aware of the audience they had from the living room window, but neither of them really cared.

"I got something for you," he said as he fumbled around in his jeans pocket. He pulled out the small box and she smiled instantly.

"For me, really?" she teased as she took it from him. She pulled the bow free then lifted the lid, revealing the simple, elegant necklace. "It's beautiful," she murmured.

"I thought you could use it as your something new," he suggested. "You've been going on about it for weeks and I thought this would go with your dress."

"Have you seen my dress?" she worried for a moment.

"Well no, but it's white right?" She nodded and admired the necklace again.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "I love it."

"You're welcome." He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly and she put hers around his neck. "Don't get too crazy tonight; I need you in perfect shape tomorrow."

"I won't," she assured him.

"And take care of Rory, cause those women are insane." She laughed and kissed his cheek.

"Your daughter is in safe hands, don't panic," she assured him.

"Ok, I'm gonna go now." She nodded and they leaned in simultaneously, their lips meeting in the middle. They seemed to stay that way forever, and they could hear the applause coming from inside, before they finally pulled away from each other.

"See you tomorrow, Burger Boy."

"Not if I see you first, Crazy Lady," he grinned, then turned around and began to walk away. "I love you," he called back.

"Love you too," she replied as she watched him walk further and further away, until he couldn't be seen anymore. She sighed and looked down at the necklace in her hand, smiling to herself, before walking back into the house, ready to get the party started. "Ok, where's my baby?" she asked loudly when she entered the living room.

"She's right here, Lorelai," answered Gypsy, gesturing to Rory who was sitting between her and Babette.

"Not that baby," she brushed off. "I meant the dress, I wanna see my dress!"

"I hung it in front of your closet upstairs," Emily told her. "It's waiting for you if you want to try it on again." Lorelai grinned, obviously liking the idea.

"Yeah Lorelai, we'd love to get a sneak peek," said Babette. She narrowed her eyes before nodding.

"Ok, I think I can give you a preview of what's to come," she allowed, before rushing up the stairs to her bedroom. Everyone watched after her, finding it sweet at how excited she was.

"Mommy look pretty in her dress," said Rory, once her mom had disappeared upstairs.

"Does she, sweetheart?" asked Miss Patty.

"Yeah, she the queen," she told them seriously. The ladies laughed, just as Lorelai addressed them from the top of the stairs where she was out of view.

"Okay ladies, are you ready?" she called. There was a round of applause and chants for her to come down, and Lorelai took a deep breath before descending the stairs, holding her dress up as she went. Everyone watched in awe as she slowly made her way down, and some put a hand to their heart.

"Oh Lorelai, you look gorgeous," Patty gushed. She blushed and pushed her hair behind her ear.

"You think so?" she asked shyly.

"Hell yeah," agreed Babette. "You're gonna make poor Luke's heart stop when he sees ya in that, sugar." She grinned and twirled around a few times, gaining more cheers from everyone. Emily sat in the corner of the room in an armchair, admiring her daughter from a distance.

She was so proud of her, and she knew that she was too young to get married. If the circumstances were different she would probably disagree with their decision completely, but Rory was involved and it actually made sense for the two of them to tie the knot. Seeing how happy Lorelai was, showing off her wedding dress to everyone, she knew that they had made the right decision in choosing to get married. Whether they did it tomorrow, or in five years time, Emily knew they'd do it eventually, why wait?

XXXX

Luke cupped his first and last bottle of beer in his hands as he listened to TJ spout on and on about how awesome it is being twenty one.

"And the strip clubs, oh man," he gushed. "I mean, I thought Liz was hot." Luke winced.

"Liz is my sister," he reminded him.

"But you're not blind, right?" He shook his head and sighed. This was not what he wanted to be talking about at his bachelor party. "We should go to a strip club, Luke," he suggested.

"I'm not going to one of those places," he grumbled.

"Why not? It's your last night of freedom, enjoy it, get a lap dance." Buddy cleared his throat and focussed on something else, this TJ was a very strange man.

"What's a lap dance?" asked Jess innocently, and Luke looked down at him completely speechless. Just then the doorbell rang, distracting everyone from the current conversation.

"Oh thank god the doorbell," he said gratefully, quickly jumping up and answering it.

"Hey Luke," greeted Andrew, accompanied by Bootsy, Jackson, Morey, Joe, Caesar and Ben.

"Hi, come on in." Luke closed the door behind them and walked back towards the couch.

"I'll teach ya a life lesson, kid," he heard TJ say to Jess. "A lap dance is..."

"TJ," Luke growled, giving him a stern look.

"What? He's gotta learn sometime," he defended.

"He's not even three years old; can we talk about something else?"

"Got any beer, Luke?" Morey asked, noticing he was holding one.

"In the fridge," he replied.

"So what do we do now?" asked TJ; this wasn't his idea of a bachelor party.

"We watch sports," answered Bootsy, switching on Liz's TV and flicking through until he found a soccer game.

"That's what I'm talking about," agreed Buddy, settling on the couch with his beer. Luke sat next to him and lifted Jess to sit in his lap.

"You having a good time?" he asked him quietly, hoping that nobody else would hear him. Jess shook his head. "Why not?"

"TJ strange," he replied, causing Luke to chuckle.

"I know buddy," he agreed. "If only your mom could see that." Jess twisted his mouth thoughtfully, before frowning and settling back against his uncle's chest.

"I look after rings now?" he asked hopefully. He was eagerly awaiting his special responsibility, and Luke had to smile down at his excitement on the subject.

"Not yet, tomorrow," he told him. Jess frowned again and let out a tiny sigh.

"You give Lowalai the thing?" he questioned. Luke looked down at him.

"You mean the necklace?" The boy nodded. "I just gave it to her before I came over here." Jess smiled slightly.

"She like it?"

"Course," he nodded. "She loved it."

"I choose it," he reminded him, and Luke patted him on the back.

"Yes you did," he agreed. "You'll have to tell her about it tomorrow."

"Ok," he decided, before they both settled down to watch the soccer game. It was a fairly tame bachelor party compared to the usual type, but then again most of the guests were underage. Luke wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings; his mind was fixed on his wife-to-be, and he hoped she was having a better time than he was.

XXXX

At nine thirty, Lorelai picked up her restless daughter and sat her on her hip.

"You getting tired sweets?" she asked quietly. Rory nodded slowly and rested her head on her mother's shoulder. Lorelai had long since removed her wedding dress, as she was worried something would get spilt on it. "Do you wanna go to bed?"

"Yeah," she sighed, barely audibly. Lorelai hugged her close as she addressed her guests.

"Ladies," she called, quietening everyone down. "Princess Rory has decided it's bed time, so get a good look at her before we leave." After a round of goodnights, Lorelai carried her into the bathroom to brush her teeth, before leading her to her bedroom. "Right, which PJs do you wanna wear tonight?"

"Princess ones," Rory answered tiredly. As Lorelai busied herself helping Rory change, the girl studied her mom. "You happy," she stated, smiling slightly at her.

"I'm very happy, babe," she confirmed. "And I'll be even happier when I know you're tucked up in bed getting your beauty sleep for tomorrow." She pulled Rory's top down over her head then watched her climb up onto her bed. "Right, are you comfy?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Good," she dropped a kiss onto her daughter's forehead. "Sleep well." She was about to turn around to leave the room, but Rory's small voice stopped her.

"I wear my dress tomorrow?" she asked curiously. Lorelai perched on the edge of the bed and caressed Rory's cheek.

"Yes you will," she told her. "And you're gonna look really pretty in it." Rory beamed.

"Like a princess."

"Exactly," she agreed. Rory looked to be thinking for a moment.

"You wear your dress too?"

"Of course, the queen has to wear a dress, it's mandatory."

"I excited," she admitted sheepishly. Lorelai smiled softly and brushed Rory's hair behind her ears.

"Me too, hon, you have no idea." She stood up and tucked the covers further around the girl. "Ok, sleep tight," she was about to continue, but Rory cut her off.

"Don' let bed bugs bite," she finished, causing Lorelai to laugh.

"That's right, I'll just be in the living room if you need me," she said, before giving her another kiss, shutting out the light and closing the door. Hopefully the noise from the party wouldn't carry through to her room. She made it back into the living room to find the ladies talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Alright," called Emily, getting everyone's attention. "Now that Rory's in bed, who wants champagne?"

"And the party begins," squealed Sookie excitedly, following Emily through to the kitchen to get some glasses.

"I don't have champagne flutes," she told them, opening the cupboards to see what they did have.

"I brought paper cups," Emily replied. Lorelai did a double take.

"You brought paper cups?" she said in disbelief.

"Yes Lorelai, I thought they'd be a sensible idea," she told her before picking up the pack and taking it into the living room.

"God, my mother is so different these days," she whispered to Sookie.

"I think it's this whole wedding business, it's softening her," she observed.

"Well I like it, I'll have to get married more often," she joked. The girls picked up two bottles of champagne, carrying them through to living room and gaining cheers from their guests. Their party was definitely more upbeat than the boys', that's for sure.

XXXX

Lorelai closed the front door after the last of the townies had left, leaving just Emily.

"Did you wanna stay here tonight, mom?" she offered. "You can take my bed and I'll bunk with Rory."

"No, that's quite alright, Lorelai," she declined. "Your father and I have got a room at that inn you work at, and he'll be wondering where I am."

"Oh ok," she nodded. "I guess I'll see you in the morning then."

"You will," she confirmed as she stepped towards the door.

"Do you need a ride? Luke left his truck, I'm sure he wouldn't find out that I borrowed it."

"I'm fine; you say Stars Hollow is a safe town?"

"The safest you can get," she nodded.

"Well then, I'll leave you to get a good night's sleep."

"Thanks for coming, mom." Emily nodded and as she stepped out of the door onto the porch.

"Lorelai?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be late," she warned. Lorelai rolled her eyes jokingly before nodding and watching her mother walk further and further away from the house. She closed the front door and locked it up, then headed up to her bedroom. She didn't feel tired, she was exhilarated, but she knew that she needed her rest for the big day tomorrow.

She went through her nightly routine like a robot; changing into PJs, washing her face and brushing her teeth, before snuggling up in bed. She turned onto her side and stared at the empty space beside her. This was the first night in a long time that she hadn't slept next to Luke, and she had to admit that the bed felt empty without him there. After twenty minutes of tossing and turning, she gave up and went downstairs to Rory's room.

"Babe," she whispered, poking at her daughter's cheek. Rory batted her hand away and made some incoherent noises. "Rory, wake up."

"Tired, mommy," she mumbled.

"I know, but I wanna talk," she tried. When Rory didn't respond, Lorelai threw the covers off of her and scooped her up, taking her up to her room with her.

"Mommy," she whined, finally opening her eyes to look up at her mother.

"I won't keep you up for long, I promise," she whispered.

"Pinkie," she reminded her.

"Of course." Lorelai held her little finger up and Rory linked hers with it, squeezing slightly. "Wouldn't you rather sleep in my big cosy bed than your tiny one anyway?" Rory looked at her and sighed. Lorelai settled the girl on the bed and pulled the covers back for her as she climbed in next to her.

"I sleep now," she stated, digging her head in the pillow.

"No," Lorelai protested. "Let's talk."

"Mommy."

"Rory." They stared intensely at each other, before Rory relented.

"Ok," she muttered.

"Ten minutes, that's all," she promised. The little girl nodded and nestled into her mother's side, as Lorelai wrapped an arm around her. "You know, this is probably the last ever night we'll get to do this," she said thoughtfully, causing Rory to look at her questioningly.

"Why?" she wondered.

"Because, mommy and daddy are getting married tomorrow, and that means that daddy will always be sleeping right here," she explained, patting the empty space at the other side of Rory. "So this is the last time you and I will get to share the bed alone." Rory frowned.

"I go in my bed?"

"Yes, you still sleep in your bed," she assured. Rory smiled and looked up at her.

"Daddy stay forever?" she asked hopefully, and Lorelai sighed involuntarily.

"I hope so, sweets, I really, really do."

After Rory had fallen asleep again, Lorelai lay in the darkness staring up at the ceiling. She was nervous and excited at the same time, and she just couldn't get to sleep.

Luke was laying in a similar position listening to TJ's snoring. He couldn't believe that by this time tomorrow, he and Lorelai would be married, and would probably be consummating their marriage. He too, knew he wouldn't be able to get to sleep that night, not because of TJ's snoring but because he couldn't get his wife-to-be out of his mind. He thought about calling her, but managed to talk himself out of it, believing that she would be asleep by now.

Little did they both know that their partner was having exactly the same thought process and they were. It was just a matter of waiting.

**Only one more chapter to go!**

**I can't believe I have written almost 75 chapters for this, it must have taken me ages. You just don't realise how long you actually spend writing these chapters until you look at how many there are. **

**Please review, I really liked this chapter and I hope you did too :D I will get the next one written sharpish, I'd say before Friday anyway.**

**Now I am eagerly going to await the Parenthood finale on Tuesday...but I won't be able to watch it till Wednesday. Oh well..I actually can't wait!**

**Bye for now,**

**Emily.**


	75. The Most Important Day of Your Life

**Hello! **

**This is a sad, sad day for anybody that likes this story, for this is the final chapter . I am a little sad, but it is a relief to have it finished, cause now I can focus on writing a new story before I move onto the sequel. **

**This chapter is extra long! I swear it's about 10, 500 words. That's why it took me so long to get finished, I wanted it to do the story justice. **

**I hope you enjoy this a lot...make it last for as long as you possibly can!**

Luke wandered through the deserted cemetery with only one goal in mind. The sun hadn't even risen yet, but he had snuck out of Liz's apartment so he could come and tell his parents about what was going to happen later in the day.

He approached his father's headstone and dropped down to his knees, running his hand across the engraved writing softly.

"Hey dad," he greeted. "So, I'm getting married today. It's huge, I know, and I'm scared as hell," he admitted. "Not so much about today, but about the rest of it, the lives we have ahead of us. What if I mess everything up? I love Lorelai and I don't know what I'd do if she weren't in my life anymore." He stopped talking and looked up to the sky briefly.

"If I was granted one wish, I'd ask for you and mom to come back for just today. I wouldn't ask for any longer, cause I know you'll never come back for good," he murmured sadly. "But if I could have you here for today only, that would make me so happy. I wish you could be here to watch me get married, I know you'd love Lorelai, mom would too." He looked down into his lap and tried his hardest to hold back his tears.

"It's unfair," he stated. "It's unfair that Lorelai's parents are alive and well, not that I'd want anything to happen to them, but it's unfair. Kirk still has his parents, Bootsy does, Andrew does, hell even Taylor's seventy year old mother is still alive," he ranted. He was getting seriously worked up now. "So why, why don't I have my parents anymore?" His tears began to fall, and he ducked his head, putting his hands over his face.

"I really want you to see me get married today, and maybe you will," he said thoughtfully. "I don't really believe in all that heaven stuff, you know I was never religious, but if you are up there watching, could you give me some kind of sign later on? It'd be a big comfort knowing that you're there."

Luke wiped away his tears and took a moment to compose himself before he stood up. "Tell mom about today, that's if she wasn't already listening. Bye dad." He rested his hand on top of the headstone, before turning around and walking away. He had a big day ahead of him today.

XXXX

"Rory, wakey wakey rise and shine," Lorelai sing-songed when she woke up that morning. It was six thirty and she was raring to go, even though the wedding wasn't for another six and a half hours.

"Go away," she mumbled in reply as she dug her head into her pillow. Lorelai rolled her eyes and poked her daughter in the ribs.

"Time to get up," she announced. "Something big's happening today, remember?" Rory groaned.

"I sleeping," she told her. Lorelai pouted and climbed out of bed, going over to her closet to admire her dress.

"I can't wait to wear you today," she whispered to it, but then she shook her head after realising how stupid she sounded talking to a dress. She went downstairs and sauntered over to the coffee maker, pouring more coffee in than she should have done. There was a series of loud bangs on her front door, and she rushed around to the living room window to see who it was. When she saw her fiancé standing there, she frowned. "Luke?" she called through the door to him. He wasn't supposed to see her until the wedding.

"Lorelai?" he replied.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see you," he shrugged, even though she couldn't see him through the stained glass.

"But...it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," she told him. Luke sighed, he knew she'd throw that in his face, she was such a traditionalist.

"Do you really believe in that stuff?"

"Yes, I do," she answered. "Now go, I'll see you at the ceremony."

"I brought breakfast for you and Rory," he tried, hoping that would get her to open the door. Lorelai smiled to herself and leaned against the door.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, pancakes for Rory and French toast with a side of bacon and hash browns for you," he enticed. Lorelai could practically feel her mouth watering.

"Nice try, but I'm not opening this door till you've gone."

"How do you suggest you get your breakfast then?"

"Leave it on the porch and I'll get it once you've disappeared," she requested. Luke sighed resignedly and set the brown Luke's bag on the floor.

"Fine, you win Crazy Lady."

"Thank you," she said gratefully. Luke smiled slightly then began to turn away from the door.

"I love you," he said before starting on his way back to Liz's place. He heard her muffled reply and grinned to himself as he carried on walking across their front lawn. Lorelai rushed to the living room window to check that he was walking away, then hurriedly unlocked the door and retrieved her breakfast.

She polished off her French toast and sighed quietly to herself. Rory was still sleeping, and that bothered Lorelai cause she was worried that they wouldn't have enough time to get ready. There was another knock on the door, this time it was the back one, and she called 'come in' as she usually would.

"You're getting married today!" Sookie squealed as soon as she'd closed the door behind her. She was jumping on the spot and Lorelai couldn't help but smile.

"I know," she agreed, getting up from her chair and bounding into her best friend. They jumped together for a few minutes, squealing strangely the whole time, then they sobered and pulled away from each other to grin like idiots.

"We have to do your hair, and your makeup," she listed. "Then there's my hair, and Liz's hair, and Rory's hair..." She began to panic, and Lorelai laid her hand on her best friend's lower arm.

"Relax," she said calmly. "We still have plenty of time. Anyway, I'm the bride and as my maid of honour, you're the one that has to keep me from having a panic attack today, not the other way around." Sookie nodded seriously, then noticed the Luke's bag sitting in the middle of the table.

"Where did that come from?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh, Luke brought it round," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"He saw you?" she panicked. "That's bad luck you know, for the groom to..."

"Sookie!" Lorelai cut off. "He didn't see me, he left it on the porch for Rory and I. God you have to stop being so panicky."

"Sorry," she apologised. "Where is Rory?"

"She's still asleep, I couldn't get her to wake up earlier," she frowned.

"The wedding's in six hours," she said worriedly. "She should be awake by now." She rushed over to Rory's room and Lorelai shook her head at the antics of her crazy best friend.

"She's in my room," she told her, watching Sookie rush through towards the stairs instead. "And tell her there're some pancakes waiting for her."

Sookie returned to the kitchen not five minutes later with a very moody Rory following close behind, pouting in her usual way. She pulled herself up onto a chair at the table and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Morning hon, daddy brought you pancakes," Lorelai told her, pushing the plate towards her daughter. Rory huffed and scowled at her mom.

"Hate you," she mumbled before pulling the plate closer to herself and digging in. Lorelai's eyes widened.

"Wow," she commented. "My first 'I hate you' at the grand age of two and a half, ladies and gentlemen." Sookie frowned.

"You didn't mean that, did you Rory?" asked Sookie, but the girl was too busy focussing on her breakfast.

"I know she didn't mean it, us Gilmore's get like that when we're suffering from lack of sleep." Sookie prodded her arm and smiled.

"But you're only gonna be a Gilmore for the next six hours, then you'll be a Danes," she sighed dreamily.

"Yeah," she agreed, not able to contain her childish grin.

"So, what are the plans for the day?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, Rory and I will get dressed after breakfast and get our stuff together, then we'll head up to the inn and check into the room that Mia saved for us to get ready in," she listed.

"That was nice of her."

"I know, I feel like I should buy her something for everything she's been doing for us. I mean, she put Rory and I up in the potting shed and she gave me a job. And she's letting us have the inn for free for the wedding and reception."

"Buy her something on your honeymoon," she suggested. "Then it's special."

"I guess," she shrugged. Then a thought came to her. "Wait, do you know where I'm going on my honeymoon?" she asked curiously. Sookie shook her head.

"No," she frowned. "I tried to get it out of him, I really did, but he wouldn't let up."

"I hope it's not camping," she muttered.

"Why would he take you camping for ten days? That's crazy," she said. "Anyway, I think it's nice that he wants it to be a surprise. It's kinda romantic."

"Yeah, it better be somewhere amazing though, I don't wanna spend a week and a half fishing."

"It will be, just wait and see," she said confidently. "And you'd better tell me when you find out."

"Oh I will, the suspense has been killing me for too long, I'll be shouting from the rooftops when I finally find out." Rory slid off of her chair and walked over to her mother, holding her arms up to her. Lorelai hoisted her up into her lap and Rory snuggled up against her. "What's the matter, Ror?"

"Don't hate you," she said into Lorelai's top. "Sorry." Sookie smiled softly as Lorelai kissed the top of her head.

"I know, babe," she whispered. "Now go choose some clothes to wear up to the inn." Rory nodded and lowered herself to the floor again, before scurrying off towards her room.

"Five and a half hours to go," Sookie whispered excitedly. Lorelai took a deep breath and rested her hands on the table.

"Yeah, five and a half."

XXXX

"There you are!" Emily announced when the three girls arrived at the inn. Mia and Liz were accompanying her, and Lorelai smiled at them as she stepped towards them.

"Mom, relax," she told her. "There's still four hours until the wedding."

"I know, but you have to do your hair and makeup, and everyone has to change into their dresses," she listed. Lorelai laid a hand on her mother's arm to soothe her.

"Seriously, there's no need to panic, we've got plenty of time," she assured her.

"If you say so," she muttered. The six of them made it upstairs to their preparation room and Mia made sure the door was locked. "Ok, so when is the hairdresser getting here?" Emily inquired. Lorelai and Liz shared a glance.

"She's already here," said Lorelai, gesturing to her fiancé's sister.

"You're doing the hair?"

"Yes Em...Mrs Gilmore," she replied. Liz was very nervous around Lorelai's mother; she had only met her once or twice after all.

"Well, do you have some kind of qualification in hairdressing?" she quizzed.

"No, I'm just handy with a curling iron," she answered seriously. Emily sighed and turned to her daughter.

"Lorelai, you should have hired a hairdresser for such an occasion," she scolded. "I can call Louisa, she might be available..." Lorelai cut her off.

"No mom, I don't want Louisa to do my hair," she told her. "I want Liz to do it." Emily turned her head and looked Luke's sister up and down.

"Why I shall never understand," she murmured. Liz frowned and turned around to busy herself with something to avoid having to face the horrible woman.

"Mom," she hissed. "Can I talk to you in the hall please?" Emily raised her eyebrows but followed her daughter out of the room, making sure the door was closed behind them.

"What is this about, Lorelai?" she asked impatiently.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh please, attacking Liz like that," she spat. "Why are you being like this?"

"I just think you should have a professional do your hair today," she defended. "This is the most important day of your life."

"Yes, it's the most important day of MY life, not yours, mine," she stressed. "I'll do things my way. I asked Liz to do our hair today and she's going to whether you like it or not, so you'll just have to deal with it."

"Ok, if that's what you want," she gave in. "Don't let me stop you."

"I won't," she told her. "And I think you should apologise to Liz." Emily nodded wordlessly and followed her daughter back into the room.

"Lorelai?" she asked tentatively. She turned around to face her mother. "Are we...ok?"

"Of course," she nodded; smiling softly at Emily's concerned expression. "Just, let me do today my way?" she asked.

"Anything you want dear, this is your special day." The Gilmore women shared a smile, before the girls got to work on their primping. After Lorelai's hair had been curled, Liz placed Rory in the chair and smiled down at the little girl.

"Right sweetie," she began. "It's your turn now, how do you want your hair?" Rory stared at her for a few moments before pointing to her mother.

"Like that," she told her. Liz nodded and picked up the hairbrush, running it through Rory's fine hair.

"You've gotta stay really still while I do it," she said. "Don't move, ok?" Rory nodded eagerly and Liz carefully got to work on styling her hair. Lorelai pinned her bangs up at each side of her head and left some curls flowing down at each side. She didn't want her hair to get in the way during the ceremony, so she felt that it would be better to pin part of it back.

"That looks nice, Lorelai," complimented Emily, moving forward to arrange her curls so they looked symmetrical.

"Thanks mom," she replied. Emily stood in front of her daughter, busying herself with playing with her hair and avoiding eye contact with her. "Mom?" she asked tentatively.

"Hmm?"

"Are you ok?"

"Yes of course," she assured, snapping out of her stupor. "I just...I brought something for you, you don't have to use it, but I thought it would be a nice..."

"Mom, can you hurry this along? We don't have all day, you know," she joked, mimicking her mother from when they first arrived at the inn. Emily chuckled and moved over to her purse, pulling out an expensive looking box. "What's that?" she asked curiously. Her mother seemed to handle it with such care, it must be something important.

"Open it," she ordered, handing it over to her. Lorelai admired the box for a moment before opening the box and coming face to face with a tiara.

"Is this..." She didn't get a chance to finish her question, Emily did it for her.

"The tiara I wore when I married your father," she confirmed. Lorelai stared down at it, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"You want me to wear it today?" she asked in awe at her mother's gesture.

"Yes, it can be your 'something borrowed'," she said. Lorelai's eyes filled with happy tears and she pulled Emily in for a hug. The elder woman gladly returned the gesture then pulled away to smile at her only daughter. "I'm glad you're happy Lorelai, that's all I ever wanted for you." Lorelai nodded and wiped at her eyes, as she started laughing to herself.

"Good job I haven't got my makeup on yet," she stated, gesturing to her watery eyes. "Would have been ruined by now."

"All done," Liz announced, stepping back from Rory. The girl admired her reflection in the mirror and smiled widely at herself.

"Mommy look!" she demanded, jumping down from her chair and running over to her.

"Wow, look at you," she went along with it. "You look like a big girl with your hair like that." Rory grinned even wider and jumped up and down on the spot.

"Don't keep doing that," warned Liz. "All the curls will fall out then." Rory stopped jumping and frowned slightly. "Do you mind if I spray some hairspray on it?" she asked Lorelai. "I don't want it to fall out and look messy."

"Sure," she allowed. "Don't put too much on though."

"I won't, Luke would probably have a heart attack if he knew what we were doing to her."

"Well he never has to know, you won't tell him will you, Ror?" she asked, just to make sure.

"No," she answered, zipping her lips up to prove it. Lorelai smiled and sat down in a chair, preparing to have her makeup put on.

"Ok, who's doing my makeup?" she asked the room.

"That would be me," announced Mia, picking up Lorelai's makeup bag, as well as a few items of her own. Lorelai settled down as the elder woman got to work on her face; there were only two and a half hours to go until the main event.

XXXX

The guys arrived at the inn with two hours to spare until the ceremony, giving them plenty of time to prepare. They made it up to their room and Luke sat down on the edge of the bed, putting his hands over his face.

"You ok there, Luke?" TJ asked, coming to sit down next to him. "You're not getting cold feet are you?"

"Course not," he muttered. "I'm just nervous."

"If you're feeling like that Lucas, imagine how Lorelai's holding up," added Buddy. Luke smiled slightly at the mention of his fiancée and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Guess we should get our tuxes on, what do you say Jess?" he asked his nephew.

"Ok," he agreed, shrugging his shoulders in a typical Danes fashion. Luke removed their clothing from the protective bags and gave his nephew his.

"Here, you hold this while I get mine on," he told him. Jess nodded seriously and hugged the small outfit close to him; he always took his uncle's orders seriously. Luke disappeared into the adjoining bathroom and when he returned, he was clad in his wedding gear, minus the bow tie.

"My turn now?" Jess asked hopefully, holding his tux out to Luke. The man nodded and accepted it, before beginning to remove Jess' current clothing. Once the two males were dressed, they stood next to each other and stared at their reflection in the floor length mirror. Jess had a big smile on his face, and Luke looked down at him curiously.

"What are you grinning about?" he asked cautiously. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know or not, Jess had done some mischievous things during his terrible twos.

"I like my tux," he admitted shyly, using his hands to play with the hem of his jacket. Luke smiled proudly at his nephew and bent down to fasten the top button of his shirt. If they didn't look smart enough, he would never hear the end of it from his mother-in-law.

"I'm glad one of us does," he mumbled, mostly to himself. If Jess knew that Luke hated wearing a tux, then he would probably say he hated them too. He was always copying his uncle.

"We need a tie," Jess remembered, fingering the collar of his shirt to show that they weren't wearing any. Luke sighed and looked over at Buddy.

"Any chance you know how to do a bow tie?" he asked hopefully.

"Nope, sorry my friend," he answered, patting Luke on the shoulder sympathetically.

"Guess I'll have to wait for Richard to get here." Jess turned away from the mirror and walked over to Luke, tugging on his pant leg incessantly.

"What is it, Jess?" he questioned.

"Can I get rings now?" he wondered. He had been waiting patiently to take charge of the rings since he and Luke had gone to pick them up a couple of days ago, and now he wanted them.

"Later," was all Luke replied. Jess frowned and scrunched his face up in frustration.

"But I want rings now!" he paddied, stamping his foot on the floor.

"Jess," he warned.

"I s'posed to look after them," he reminded him. Luke sighed heavily and went to retrieve his coat, pulling the box out of the pocket.

"Here," he said. "Keep them in your jacket pocket, and if you lose them, you won't live till the reception," he warned him. Luke took the rings from the box and gave them to Jess, watching him sternly as he carefully placed them in his pocket.

"Thank you," he said happily as he patted his breast pocket. He felt important having such a big job to do, and he was going to make sure he didn't misplace them, for he knew his uncle would never forgive him.

"Promise you won't lose them," he asked, just to make sure. Jess rolled his eyes but nodded and held up his littlest finger.

"Pinkie promise," he said, causing Luke to crease his brow.

"What the hell is pinkie promise?"

"Lowalai and Rory tell me," he informed, moving his finger away from Luke.

"Oh, another one of their little games, huh?" Jess nodded and started playing with his tux again.

"I like my tux," he repeated. Luke just smiled down at him; he had to admit, Jess did look adorable.

XXXX

"Only an hour to go!" Sookie squealed as she spun around in her maid of honour dress. "Are you excited?"

"I'm terrified," admitted Lorelai, taking a deep breath. Emily, who was smoothing her outfit down, turned around and smiled softly at her daughter.

"Don't bite your nails, Lorelai," she scolded. "You'll be fine, there's no need to worry."

"But that doesn't stop me worrying," she complained. Emily placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be fine," she said, clearer this time. "Now I think it's time you got your dress on, we don't want to be rushing around later, do we?" She shook her head and stood up, picking up her heels from the floor. "Go into the bathroom, I'll bring it in for you."

"Thanks mom," she said gratefully before taking her orders. She sat down on the closed toilet lid and tapped her foot on the cold tile nervously. She couldn't believe that in an hour's time she'd be standing next to her fiancé, where they would become man and wife.

"Here we are," Emily announced herself. "Would you like some help getting into it?"

"Yes please," she accepted. "I don't want to rip it or anything."

"Very well." Lorelai quickly removed her sweats and vest top, while Emily unzipped the dress and prepared to hand it to her daughter. Once Lorelai was clad in just her underwear, Emily told her to step into the material and pulled it up into position.

"Zip me up?" she requested. Emily nodded and Lorelai turned around, letting her mother pull the zip right to the top. She turned around again, and Emily's eyes instantly filled with tears. "Do I look that bad?" Lorelai joked, smoothing her hands over the dress self consciously. Emily shook her head insistently and got a tissue from the pack next to the sink, dabbing her eyes with it carefully.

"You look beautiful, Lorelai," she said, her voice telling of her tears. Lorelai's eyes filled up as well and she groaned in frustration.

"I told you not to make me cry after I had my makeup on," she whined, trying her very hardest to hold her tears in. Emily laughed and reached over to put a strand of her hair back into the pin it had fallen from.

"You still look radiant," she said quietly. Lorelai smiled and averted her gaze to the floor. Usually after an act of affection between the two of them, there was always an awkward moment that followed. "Don't forget this," Emily remembered, changing the subject entirely. Lorelai watched her pick up the tiara and place it on her head, smiling once it was sitting perfectly in her tamed curls.

"Does it look ok?" she asked hopefully.

"See for yourself." The two ladies looked into the mirror above the sink and Lorelai smiled at her own reflection.

"Wait, I'm missing something," she said, reaching over to the cabinet and pulling out the necklace that Luke bought for her to wear today.

"My, that's a gorgeous necklace, where did you get that?" she wondered.

"Luke bought it for me," she told her. "He said it can be my something new."

"That was sweet of him," she said thoughtfully. "Here, let me fasten it for you." Emily took the necklace from Lorelai's grasp and fastened the clasp at the back of her neck, while Lorelai watched in the mirror and smiled when she saw how well it went with the dress and tiara. "Luke has good taste," Emily observed, watching Lorelai finger the item of jewellery.

"I know," she agreed. "He bought me a necklace and matching earrings for our first Christmas together, I think you've seen them actually. They're beautiful too, I guess I'm lucky." She took a deep breath and tore her eyes away from herself in the mirror. "Ok, I'm ready to make my entrance." Emily nodded and opened the bathroom door, letting Lorelai step outside to greet her bridesmaids.

"Oh my god," screeched Sookie. "You look gorgeous!" Lorelai grinned widely, loving the compliments already.

"Yeah, Lorelai," agreed Liz. "Luke's gonna die when he sees you."

"God, I hope not," she replied. "So I look presentable?"

"Presentable? You look like freaking Cinderella," said Sookie excitedly. Lorelai giggled and took hold of Rory's hand.

"What do you think sweets, does mommy look like Cinderella?" she asked her. Rory looked her mom up and down before shaking her head slowly. "I don't?"

"No, you better," she said decisively, causing Lorelai's eyes to light up.

"Thanks baby," she cooed. "And you look better than Sleeping Beauty." Rory smiled in return and stepped forward to hug her mom, but came into contact with white material instead.

"I like my dress," she told her, twirling around to show her how it swung about.

"I like your dress too," she agreed. "But I'm a little biased cause I made it."

"I get fwowers?" the little girl wondered.

"Yes you get flowers," she assured her. "But not yet ok?" Rory twisted her mouth thoughtfully then went to join her grandma over by the window.

"You pretty, granma," she told her, making Emily smile.

"Thank you, darling, you look just like a princess." Rory grinned and surveyed the room; her mom fussing with her dress, Sookie fiddling with her hair and Liz putting her shoes on. She couldn't wait for the wedding, she'd heard about it so much from her mom since Luke proposed and she was so excited for it to actually happen. She just couldn't wait any longer.

XXXX

Luke made it out into the garden fifteen minutes before the ceremony was due to start. The chairs that had been set out were already half full, and he could see various townspeople rushing to get the best seat in the house. He strolled up the aisle to the front and got into his position, looking over the crowd nervously.

He was terrified. This was the biggest thing he had done in his life, besides adopting Rory, and he worried that he would do or say something wrong and make a fool out of himself. He still wondered if he was living a dream sometimes; he had a fiancée, soon to be his wife, a daughter who would be three in a few months time, a house that he shared with the two most important people in his life and great friends. He really was a lucky man.

"Luke!" He snapped out of his thoughts to find Miss Patty rushing towards him in an overly floral dress.

"Hey Patty," he greeted, putting a hand up in the air as his signature wave.

"Oh honey, this is it, the big day is finally here," she said animatedly.

"I know," he nodded. "It's unbelievable."

"Just a few more minutes."

"Yeah," he whispered to himself. He noticed Buddy bringing Jess up to the front and gave him a thankful smile.

"He couldn't wait to get out here, could you son?" Jess shook his head and went up to stand next to his uncle.

"Thanks for taking him to the bathroom just now," he said gratefully. "I didn't want him interrupting halfway through saying he needed to go." Buddy chuckled.

"It would make for a good wedding story though," he pointed out. Luke smiled and looked to the crowd again. "I'll be in the front row, ok?" He nodded and watched Buddy take his seat and wait for Maisy to join him. She had gone to the bathroom too.

"Hey Jess, you still got the rings in there?" he asked, pointing to his nephew's breast pocket.

"Yeah," he stated proudly. Luke narrowed his eyes.

"Show me." Jess tutted impatiently but reached into his pocket and pulled out both of the gold bands.

"There," he said. "I look after rings."

"I know, buddy, I just had to make sure," he shrugged. Jess placed them back into his pocket and stood up straight with his hands clasped behind his back.

"I look smart?" he asked. Luke looked down at him again and nodded.

"You look very smart," he told him. "Just tone it down a little, I don't want you to look better than me," he joked. Jess put his hands by his side instead and smiled up at his uncle. There were only five minutes left until the ceremony began, and Luke's heart was beating faster and faster with every passing second.

XXXX

"Are you ready, Lorelai?" asked Sookie. There were only ten minutes to go, ten minutes until she would be getting married. She took a deep breath before nodding to her best friend.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she muttered, watching as Liz took Rory's hand and led her out of the room, followed by Sookie. She was about to follow when her mother stopped her.

"Lorelai, wait," she requested. She turned around to look Emily in the eye.

"What's up? We only have ten minutes, we'd better get go..." Emily cut off her daughter's babbling.

"I just want to tell you that I love you," she said. "And I wish you and Luke a long, happy life together." Lorelai smiled affectionately and moved forward to hug her again.

"Thanks mom, I love you too," she replied.

"Good, now that that's settled we'd better get you married. What do you say?"

"I'd say that's one of the best ideas you've had all day," she said, linking her arm through Emily's as the two left the room. Richard was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for them, holding Lorelai's bouquet. He had given the other girls theirs and they were all waiting patiently by the back door for the bride.

The proud father looked up at his daughter as she descended the staircase in her flowing white dress. He was blown away by her beauty, he had never really noticed it before and he couldn't believe that he had created her. Lorelai and Emily finally reached the lobby, and Emily placed Lorelai's arm in Richard's.

"She's in your hands now, I'll leave the rest up to you," she said to him. She left a kiss on Lorelai's cheek then began to walk towards the back door, ready to watch her daughter commit herself to Luke.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart," he told her, running his hand through her hair lovingly. Lorelai beamed and leaned into him.

"I'm shaking like hell," she admitted, holding her hand up for him to see.

"Don't worry, I was exactly the same when I married your mother, but when you're up there saying your vows, it all changes," he assured her. He cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes. "Do you have all your somethings?" he asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah, mom's tiara is old and borrowed, my necklace is new and my underwear is blue," she giggled.

"Very good," he nodded. "And I really needed to know about your underwear." Lorelai blushed and squeezed his arm.

"Lorelai, it's starting," said Sookie, interrupting their father/daughter moment. Lorelai took another deep breath and squeezed her father's arm even tighter, letting him lead her towards the double doors. The music began and Sookie took hold of Rory's hand, guiding her off the porch and towards the aisle.

She let her go first, with her following close behind and Liz after her. Rory sauntered down the aisle, loving all the attention she was receiving. She was so wrapped up in looking at all the eyes on her, that she wasn't watching where she was going and she walked right into someone's chair, landing on her butt.

"Uh oh," she mumbled to herself. Sookie scurried forward and helped Rory back onto her feet, then she carried on towards her dad, who was grinning at her as she made her way to him. "Hi daddy," she whispered to him, standing next to him where Lorelai was supposed to stand. He ran his hand through her hair for a moment then let Sookie take her off to the side where the bridesmaids were meant to stand. Liz took her place as well, then the wedding march started up.

The crowd got to their feet as Lorelai and Richard appeared through the door and started their slow walk down from the porch. Lorelai's eyes met Luke's as soon as she reached the back row, and it seemed that the crowd of people just seemed disappear and it was only him and her. Lorelai stumbled a little halfway down, but Richard caught her before she could fall and held onto her arm tighter. She really was nervous.

They finally reached the front, and Richard gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek before placing her hand in Luke's and taking his seat on the front row next to his wife. Luke stroked his thumb over the back of Lorelai's hand as he stared intensely into her eyes.

"You look amazing," he said quietly to her, so nobody could hear him except Reverend Skinner.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she replied, flashing him a bright smile before turning to the reverend.

"Dearly beloved..."

XXXX

All was going smoothly so far, the only hiccup had been Rory's little fall and Lorelai's minor stumble on the way down the aisle. Reverend Skinner had just requested the rings, and Luke turned to look down at Jess expectantly.

"Jess, I need the rings," he told the little boy. Jess' eyes lit up at the fact he was about to play his part in the ceremony, and he stuffed his hand into his pocket, pulling out the two gold bands.

"Here, I look after rings good," he said with a nod, as Luke smiled at him and took them out of his hand. Luke gave them to Reverend Skinner and they each recited their words to each other, before placing the ring on their partner's respective finger. Lorelai stopped Luke before he could slide on hers, and took it from his grasp so she could admire the inscription.

"She didn't go away," she read aloud, so the crowd could hear them also. Her heart melted when she read the words and she smiled at her husband-almost. "From the horoscope?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "It seemed appropriate." She nodded and let him put the ring in it's place on her finger, right next to her engagement ring.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," Reverend Skinner announced, clapping his hands along with the rest of the guests. "You may kiss your bride, Luke," he allowed. Luke wasted no time in completing that task, and he seemed to forget about everyone that was watching. The only person he was interested in right now was his wife; that's right, his wife.

Lorelai felt something tugging on her dress and she reluctantly pulled her lips away from her new husband's to find Rory pulling on her dress.

"What's the matter, sweets?" she asked. It better be something good for her to interrupt a kiss like that.

"Need to go to the bathroom," she told her, squirming uneasily as she said it.

"Ok babe, we'll get you there in a minute." Luke swung his daughter up onto his hip and gave her forehead a kiss, before he took hold of his wife's hand and pulled her up the aisle through the mass of applauding townspeople. They finally did it.

XXXX

After many pictures had been taken by the photographer, mostly by Emily's orders, the party started up and everyone gathered around on the lawn to greet the newlywed couple.

"Here they are ladies and gentlemen, the ones we've been waiting for," Kirk announced. He had bugged Luke to no end to let him be the DJ at the reception, and he had finally given in. "Give a warm welcome to Mr and Mrs Luke Danes!" he said. Luke and Lorelai came out of the inn with an arm around each other and Lorelai waved excitedly to them all.

After being greeted by what felt like every single guest, everyone made it to their tables and Luke pulled Lorelai's chair out for her.

"Thanks husband," she gushed, leaving a soft kiss on his cheek before taking her seat.

"You're welcome wife." They shared a smile and he took hold of her hand over the table, just as Sookie rose to her feet and tapped a spoon against her glass.

"Hey everyone," she greeted them. "I'm Sookie St. James, the maid of honour. I've known Lorelai since she moved to Stars Hollow just under two years ago. I was amazed by how brave she'd been in moving away from home to raise her daughter, at such a young age as well. You probably all know that it didn't take her long to find her way to Luke's diner, where she found the best coffee she'd ever had."

"The coffee wasn't the only thing that kept her going back there though, it was the owner that caught her eye; Mr Mcgrumperson." The guests chuckled at her name for Luke. "She kept going back there for coffee, and the next thing we know, they're going on a date. Luke didn't waste much time in asking her out, and it worked out in the long run, cause look at them now." She looked to her right and smiled at her best friend.

"They've had their rough patches, we all know that, and there have been times when we thought it was the end of them as a couple. But through everything that's happened over the course of the time they've been together, they've always worked through it and come out stronger than ever at the other end. They're an inspiration, and I wish them and little Rory a lifetime of happiness. To Luke and Lorelai." Everyone clunked their glasses together and took a few sips of their champagne, then Luke stood up to address the crowd.

"Uh, Jess would have made a speech, but he can't read or write yet and his sentences are a little mangled," he chuckled, gaining a response from the crowd. "But I know he'd like to say a few things anyway so I'll pass you onto him." Luke lifted Jess up and whispered something in his ear, causing the little boy to grin at the crowd.

"Hi," he greeted them. "I like my tux." Everyone awed at him, including Emily and Richard. "I look after the rings good." Another round of awes and coos. "And I love Uncle Luke 'n' Aunt Lowalai," Luke gave him a pat on the back for doing so good with his speech and Lorelai leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. He grinned at all the attention, then Luke settled him back in his seat.

"I'd like to say a few words too," said Lorelai, getting to her feet. "First I'd like to thank you all for coming; it means so much to us to have you here with us today. I never thought I'd get this far so soon after moving here. I never really pictured myself getting married, or living in a house, and I never imagined for a second that my daughter would have a proper father. But we have all of that, and I'm so proud of what my life's become."

"I know I wouldn't be where I am today without Emily and Richard Gilmore; my mom and dad. They've helped me so much; mom gave me advice on how to raise Rory, dad stuck by me when I got in trouble, and they both bought us the most amazing wedding present anyone could ask for; the roof over our heads."

"While those two have helped me out so much, there's still no way that my life would be half as good if I hadn't met Luke Danes. He's my coffee supplier, the father to my kid, my protector, my Mr. Fix-it, and now my husband," she listed. "He's my everything. So that's why I've decided that if I'm taking his last name, it's only right that my daughter does as well." She smiled down at Luke. "Everyone, meet Rory Danes." She gestured down to the toddler sitting on the chair next to her.

People applauded as others muttered amongst themselves. Lorelai looked to Emily and Richard and noticed they were astounded by the fact that their granddaughter wouldn't share their surname anymore.

"I just think it makes sense," she told them. "Now we're a proper family." The elder Gilmores nodded but they still looked to be thinking about it. They couldn't stop her from changing it, they had no right, but it hurt a bit to know that they'd kind of lost their daughter and granddaughter.

"Ok ladies and gentlemen," said Kirk through the microphone. "The buffet is on that table over there, so help yourselves and let the party begin!" The music started up and people began mulling around, some going for food and others heading towards the dance floor.

"We did it," Luke whispered in his wife's ear. She grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, joining her hands together.

"Finally," she replied, before leaning in and capturing his lips in hers. They shared another passionate kiss, and Buddy and Maisy just happened to be walking by.

"Get a room," Maisy called, causing Buddy to snicker at her. Luke pulled away from Lorelai and blushed furiously.

"We're quite happy where we are, thank you," said Lorelai, pulling Luke towards her again. He was gonna protest but then he remembered that this was his wedding reception; if he wanted to kiss his wife then that's what he'd do.

"Gross," muttered Maisy to herself.

"Come on Maize, you remember what it's like being a newlywed," Buddy teased her, wrapping his arms around her waist and attempting to pull her close.

"Get off me you big oaf," she complained, trying to push him away. The man laughed and settled on taking his wife's hand instead.

"You'd better save a dance for me later," he warned. Maisy nodded and the two strolled off towards the buffet table, leaving Luke and Lorelai alone to make out.

"If everyone would like to clear the floor, I want to invite the bride and groom down for their first dance as a married couple," Kirk announced, shooing everyone off the dance floor. Luke stood up and held his hand out to Lorelai, and she gladly placed hers in his and he pulled her to her feet, before guiding her over to the deserted dance floor.

Some guests had returned to their seats, while others crowded around the floor to watch their favourite couple slow dance together. Luke pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, while hers went around his neck. He began to sway them to the music; Eternal Flame by The Bangles, and Lorelai looked up at him with a soft smile on her face.

"You chose The Bangles?" she asked, in awe at how great this man really was.

"Yeah, you said it was one of your favourite slow songs when we went to the concert last year," he said quietly.

"It is," she confirmed. "I can't believe you remembered that."

"I'm a good listener, remember?" She nodded and moved forward to kiss him, gaining some cheers from their audience. Luke veered back slightly when he heard them all making a fuss about it, and Lorelai opened her eyes for a brief moment.

"Ignore them," she told him before actually kissing him this time. She pulled away with a wide smile and rested her chin on his shoulder, letting him lead them as they continued to sway.

"The happy couple invite you to join them on the floor, so if you're in love, get your butts up here!" Luke gave Kirk a stern glare, and the man simply shrugged as more people started dancing around them.

"What do you say guys?" Liz asked Jess and Rory, as she clung onto TJ's hand. "Wanna go dance?"

"Yeah," Rory answered, clapping her hands together excitedly. Jess didn't seem so happy about the suggestion though, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Dancing for girls," he muttered.

"Nuh uh, TJ is gonna dance with me, and Uncle Luke is up there." She pointed towards the bride and groom and Jess narrowed his eyes at them suspiciously.

"TJ, dancing for girls?" he asked the man. He had grown to like his mom's boyfriend, although he still found him a bit stupid sometimes.

"Course not," he answered. "Anyone can dance, and it's even better if you're dancing with a lady." He nudged the little boy's arm and Jess smiled ever so slightly. "Why don't you ask you lady friend to dance?" he suggested. Jess twisted his mouth thoughtfully then nodded hesitantly.

"Ok Jessie, we'll just be over here if you need us," informed Liz, pointing over to the dance floor. Jess nodded then glanced over at Rory shyly.

"Want to dance?" he asked her. Rory smiled at her cousin.

"Ok," she agreed. He reached down and took hold of her hand, dragging her in the direction of the floor. When they got there, he looked around at all the other couples and found a fair few of them in the traditional position, so he grabbed Rory's left hand with his right and slung his left arm around her waist. He began moving them around clumsily and they each giggled as they almost fell over on more than one occasion.

"Look at Rory and Jess," Richard whispered in Emily's ear as they swayed slowly. She looked over to the two toddlers and a frown set itself on her face. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Rory's starting young," she commented, with a hint of worry in her voice. "Even Lorelai didn't start taking an interest in socialising with the opposite sex until she was six."

"Oh Emily, nothing's going to happen with Rory and Jess," he told her.

"How do you know? Lorelai met Christopher in Kindergarten, and they found out they were having a child together in their sophomore year of high school. That could easily happen again with Rory." Richard chuckled and placed a calming hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Nothing is going to happen because Rory and Jess are cousins now," he reminded her. Emily's eyes widened with realisation before she smiled at him.

"Oh yes, of course they are," she said. Her eyes began tracing the dance floor, looking for her daughter and son-in-law. She spotted them near the middle, and she noticed Luke was grinning as Lorelai laughed at something he'd said. They looked happy, and that's all she had ever wanted for Lorelai.

"They look really happy, don't they?" asked Richard, catching on to who Emily was staring at.

"They do," she nodded with a sigh. "Remember when we were like that?"

"I like to think we still are," he said, giving her a small nudge.

"We're happy, but we're not newlyweds anymore," she murmured sadly. "We've got a nineteen year old daughter, and a granddaughter." Richard rested his chin on top of her head.

"Twenty one years," he stated.

"We must be old," she chuckled.

"No, we're just on the wrong side of forty, it doesn't make us old."

"We're old," she said firmly, before tightening her arms around Richard and keeping her focus on Lorelai and Luke.

"People have stopped staring," Lorelai whispered to her husband as they continued to dance among the crowd of people.

"Think we can get away for a while?" he wondered.

"I think we have a pretty good chance," she nodded. "Come on." She grabbed his hand and dragged him off the dance floor, heading over to the free bar instead. "Grab a bottle of champagne," she ordered as they passed by. One of the waiting staff gave them a nod as he handed over a freshly opened bottle, then Lorelai pulled Luke away from all the action.

"Where are we going?" he questioned, recognising the route well. She finally stopped when they reached the potting shed and she dropped to the floor next to the lake.

"Sit down," she told him.

"But your dress is gonna get dirty," he protested.

"Doesn't matter," she shrugged. "Anyway, the grass is dry, it hasn't rained in weeks."

"Ok," he mumbled, lowering himself to the ground next to her and handing her the bottle of champagne. She took a few swigs before giving it back to him, and then he did the same.

"I miss it here," she admitted, looking out over the lake that sparkled as the setting sun shone down on it.

"You do?"

"Yeah, it's just...peaceful, I guess. It's a lot different to living on a proper street next to Babette," she joked.

"Yeah, can't get any peace with her around," he agreed. "You don't regret moving though, do you?"

"No," she assured him, shaking her head to prove her point. "I love that we have a real house, and Rory has a proper place to grow up in. I just wish we could have taken the lake with us." He laughed and gave her the champagne again, before moving in to give her a kiss.

"We can get a pond," he allowed, but she knew he was just messing around.

"It's not the same," she pouted. "And stop mocking me."

"I'm not," he defended.

"You are. I'm your wife now; you have to be nice to me."

"I'm always nice to you," he said softly as he brushed some hair away from her face and leaned in to kiss her. She cupped his cheek in her palm and angled her head to deepen the kiss, gaining a groan from Luke.

"Luke?" she asked breathlessly when she pulled back slightly. "Where are we going on our honeymoon?" Luke laughed and shook his head at her abrupt change of subject.

"You can't wait to find out, can you?"

"No, I wanna know!" she whined. "It's not camping, is it?" He laughed again.

"No, we're not going camping," he assured her.

"Good," she sighed in relief. "Is it hot there?"

"Oh yeah," he nodded.

"And sunny too, will I get a tan?"

"Most definitely."

"Is there a pool?"

"There's a pool," he confirmed.

"Are we playing twenty questions here?" He chuckled and prodded her side playfully, causing her to bat his hand away.

"I wanted to wait till tomorrow to tell you, but I guess I could tell you now," he decided. "I've made you wait long enough."

"Yes you have, now spill," she demanded.

"Ok, how do you feel about Barbados?" Lorelai's eyes widened and a large childish grin made it onto her face.

"We're going to Barbados, for ten days?" she asked in surprise.

"Well technically we're going for two days," he corrected, causing Lorelai to furrow her brows in confusion.

"Two days?" she asked.

"Yeah, you see we have to be in New York tomorrow night to get on the ship," he explained. Lorelai's jaw dropped momentarily before she threw her arms around Luke.

"We're going on a cruise?" she asked, just to make sure. She felt him nod as she rested her head on his shoulder and she squealed excitedly. "I can't believe this!"

"So you like it?"

"I love it," she exclaimed. "Which places do we visit?"

"Well we start from New York, sail down to Florida where we'll stay in Miami for a day. Then we'll head down to the Caribbean islands and stop at St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten and Barbados. Then we'll fly back to New York." Lorelai couldn't believe she was actually going on a Caribbean cruise, tomorrow as well.

"I love you," she said, pulling him in for another kiss. Luke became an active participant and they spent their time hanging out by the lake; drinking, talking and of course, kissing. They finally got called back to the party when it was time to cut the cake, and they reluctantly trudged back up through the gardens to see their guests again.

XXXX

By ten that evening, the party was finally beginning to die down and Luke and Lorelai managed to say goodbye to their guests. All they wanted to do was go home and enjoy their wedding night, which they were both looking forward to immensely.

"Ok, time for the bouquet throwing ladies!" Lorelai called, gathering up Sookie and Liz. "All the single and unmarried people gather round." Many women crowded around and pushed to get to the front, as Lorelai turned around and prepared to throw her bouquet over her head. "Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah!"

"Ok, here it comes." She threw it as well as she could and turned to see who the lucky lady was. She squealed when she saw who had caught it. "Sookie!"

"I caught it," she exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.

"You're next to get married," she giggled, wrapping an arm around her best friend.

"Shh, don't let Jackson hear you," she hushed. "I don't wanna freak him out, he'll ask me when he's ready to."

"Ok Sook, but you're my maid of honour, so that means I get to be yours. Keep that in mind," she hinted.

"I will," she said with an added eye roll. "Now you'd better get going, I think your husband is waiting for you." She gestured in the direction of Luke, and Lorelai turned to find him cradling a sleepy Rory in his arms.

"Right, I'd better say goodbye to my baby before we leave her for the night," she stated. "I'll come and see you tomorrow before we leave," she promised.

"Hey, did you find out where you're going on your honeymoon?" she asked curiously. Lorelai grinned and nodded eagerly. "Well, tell me then!"

"I am going on a Caribbean cruise," she exclaimed. Sookie looked shocked, before she hugged her friend tightly.

"You are so lucky," she gushed. "I hope you have an amazing time."

"I will, Sook. See you tomorrow." After saying goodbye to a few other people, Lorelai made her way over to Luke and Rory, ready to depart. "Hi sweets," she cooed, not bothering to take her daughter from her father. "Are you ready to go to bed?"

"I tired," she sighed, nuzzling into the warmth of Luke.

"Well you're gonna sleep at Mia's house tonight," she told her. "But daddy and I will pick you up in the morning so we can spend the day together before we leave. How does that sound?" Rory simply nodded, she was too tired to do anything else.

"Are you all set to go?" Luke asked.

"I just need to say goodnight to my parents." He nodded and followed her over to them. "Hey mom, dad," she greeted. "Luke and I are gonna get going now."

"Oh ok," said Emily, slightly disappointed. She hardly got to spend any alone time with her daughter at the party, as Lorelai had snuck off with her new husband. "The ceremony was beautiful."

"It was, wasn't it?" she gushed. "I can't believe it's all over."

"But you have the honeymoon to look forward to," Richard pointed out. "Ten days in the Caribbean."

"You knew?" she asked in disbelief.

"Luke told us," Emily informed. "But we were sworn to secrecy."

"How many other people knew before I did?" she quizzed him.

"Just Emily and Richard," he assured her. "And Jess, but he swore he wouldn't tell."

"I guess I can deal with that," she muttered. "Anyway, we came over to thank you for all your help with the planning, we wouldn't have been able to do it without you," she said gratefully.

"You're welcome, Lorelai. I'm just glad you're so happy," Emily told her, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks mom," she said as she pulled away. She hugged her dad as well, then the three of them went over to the car that would take the couple back to their house. It had been decorated with ribbons, and there were some tin cans attached to the exhaust by some string. A sign had been taped to the back window reading 'Just Married', and someone had spray painted pink hearts on the side of it.

"So you guys are ready to leave?" Mia asked as she approached them.

"Yeah, we've done enough partying for one night," joked Lorelai.

"Well, it's been a lovely day today, I'm glad it all went smoothly for you both." She gave them each a hug, before prying Rory out of Luke's arms.

"I left her overnight bag in your office," Lorelai told her. "There should be everything you need in there."

"Thanks Lorelai, I'm sure we'll be fine though won't we Rory?" she prodded. Rory nodded sleepily and rested her head against the inn owner's shoulder.

"Thank you for taking her tonight," she said gratefully.

"It's no problem; I want to spend some time with her before she goes to stay in Hartford for ten days. I'll miss you all so much."

"We'll miss you too, but I bet it'll fly by."

"Ok, time to go?" Luke asked. He was eager to get home, so he and Lorelai could really get the night started.

"Right," she nodded. "Bye hon, I love you," she said quietly to her daughter, leaving a kiss on the top of her head.

"Be good for Mia, ok?" Luke asked, and Rory nodded in reply. He kissed her also, before he held the car door open and allowed Lorelai to climb in, making sure she didn't trap her dress in the door. Luke got in after her and they wound the window down, waving to everybody as the car pulled away.

After what seemed like a lengthy drive, but was in fact only five minutes long, the car stopped in the driveway of their house and Luke helped his wife out. They waited for the driver to pull away before she fell into her husband and wrapped her arms around him.

"I can't wait for you to take this dress off of me," she said seductively in his ear, causing Luke to begin walking her backwards towards the porch. They climbed the steps together clumsily; obviously they'd had a little too much champagne, and Luke hastily unlocked the door.

"Wait," he stopped her before she could enter their home.

"Why?" she wondered. He answered by bending slightly at the knees and hoisting her up into his arms, gaining a surprised yelp from her. "Luke," she giggled as he carried her over the threshold.

"It's tradition," he shrugged, kicking the door closed behind them before continuing up to their bedroom.

Lorelai knew from that day on, that it would never be just her and Rory ever again. There were three of them now; a proper family.

**- THE END -**

**Ok, this story has been a hit. When I started it I didn't expect to get such an amazing response to it, but you guys seemed to love it.**

**I've had a total of 199 alerts added for it.**

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**I only have all of you readers to thank for it. Thanks for all your support; reviews, alerts, favourites. Anybody that has submitted any one of those things, thank you!**

**Thanks to my regular reviewers, to list most of you; scifiromance, sarahb2007, theatrqueen2195, itzcheeseball, Jeremy Shane, suusje32, Copop, chloe2007, tate4eva, coffeebeanner, MaryBBlove23, hfce, Emma-and-Eadric-forever, Anna Luna, RandomNews3, mmooch, Caraline Fisher and Didine34790. I'm sorry if I missed anyone, but these are the people that have pretty much reviewed every chapter :D **

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**I hope you all enjoyed this throughout, and I will be back soon with a sequel. I'm just gonna take a much needed break from IJMYN first :P **

**Bye for now,**

**Emily.**


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